Orson Pratt
Born: 19 September 1811
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 26 April 1835
Died: 3 October 1881
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 26 April 1835
Died: 3 October 1881
Conference Talks About Orson Pratt
1865 October - George Q. Cannon - Statement by the First Presidency on Publications of Orson Pratt
1881 October - Wilford Woodruff - Revelation Given to Orson Pratt
1881 October - Lorenzo Snow - Elder Orson Pratt
1881 October - Franklin D. Richards - Elder Orson Pratt
1881 October - John Taylor - Elder Orson Pratt
1881 October - Wilford Woodruff - Revelation Given to Orson Pratt
1881 October - Lorenzo Snow - Elder Orson Pratt
1881 October - Franklin D. Richards - Elder Orson Pratt
1881 October - John Taylor - Elder Orson Pratt
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Contributor, November 1881, Orson Pratt
Contributor, November 1890, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, December 1890, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, January 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, February 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, March 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, April 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, May 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, June 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, July 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, August 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, September 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, October 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Young Woman's Journal, January 1899, Recollections of Orson Pratt, An Interesting and Unique Personality
Young Woman's Journal, September 1911, Orson Pratt
Improvement Era, January 1912, Orson Pratt's Hundredth Anniversary
Improvement Era, January 1912, Orson Pratt, Apostle, Pioneer, Philosopher, Scientist and Historian
Improvement Era, August 1912, Over the Pioneer Trail
Improvement Era, November 1918, The Three Orsons
Improvement Era, February 1919, Home of the Three Orsons
Juvenile Instructor, September 1919, True Pioneer Stories - Orson Pratt
Instructor, January 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, February 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, March 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, April 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, May 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, June 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, July 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, August 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, September 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, October 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, November 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, December 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Ensign, April 1984, Orson Pratt: Early Advocate of the Book of Mormon
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Contributor, November 1881, Orson Pratt
Contributor, November 1890, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, December 1890, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, January 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, February 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, March 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, April 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, May 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, June 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, July 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, August 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, September 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Contributor, October 1891, Life and Labors of Orson Pratt
Young Woman's Journal, January 1899, Recollections of Orson Pratt, An Interesting and Unique Personality
Young Woman's Journal, September 1911, Orson Pratt
Improvement Era, January 1912, Orson Pratt's Hundredth Anniversary
Improvement Era, January 1912, Orson Pratt, Apostle, Pioneer, Philosopher, Scientist and Historian
Improvement Era, August 1912, Over the Pioneer Trail
Improvement Era, November 1918, The Three Orsons
Improvement Era, February 1919, Home of the Three Orsons
Juvenile Instructor, September 1919, True Pioneer Stories - Orson Pratt
Instructor, January 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, February 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, March 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, April 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, May 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, June 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, July 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, August 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, September 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, October 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, November 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Instructor, December 1947, Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study
Ensign, April 1984, Orson Pratt: Early Advocate of the Book of Mormon
Jenson, Andrew. "Pratt, Orson." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 87-91.
PRATT, Orson, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles from 1835 to 1881, was born Sept. 19, 1811, in Hartford, Washing ton county. New York. He was the son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson and a younger brother of Apostle Parley P. Pratt. His parents were hardworking and poor people, and he was accustomed to labor from his boyhood, during which time the family removed to New Lebanon, Columbia county, where he attended school part of the time each year until 1825, acquiring a common school education, and becoming familiar with arithmetic and bookkeeping. He also studied the Bible. From the time he was eleven years old, he worked at farming in different places, attending school in the winter, going to Lorain county, Ohio, in the fall of 1827, and in the fall of 1828 performed a journey of nearly seven hundred miles to Connecticut; went thence to Long- Island, and in the winter of 1829-30 studied geography, grammar and surveying, at a boarding academy. He was a prayerful as well as studious youth, although neither he nor his parents connected themselves with any of the religious denominations. In September, 1830, his brother Parley P. Pratt, who had embraced the gospel as taught by Joseph Smith the Prophet, came with another Elder to Canaan, Columbia county, N. Y., where Orson was residing. He then received their testimony and was baptized Sept. 19, 1830, his birthday, being then nineteen years old. In the following month he traveled two hundred miles to see Joseph Smith In Fayette, Seneca county, N. Y., and on the 4th of November received through the Prophet the revelation found in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 34, in which he was called of God to preach the gospel, to lift up his voice both long and loud, to cry repentance, and prepare the way before the coming of the Lord. He was confirmed and ordained an Elder Dec. 1, 1830, by Joseph Smith, and went on his first mission to Colesville, Broome county, N. Y., and in the early part of 1831, went on foot to Kirtland, Ohio, where the Prophet had removed, a distance of about three hundred miles. He then performed several missions in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, baptizing many converts. At a conference held at Amherst, Ohio, June 25, 1832, he was set apart to preside over the Elders, and was sent on a mission to the Eastern States. Feb. 2, 1832, he was ordained a High Priest by Sidney Rigdon, after which he traveled and preached without purse or scrip, through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City to Long Island, thence northeast through part of Vermont into New Hampshire, preaching and baptizing by the way and making many converts in Bath, N. H., and Charleston, Vt. Next he proceeded to the southern part of Connecticut, and had continued success. After laboring in these parts till the fall of 1832, he started west, traveling some three or four hundred miles, preaching, baptizing, ordaining men to the ministry, and laboring in many parts of New York. He returned to Kirtland, Ohio, Feb. 17, 1833, having traveled on foot about four thousand miles, baptized 104 persons and organized several new branches. In Kirtland he attended the School of the Prophets during the winter, boarding with the Prophet Joseph, and in the following spring he again went East, performing another successful mission, traveling 2,000 miles in six months, and baptizing over fifty persons. After this he remained in Kirtland about two months, laboring on the House of the Lord, and on Nov. 27th started on another mission to the eastern branches. He returned to Kirtland Feb. 13, 1834, having traveled about one thousand miles. Thirteen days later he was started out again, with Elder Orson Hyde, on a special mission on which he was absent about two months, traveling 800 miles. He next traveled with Zion's Camp to Missouri, being captain of a company. July 7, 1834, he was ordained one of the standing High Council in Missouri, where he also visited the scattered branches in Clay county, and in August was sent eastward, traveling through Illinois and Indiana to Ohio, suffering severely through fatigue and ague, arriving in Kirtland April 26, 1835, on which day he was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles, under the hands of David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery. May 4, 1835, he went on another mission to the Eastern States, and was absent a little over six months. During the winter and early spring he taught a grammar school in Kirtland, and also studied Hebrew, and then received his endowments in the Kirtland Temple. His next mission was to Canada West, on which he left April 6, 1836. While absent he baptized many persons and raised up several branches of the Church. July 4, 1836, he was married to Sarah M. Bates, whom he had baptized in Sackett's Harbor, June 18, 1835. In the fall, having returned to Kirtland, he studied algebra, and after providing a home for his wife, went to the State of New York and labored in the ministry during the winter of 1837-38. In April, 1839, the Saints having been driven from Far "West, he went there to fulfill a revelation, and with several of the Twelve, met at the corner stone of the Temple, whence they parted to preach the gospel to foreign nations. He was the means of delivering his brother Parley from prison in Columbia, Mo., July 4, 1833. In the fall of 1839 he preached through the eastern branches, and in the spring of 1840 embarked for England. He preached nine months in Edinburgh, Scotland, raised up a branch of over 200 persons, and in the spring of 1841 returned to America. After this mission he took charge of a mathematical school at Nauvoo, then took a mission through the Eastern States in the summer of 1843, and on his return in the fall was elected a member of the city council, helped to draw up a memorial to Congress and went to "Washington, D. C, to present it in the spring of 1844. He labored among the churches east till the news of the martyrdom of the Prophet was received, when he returned to Nauvoo. During the difficulties that succeeded the death of the Prophet and Patriarch, he labored with the Twelve, which was the presiding quorum of the Church, In the management of its affairs, shared in the expulsion from Nauvoo, crossed the plains with the Pioneers in 1847, and on the way, when weather would permit, took astronomical and other scientific observations, determining, by the aid of the sextant and circle of reflection, the latitude and longitude of the most prominent places, the changes of elevation above sea level, etc., in anticipation of the great highway which even then it was expected by the Saints would span this vast continent. He was the first man of the Pioneers to enter Salt Lake valley, having preceded the main body of the company three days. In 1848 he was appointed president over all the branches of the Church in England, Scotland, "Wales, Ireland and adjacent countries, starting from "Winter Quarters on the 11th of May, The number of Church members in Great Britain then were about eighteen thousand, which during his presidency of two years were increased to about thirty-one thousand. In this short period he chartered and fitted out about twenty ships loaded with Saints for "Utah. In the midst of this press of business, he wrote some fifteen pamphlets, and published and circulated several hundred thousand of them in different languages. At the same time he edited the "Millennial Star," and increased its circulation from less than four thousand to nearly twenty-three thousand. He lectured, at different times, to large audiences in the principal cities of England and Scotland. In 1851 he returned to Great Salt Lake valley, and in the winter of 1851-52 delivered a series of twelve astronomical lectures to crowded audiences in the old Tabernacle, which were published in the "Deseret News." He was elected a member of the legislative assembly during its first session, and at each successive session when he was in the Territory, and seven times was chosen speaker of the House. In 1852, he was appointed on a mission to Washington, D. C, to take the presidential charge of all the branches in the United States and British provinces east of the Rocky Mountains, and there published "The Seer." In the spring and summer of 1853 he again went on a mission to Europe, returning the following year. April 22, 1856, he again started for England and presided over the European Mission, publishing more pamphlets, and returned by way of California, while the army was en route to Utah, arriving home in January, 1858. Sept. 23, 1860, he was called on another mission to the United States, being gone about one year. April 24, 1864. he was set apart for a mission to Austria. He went to that land in 1865, accompanied by Elder Wm. W. Riter; but in consequence of the stringent laws he was unable to open the gospel door to that nation. He bore his testimony to the authorities and left, going over to England where he visited the conferences and labored assiduously, returning Aug. 4, 1867. In 1869 he went to New York City and transcribed and published the Book of Mormon in phonetic characters called the Deseret Alphabet. In August, 1870, he held the famous three days' discussion with Dr. John P. Newman on the subject of polygamy, totally routing that debater, for which he never forgave the "Mormons." At the adjourned general conference in 1874, he was appointed and sustained as Historian and General Church Recorder, which position he retained till his decease. July 18, 1871, he once more left his home to cross the ocean, this time to transcribe and publish an edition of the Book of Mormon in the Pitman phonetic characters. He was, however, soon called home and returned Sept. 27th. In September, 1878, he started east with Apostle Joseph F. Smith, visiting the Whitmers in Missouri, the Hill Cumorah and other places figuring in the history of the Church, and returned in October. Dec. 3rd of the same year, he started again for England to stereotype the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, which he arranged in verses, with foot notes and references. From this important and laborious mission he returned Sept. 2, 1879. After his arrival home he attended a number of Stake conferences, and was again elected a member of the legislature, acting in his usual capacity as sneaker of the House. After this his health was poor, and finally he finished his long and useful career, Oct. 3, 1881, when he died at his residence in Salt Lake City. For a little over a year he had suffered severely from diabetes, and was much of the time unable to leave his room. On Sunday Sept. 18, 1881, he delivered his last public address in a clear and forcible manner, speaking to a large congregation in the Tabernacle about twenty minutes. Orson Pratt was the last of the original Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church. He crossed the Atlantic ocean sixteen times on missions of salvation. He found time to study the higher mathematics, and in addition to his published scientific books left an elaborate work in manuscript on the Differential Calculus, containing original principles. He was the father of forty-five children, of whom sixteen sons and sixteen daughters, and forty-three grandchildren were alive at the time of his death. Following is a list of some of the works which he has published: Divine Authority; Kingdom of God, in four parts; Remarkable Visions; Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, in six parts; Reply to "Remarks on Mormonism;" Great First Cause; New Jerusalem; Absurdities of Immaterialism; "The Seer," in eighteen numbers; eight Tracts on the first principles of the gospel; Cubic and Biquadratic Equations; Key to the Universe, or a New Theory of its Mechanism; etc., etc. By way of finishing his obituary, the editor of the "Deseret News" wrote at the time of his death: "Orson Pratt was truly an Apostle of the Lord. Full of integrity, firm as a rock to his convictions, true to his brethren and to his God, earnest and zealous in defense and proclamation of the truth, ever ready to bear testimony to the latter-day work, he had a mind stored with scripture, ancient and modern, was an eloquent speaker, a powerful minister, a logical and convincing writer, an honest man and a great soul who reached out after eternal things, grasped them with the gift of inspiration, and brought them down to the level and comprehension of the common mind. Thousands have been brought into the Church through his preaching in many lands, thousands more by his writings. He set but little store on the wealth of this world, but he has laid up treasures in heaven which will make him eternally rich." (See also "Millennial Star," Vol. 27, p. 23; "Southern Star," Vol. 2, p. 297.)
PRATT, Orson, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles from 1835 to 1881, was born Sept. 19, 1811, in Hartford, Washing ton county. New York. He was the son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson and a younger brother of Apostle Parley P. Pratt. His parents were hardworking and poor people, and he was accustomed to labor from his boyhood, during which time the family removed to New Lebanon, Columbia county, where he attended school part of the time each year until 1825, acquiring a common school education, and becoming familiar with arithmetic and bookkeeping. He also studied the Bible. From the time he was eleven years old, he worked at farming in different places, attending school in the winter, going to Lorain county, Ohio, in the fall of 1827, and in the fall of 1828 performed a journey of nearly seven hundred miles to Connecticut; went thence to Long- Island, and in the winter of 1829-30 studied geography, grammar and surveying, at a boarding academy. He was a prayerful as well as studious youth, although neither he nor his parents connected themselves with any of the religious denominations. In September, 1830, his brother Parley P. Pratt, who had embraced the gospel as taught by Joseph Smith the Prophet, came with another Elder to Canaan, Columbia county, N. Y., where Orson was residing. He then received their testimony and was baptized Sept. 19, 1830, his birthday, being then nineteen years old. In the following month he traveled two hundred miles to see Joseph Smith In Fayette, Seneca county, N. Y., and on the 4th of November received through the Prophet the revelation found in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 34, in which he was called of God to preach the gospel, to lift up his voice both long and loud, to cry repentance, and prepare the way before the coming of the Lord. He was confirmed and ordained an Elder Dec. 1, 1830, by Joseph Smith, and went on his first mission to Colesville, Broome county, N. Y., and in the early part of 1831, went on foot to Kirtland, Ohio, where the Prophet had removed, a distance of about three hundred miles. He then performed several missions in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, baptizing many converts. At a conference held at Amherst, Ohio, June 25, 1832, he was set apart to preside over the Elders, and was sent on a mission to the Eastern States. Feb. 2, 1832, he was ordained a High Priest by Sidney Rigdon, after which he traveled and preached without purse or scrip, through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City to Long Island, thence northeast through part of Vermont into New Hampshire, preaching and baptizing by the way and making many converts in Bath, N. H., and Charleston, Vt. Next he proceeded to the southern part of Connecticut, and had continued success. After laboring in these parts till the fall of 1832, he started west, traveling some three or four hundred miles, preaching, baptizing, ordaining men to the ministry, and laboring in many parts of New York. He returned to Kirtland, Ohio, Feb. 17, 1833, having traveled on foot about four thousand miles, baptized 104 persons and organized several new branches. In Kirtland he attended the School of the Prophets during the winter, boarding with the Prophet Joseph, and in the following spring he again went East, performing another successful mission, traveling 2,000 miles in six months, and baptizing over fifty persons. After this he remained in Kirtland about two months, laboring on the House of the Lord, and on Nov. 27th started on another mission to the eastern branches. He returned to Kirtland Feb. 13, 1834, having traveled about one thousand miles. Thirteen days later he was started out again, with Elder Orson Hyde, on a special mission on which he was absent about two months, traveling 800 miles. He next traveled with Zion's Camp to Missouri, being captain of a company. July 7, 1834, he was ordained one of the standing High Council in Missouri, where he also visited the scattered branches in Clay county, and in August was sent eastward, traveling through Illinois and Indiana to Ohio, suffering severely through fatigue and ague, arriving in Kirtland April 26, 1835, on which day he was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles, under the hands of David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery. May 4, 1835, he went on another mission to the Eastern States, and was absent a little over six months. During the winter and early spring he taught a grammar school in Kirtland, and also studied Hebrew, and then received his endowments in the Kirtland Temple. His next mission was to Canada West, on which he left April 6, 1836. While absent he baptized many persons and raised up several branches of the Church. July 4, 1836, he was married to Sarah M. Bates, whom he had baptized in Sackett's Harbor, June 18, 1835. In the fall, having returned to Kirtland, he studied algebra, and after providing a home for his wife, went to the State of New York and labored in the ministry during the winter of 1837-38. In April, 1839, the Saints having been driven from Far "West, he went there to fulfill a revelation, and with several of the Twelve, met at the corner stone of the Temple, whence they parted to preach the gospel to foreign nations. He was the means of delivering his brother Parley from prison in Columbia, Mo., July 4, 1833. In the fall of 1839 he preached through the eastern branches, and in the spring of 1840 embarked for England. He preached nine months in Edinburgh, Scotland, raised up a branch of over 200 persons, and in the spring of 1841 returned to America. After this mission he took charge of a mathematical school at Nauvoo, then took a mission through the Eastern States in the summer of 1843, and on his return in the fall was elected a member of the city council, helped to draw up a memorial to Congress and went to "Washington, D. C, to present it in the spring of 1844. He labored among the churches east till the news of the martyrdom of the Prophet was received, when he returned to Nauvoo. During the difficulties that succeeded the death of the Prophet and Patriarch, he labored with the Twelve, which was the presiding quorum of the Church, In the management of its affairs, shared in the expulsion from Nauvoo, crossed the plains with the Pioneers in 1847, and on the way, when weather would permit, took astronomical and other scientific observations, determining, by the aid of the sextant and circle of reflection, the latitude and longitude of the most prominent places, the changes of elevation above sea level, etc., in anticipation of the great highway which even then it was expected by the Saints would span this vast continent. He was the first man of the Pioneers to enter Salt Lake valley, having preceded the main body of the company three days. In 1848 he was appointed president over all the branches of the Church in England, Scotland, "Wales, Ireland and adjacent countries, starting from "Winter Quarters on the 11th of May, The number of Church members in Great Britain then were about eighteen thousand, which during his presidency of two years were increased to about thirty-one thousand. In this short period he chartered and fitted out about twenty ships loaded with Saints for "Utah. In the midst of this press of business, he wrote some fifteen pamphlets, and published and circulated several hundred thousand of them in different languages. At the same time he edited the "Millennial Star," and increased its circulation from less than four thousand to nearly twenty-three thousand. He lectured, at different times, to large audiences in the principal cities of England and Scotland. In 1851 he returned to Great Salt Lake valley, and in the winter of 1851-52 delivered a series of twelve astronomical lectures to crowded audiences in the old Tabernacle, which were published in the "Deseret News." He was elected a member of the legislative assembly during its first session, and at each successive session when he was in the Territory, and seven times was chosen speaker of the House. In 1852, he was appointed on a mission to Washington, D. C, to take the presidential charge of all the branches in the United States and British provinces east of the Rocky Mountains, and there published "The Seer." In the spring and summer of 1853 he again went on a mission to Europe, returning the following year. April 22, 1856, he again started for England and presided over the European Mission, publishing more pamphlets, and returned by way of California, while the army was en route to Utah, arriving home in January, 1858. Sept. 23, 1860, he was called on another mission to the United States, being gone about one year. April 24, 1864. he was set apart for a mission to Austria. He went to that land in 1865, accompanied by Elder Wm. W. Riter; but in consequence of the stringent laws he was unable to open the gospel door to that nation. He bore his testimony to the authorities and left, going over to England where he visited the conferences and labored assiduously, returning Aug. 4, 1867. In 1869 he went to New York City and transcribed and published the Book of Mormon in phonetic characters called the Deseret Alphabet. In August, 1870, he held the famous three days' discussion with Dr. John P. Newman on the subject of polygamy, totally routing that debater, for which he never forgave the "Mormons." At the adjourned general conference in 1874, he was appointed and sustained as Historian and General Church Recorder, which position he retained till his decease. July 18, 1871, he once more left his home to cross the ocean, this time to transcribe and publish an edition of the Book of Mormon in the Pitman phonetic characters. He was, however, soon called home and returned Sept. 27th. In September, 1878, he started east with Apostle Joseph F. Smith, visiting the Whitmers in Missouri, the Hill Cumorah and other places figuring in the history of the Church, and returned in October. Dec. 3rd of the same year, he started again for England to stereotype the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, which he arranged in verses, with foot notes and references. From this important and laborious mission he returned Sept. 2, 1879. After his arrival home he attended a number of Stake conferences, and was again elected a member of the legislature, acting in his usual capacity as sneaker of the House. After this his health was poor, and finally he finished his long and useful career, Oct. 3, 1881, when he died at his residence in Salt Lake City. For a little over a year he had suffered severely from diabetes, and was much of the time unable to leave his room. On Sunday Sept. 18, 1881, he delivered his last public address in a clear and forcible manner, speaking to a large congregation in the Tabernacle about twenty minutes. Orson Pratt was the last of the original Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church. He crossed the Atlantic ocean sixteen times on missions of salvation. He found time to study the higher mathematics, and in addition to his published scientific books left an elaborate work in manuscript on the Differential Calculus, containing original principles. He was the father of forty-five children, of whom sixteen sons and sixteen daughters, and forty-three grandchildren were alive at the time of his death. Following is a list of some of the works which he has published: Divine Authority; Kingdom of God, in four parts; Remarkable Visions; Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, in six parts; Reply to "Remarks on Mormonism;" Great First Cause; New Jerusalem; Absurdities of Immaterialism; "The Seer," in eighteen numbers; eight Tracts on the first principles of the gospel; Cubic and Biquadratic Equations; Key to the Universe, or a New Theory of its Mechanism; etc., etc. By way of finishing his obituary, the editor of the "Deseret News" wrote at the time of his death: "Orson Pratt was truly an Apostle of the Lord. Full of integrity, firm as a rock to his convictions, true to his brethren and to his God, earnest and zealous in defense and proclamation of the truth, ever ready to bear testimony to the latter-day work, he had a mind stored with scripture, ancient and modern, was an eloquent speaker, a powerful minister, a logical and convincing writer, an honest man and a great soul who reached out after eternal things, grasped them with the gift of inspiration, and brought them down to the level and comprehension of the common mind. Thousands have been brought into the Church through his preaching in many lands, thousands more by his writings. He set but little store on the wealth of this world, but he has laid up treasures in heaven which will make him eternally rich." (See also "Millennial Star," Vol. 27, p. 23; "Southern Star," Vol. 2, p. 297.)
Jenson, Andrew. "Pratt, Orson." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 317, 332, 715.
PRATT, Orson, president of the British Mission from 1848 to 1851 and from 1856 to 1857. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 87.)
PRATT, Orson, president of the Eastern States Mission from 1845 to 1845. (See Bio. Ency., Vol, 1, p. 87.)
PRATT, Orson, one of the original pioneers of Utah and one of the Twelve Apostles at that time, was born Sept. 19, 1811, at Hartford, Washington Co., New York, a son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickenson. Bro. Pratt was sent by Pres. Brigham Young in charge of a group of men to act as an advance company to look out and prepare a road for the main body to enter Salt Lake Valley. On July 21, 1847, he and Erastus Snow, with only one horse between them, came down Emigration canyon ahead of their companies and beheld in the distance the blue waters of the Great Salt Lake. Elder Snow wrote later: "We simultaneously swung our hats and shouted, 'Hosannah.' " (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 87.)
PRATT, Orson, president of the British Mission from 1848 to 1851 and from 1856 to 1857. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 87.)
PRATT, Orson, president of the Eastern States Mission from 1845 to 1845. (See Bio. Ency., Vol, 1, p. 87.)
PRATT, Orson, one of the original pioneers of Utah and one of the Twelve Apostles at that time, was born Sept. 19, 1811, at Hartford, Washington Co., New York, a son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickenson. Bro. Pratt was sent by Pres. Brigham Young in charge of a group of men to act as an advance company to look out and prepare a road for the main body to enter Salt Lake Valley. On July 21, 1847, he and Erastus Snow, with only one horse between them, came down Emigration canyon ahead of their companies and beheld in the distance the blue waters of the Great Salt Lake. Elder Snow wrote later: "We simultaneously swung our hats and shouted, 'Hosannah.' " (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 87.)
"Orson Pratt." Contributor. November 1881. pg. 58-61.
ORSON PRATT.
The Gatherer of life's harvest has been busy this year, reaping indiscriminately, it would seem, the young and tender plant, just budding into bloom, and the full, ripe shock, weighed down with fruit and ready for the garner. Of the latter, a bounteous harvest has been gathered home. Many of the veteran fathers, whose familiar forms have long been cherished as strong pillars of the Church, have been called away, and with the departure of each, the reflection is forced upon us that their numbers are fast diminishing. It will not be long before a Saint of Kirtland days, of Nauvoo times, even, will be rarely met. Already we have to mourn the absence of the last faithful member of the original quorum of Apostles. How many other quorums are completely eliminated of their original members, we cannot say, but fifty years added to the youngest of those, who first composed them, brings them nearly to the shadow of the valley of death.
On the morning of October 3d, 1881, the venerable and illustrious Apostle, Orson Pratt, died, at his residence in the 19th ward. He had been an invalid for over a year, and his grand, strong, almost iron constitution had been broken for upwards of two years, in fact from the time that he performed his last mission to England, in the interest of the Church publications. It is said that he worked there, in preparing the plates for the new editions of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, from ten to fourteen hours per day. It was observed on his return home, that his system had received a fearful shock, and we believe that he never completely recovered from it. The following admirable epitome of his laborious career appeared in the Deseret News, and briefly narrates the principal events of Brother Pratt's life:
Orson Pratt was born in Hartford, Washington County, New York, September 19, 1811, and was the son of Jared and Charity (Dickinson) Pratt. His father was a descendant of William Pratt, who, with his brother John, came to this country from .England with the Pilgrim Fathers, and afterwards located at Hartford, Connecticut, in June, 1636, having, as supposed, accompanied Rev. Thos. Hooker and others of his congregation from Newton, now called Cambridge, Massachusetts, to settle at Hartford. William Pratt was a member of the Connecticut legislature during some twenty-five or thirty sessions, and was one of the Judges of the first court in New London county.
During Orson Pratt's boyhood, the family removed to New Lebanon, in Columbia county, where he attended school until 1825, acquiring a common school education, and becoming familiar with arithmetic and book-keeping. He also studied the Bible. From the time he was eleven years old, he worked at farming at different places, attending school in the winter. Going to Lorain County, Ohio, in the fall of 1827, in the fall of 1828 he performed a journey of nearly seven hundred miles to Connecticut, went thence to Long Island, and in the winter of 1829-30 studied geography, grammar and surveying at a boarding academy.
In September, 1830, his brother, Parley P. Pratt, who had embraced the Gospel taught by Joseph Smith the Prophet, came with another Elder to the place where Orson was residing, who received their testimony and was baptized September 19, 1830, his birthday, being then nineteen years old. In the following month he traveled two hundred miles to see the Prophet Joseph, in Fayette, Seneca County, New York. On the 4th of November he received, through that servant of God, the revelation to be found in the Doctrine and Covenants, section xxxiv, in which he was called of God to preach the Gospel, to lift up his voice both long and loud, to cry repentance, and prepare the way before the coming of the Lord.
He was confirmed and ordained an Elder, December 1, 1830, and went on his first mission to Colesville, Broome County, New York, and in the early part of 1831 went on foot to Kirtland, Ohio, where the Prophet had removed, a distance of seven hundred miles. He then performed several missions in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, baptizing many converts. At a conference in Amherst, Ohio, he was set apart, June 25, 1832, to preside over the Elders, and went on a mission to the Eastern States. February 1, 1832, he was ordained a High Priest.
He then traveled and preached without purse or scrip, through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City to Long Island, thence northeast through part of Vermont into New Hampshire, preaching and baptizing by the way and making many converts in Bath, N. H., Charleston, Vermont, and then proceeding to the southern part of Connecticut, with continued success. After laboring in these parts till the fall of 1832, he started west, traveling some three or four hundred miles, preaching, baptizing, ordaining men to the ministry, and laboring in many parts of New York, and arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, February 17, 1833, having traveled on foot about four thousand miles, baptized one hundred and four persons, and organized several new branches.
Here he attended the School of the Prophets, and again went East, performing another successful mission, traveling two thousand miles in six months, and baptizing over fifty persons. After laboring on the House of the Lord, he started, on November 27, to visit the eastern churches, and returned to Kirtland, February 13, 1834, having traveled about one thousand miles.
In thirteen days he was started out again, with Elder Orson Hyde, on a special mission, being absent about two months, traveling eight hundred miles. He next traveled with Zion's Camp to Missouri, being captain of a company. July 7th he was ordained one of the standing High Council in Zion, visited the scattered churches in Clay County, and in August was sent eastward, traveling through Illinois and Indiana to Ohio, suffering severely through fatigue and ague, arriving in Kirtland April 26, 1835, on which day he was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles, under the hands of David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery. On May 4th he went on another mission to the Eastern States, being absent about six months. During the winter and early spring he taught a grammar school in Kirtland, and also studied Hebrew, and then received his endowments in the Kirtland Temple. His next mission was to Canada West, on which he left April 6, 1836, baptizing many persons and raising up several branches of the Church.
On July 4th he was married to Sarah M. Bates, whom he had baptized in Sackett's Harbor, June 13, 1835. In the fall, having returned to Kirtland, he studied algebra, and after providing a home for his wife, went to the State of New York and labored in the ministry during the winter of 1837-8. In April, 1838, the Saints having been driven from Far West, he went there to fulfil a revelation, and with several of the Twelve, met at the corner stone of the Temple, whence they parted to preach the Gospel to foreign nations.
In the fall he preached through the eastern churches, and in the spring of 1840 embarked for England, preached nine months in Edinburgh, Scotland, raised up a branch of over two hundred persons, and in the spring of 1841 started to return to America. He went to Nauvoo, where he took charge of a mathematical school; then took a mission through the Eastern States in the summer of 1843, and on his return in the fall was elected to the City Council, helped to draw up a memorial to Congress, and went to Washington in the spring of 1844 to present it. He labored among the churches east till the news of the martyrdom of the Prophet was received, when he returned to Nauvoo.
During the difficulties that succeeded the death of the Prophet and Patriarch, he labored with the Twelve, which was the presiding quorum of the Church, in the management of its affairs, shared in the expulsion from Nauvoo, crossed the plains with the pioneers in 1847, and on the way, when weather would permit, took astronomical and other scientific observations, determining, by the aid of the sextant and circle of reflection, the latitudes and longitudes of the most prominent places, the changes of elevation above sea level, etc., in an anticipation of the great highway which even then it was expected by the Saints would span this vast continent. He was the first to enter Salt Lake Valley, having preceded the main body of the company three days.
In 1848 he was appointed President over all the branches of the Church in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and adjacent countries, starting on the nth of May. The number of Church members then was about eighteen thousand, which, during his presidency of two years, was increased to twenty-six thousand. In this short period he chartered and fitted out from fifteen to eighteen ships loaded with Saints for Utah. In the midst of this press of business, he wrote fifteen pamphlets, and published and circulated several hundred thousand of them in different languages. At the same time he edited the Millennial Star, and increased its circulation from less than four thousand to nearly twenty-three thousand copies. He lectured, at different times, to large audiences in the principal cities in England and Scotland.
In 1852 he was appointed on a mission to Washington, to take the Presidential charge of the Church, in the United States and British Provinces east of the Rocky Mountains, and there published The Seer. In the spring and summer of 1853 he again went on a mission to Europe, returning the following year. On the 22d of April, he again went to England and presided over the European mission, publishing more pamphlets, and returned by way of California, while the army was en route to Utah, arriving home in 'January, 1858. On September 22, 1860, he was called on a mission to the United States, being gone about one year. On the 24th of April, 1864, he was set apart for a mission to Austria. He went to that land, but in consequence of the stringent laws, was unable to open the door of the Kingdom to that nation, but bore his testimony to the authorities and left, going over to England, where he visited the conferences and labored assiduously, returning August 4, 1867. In 1869 he went to New York City and transcribed and published the Book of Mormon in phonetic characters, called the Deseret Alphabet.
In August, 1870, he held the famous three days' discussion with Dr. J. P. Newman, on the subject of Polygamy, completely overthrowing the argument of his antagonist, and proving the doctrine of Celestial Marriage, Scriptural and Divine.
At the adjourned General Conference in 1874, he was appointed and sustained Historian and General Church Recorder, which position he retained till his decease.
On the 18th of July, 1877, he once more left to cross the ocean, this time to transcribe and publish an edition of the Book of Mormon in the Pitman phonetic characters. He was soon called home, however, returning on the 27th of September. On the 3d of September, 1878, he went east with Apostle Joseph F. Smith, visiting the Whitmers in Missouri, the Hill Cumorah and other places figuring in the history of the Church, and returned on the 3d of October. On the 3d of December he started again for England, to electrotype the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, which he arranged in verses, with foot notes and references. From this important and laborious mission, he returned September 2, 1879. He visited a number of Conferences, attended the Legislature, acting in his usual capacity of Speaker of the House. After that time his health was poor, and he could do little in the Historian's Office.
He was the last of the original Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church. He crossed the ocean sixteen times, on missions of salvation. He found time to study the higher mathematics, and, in addition to his published scientific books, has left an elaborate work in manuscript on the Differential Calculus, containing original principles. He was the father of sixteen sons and sixteen daughters, and leaves forty- three grandchildren.
The funeral services of Apostle Orson Pratt were solemnized in the large Tabernacle, on Thursday, October 6th. commencing at one o'clock. The body had previously been viewed by thousands of the people, who thronged the great building. The exercises consisted of beautiful and impressive singing by the choir, prayer by President Joseph F. Smith and appropriate and feeling discourses by his life companions and fellow Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ; Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Presidents John Taylor and George Q. Cannon. The benediction was pronounced by Counselor Daniel H. Wells. The procession to the cemetery was very large, and the remains of this good, honorable and valiant man, were laid away with decorum and the respect of thousands, who will miss his venerable countenance, but will ever cherish his memory, as one of the special witnesses of Christ, who testified long and loud to the truth of the Master's work.
ORSON PRATT.
The Gatherer of life's harvest has been busy this year, reaping indiscriminately, it would seem, the young and tender plant, just budding into bloom, and the full, ripe shock, weighed down with fruit and ready for the garner. Of the latter, a bounteous harvest has been gathered home. Many of the veteran fathers, whose familiar forms have long been cherished as strong pillars of the Church, have been called away, and with the departure of each, the reflection is forced upon us that their numbers are fast diminishing. It will not be long before a Saint of Kirtland days, of Nauvoo times, even, will be rarely met. Already we have to mourn the absence of the last faithful member of the original quorum of Apostles. How many other quorums are completely eliminated of their original members, we cannot say, but fifty years added to the youngest of those, who first composed them, brings them nearly to the shadow of the valley of death.
On the morning of October 3d, 1881, the venerable and illustrious Apostle, Orson Pratt, died, at his residence in the 19th ward. He had been an invalid for over a year, and his grand, strong, almost iron constitution had been broken for upwards of two years, in fact from the time that he performed his last mission to England, in the interest of the Church publications. It is said that he worked there, in preparing the plates for the new editions of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, from ten to fourteen hours per day. It was observed on his return home, that his system had received a fearful shock, and we believe that he never completely recovered from it. The following admirable epitome of his laborious career appeared in the Deseret News, and briefly narrates the principal events of Brother Pratt's life:
Orson Pratt was born in Hartford, Washington County, New York, September 19, 1811, and was the son of Jared and Charity (Dickinson) Pratt. His father was a descendant of William Pratt, who, with his brother John, came to this country from .England with the Pilgrim Fathers, and afterwards located at Hartford, Connecticut, in June, 1636, having, as supposed, accompanied Rev. Thos. Hooker and others of his congregation from Newton, now called Cambridge, Massachusetts, to settle at Hartford. William Pratt was a member of the Connecticut legislature during some twenty-five or thirty sessions, and was one of the Judges of the first court in New London county.
During Orson Pratt's boyhood, the family removed to New Lebanon, in Columbia county, where he attended school until 1825, acquiring a common school education, and becoming familiar with arithmetic and book-keeping. He also studied the Bible. From the time he was eleven years old, he worked at farming at different places, attending school in the winter. Going to Lorain County, Ohio, in the fall of 1827, in the fall of 1828 he performed a journey of nearly seven hundred miles to Connecticut, went thence to Long Island, and in the winter of 1829-30 studied geography, grammar and surveying at a boarding academy.
In September, 1830, his brother, Parley P. Pratt, who had embraced the Gospel taught by Joseph Smith the Prophet, came with another Elder to the place where Orson was residing, who received their testimony and was baptized September 19, 1830, his birthday, being then nineteen years old. In the following month he traveled two hundred miles to see the Prophet Joseph, in Fayette, Seneca County, New York. On the 4th of November he received, through that servant of God, the revelation to be found in the Doctrine and Covenants, section xxxiv, in which he was called of God to preach the Gospel, to lift up his voice both long and loud, to cry repentance, and prepare the way before the coming of the Lord.
He was confirmed and ordained an Elder, December 1, 1830, and went on his first mission to Colesville, Broome County, New York, and in the early part of 1831 went on foot to Kirtland, Ohio, where the Prophet had removed, a distance of seven hundred miles. He then performed several missions in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, baptizing many converts. At a conference in Amherst, Ohio, he was set apart, June 25, 1832, to preside over the Elders, and went on a mission to the Eastern States. February 1, 1832, he was ordained a High Priest.
He then traveled and preached without purse or scrip, through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City to Long Island, thence northeast through part of Vermont into New Hampshire, preaching and baptizing by the way and making many converts in Bath, N. H., Charleston, Vermont, and then proceeding to the southern part of Connecticut, with continued success. After laboring in these parts till the fall of 1832, he started west, traveling some three or four hundred miles, preaching, baptizing, ordaining men to the ministry, and laboring in many parts of New York, and arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, February 17, 1833, having traveled on foot about four thousand miles, baptized one hundred and four persons, and organized several new branches.
Here he attended the School of the Prophets, and again went East, performing another successful mission, traveling two thousand miles in six months, and baptizing over fifty persons. After laboring on the House of the Lord, he started, on November 27, to visit the eastern churches, and returned to Kirtland, February 13, 1834, having traveled about one thousand miles.
In thirteen days he was started out again, with Elder Orson Hyde, on a special mission, being absent about two months, traveling eight hundred miles. He next traveled with Zion's Camp to Missouri, being captain of a company. July 7th he was ordained one of the standing High Council in Zion, visited the scattered churches in Clay County, and in August was sent eastward, traveling through Illinois and Indiana to Ohio, suffering severely through fatigue and ague, arriving in Kirtland April 26, 1835, on which day he was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles, under the hands of David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery. On May 4th he went on another mission to the Eastern States, being absent about six months. During the winter and early spring he taught a grammar school in Kirtland, and also studied Hebrew, and then received his endowments in the Kirtland Temple. His next mission was to Canada West, on which he left April 6, 1836, baptizing many persons and raising up several branches of the Church.
On July 4th he was married to Sarah M. Bates, whom he had baptized in Sackett's Harbor, June 13, 1835. In the fall, having returned to Kirtland, he studied algebra, and after providing a home for his wife, went to the State of New York and labored in the ministry during the winter of 1837-8. In April, 1838, the Saints having been driven from Far West, he went there to fulfil a revelation, and with several of the Twelve, met at the corner stone of the Temple, whence they parted to preach the Gospel to foreign nations.
In the fall he preached through the eastern churches, and in the spring of 1840 embarked for England, preached nine months in Edinburgh, Scotland, raised up a branch of over two hundred persons, and in the spring of 1841 started to return to America. He went to Nauvoo, where he took charge of a mathematical school; then took a mission through the Eastern States in the summer of 1843, and on his return in the fall was elected to the City Council, helped to draw up a memorial to Congress, and went to Washington in the spring of 1844 to present it. He labored among the churches east till the news of the martyrdom of the Prophet was received, when he returned to Nauvoo.
During the difficulties that succeeded the death of the Prophet and Patriarch, he labored with the Twelve, which was the presiding quorum of the Church, in the management of its affairs, shared in the expulsion from Nauvoo, crossed the plains with the pioneers in 1847, and on the way, when weather would permit, took astronomical and other scientific observations, determining, by the aid of the sextant and circle of reflection, the latitudes and longitudes of the most prominent places, the changes of elevation above sea level, etc., in an anticipation of the great highway which even then it was expected by the Saints would span this vast continent. He was the first to enter Salt Lake Valley, having preceded the main body of the company three days.
In 1848 he was appointed President over all the branches of the Church in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and adjacent countries, starting on the nth of May. The number of Church members then was about eighteen thousand, which, during his presidency of two years, was increased to twenty-six thousand. In this short period he chartered and fitted out from fifteen to eighteen ships loaded with Saints for Utah. In the midst of this press of business, he wrote fifteen pamphlets, and published and circulated several hundred thousand of them in different languages. At the same time he edited the Millennial Star, and increased its circulation from less than four thousand to nearly twenty-three thousand copies. He lectured, at different times, to large audiences in the principal cities in England and Scotland.
In 1852 he was appointed on a mission to Washington, to take the Presidential charge of the Church, in the United States and British Provinces east of the Rocky Mountains, and there published The Seer. In the spring and summer of 1853 he again went on a mission to Europe, returning the following year. On the 22d of April, he again went to England and presided over the European mission, publishing more pamphlets, and returned by way of California, while the army was en route to Utah, arriving home in 'January, 1858. On September 22, 1860, he was called on a mission to the United States, being gone about one year. On the 24th of April, 1864, he was set apart for a mission to Austria. He went to that land, but in consequence of the stringent laws, was unable to open the door of the Kingdom to that nation, but bore his testimony to the authorities and left, going over to England, where he visited the conferences and labored assiduously, returning August 4, 1867. In 1869 he went to New York City and transcribed and published the Book of Mormon in phonetic characters, called the Deseret Alphabet.
In August, 1870, he held the famous three days' discussion with Dr. J. P. Newman, on the subject of Polygamy, completely overthrowing the argument of his antagonist, and proving the doctrine of Celestial Marriage, Scriptural and Divine.
At the adjourned General Conference in 1874, he was appointed and sustained Historian and General Church Recorder, which position he retained till his decease.
On the 18th of July, 1877, he once more left to cross the ocean, this time to transcribe and publish an edition of the Book of Mormon in the Pitman phonetic characters. He was soon called home, however, returning on the 27th of September. On the 3d of September, 1878, he went east with Apostle Joseph F. Smith, visiting the Whitmers in Missouri, the Hill Cumorah and other places figuring in the history of the Church, and returned on the 3d of October. On the 3d of December he started again for England, to electrotype the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, which he arranged in verses, with foot notes and references. From this important and laborious mission, he returned September 2, 1879. He visited a number of Conferences, attended the Legislature, acting in his usual capacity of Speaker of the House. After that time his health was poor, and he could do little in the Historian's Office.
He was the last of the original Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church. He crossed the ocean sixteen times, on missions of salvation. He found time to study the higher mathematics, and, in addition to his published scientific books, has left an elaborate work in manuscript on the Differential Calculus, containing original principles. He was the father of sixteen sons and sixteen daughters, and leaves forty- three grandchildren.
The funeral services of Apostle Orson Pratt were solemnized in the large Tabernacle, on Thursday, October 6th. commencing at one o'clock. The body had previously been viewed by thousands of the people, who thronged the great building. The exercises consisted of beautiful and impressive singing by the choir, prayer by President Joseph F. Smith and appropriate and feeling discourses by his life companions and fellow Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ; Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Presidents John Taylor and George Q. Cannon. The benediction was pronounced by Counselor Daniel H. Wells. The procession to the cemetery was very large, and the remains of this good, honorable and valiant man, were laid away with decorum and the respect of thousands, who will miss his venerable countenance, but will ever cherish his memory, as one of the special witnesses of Christ, who testified long and loud to the truth of the Master's work.
"Life and Labors of Orson Pratt. I." Contributor. November 1890. pg. 1-5.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT. I. Before allowing the reader to enter upon the following sketch, it is but justly due that the writer should preface it by offering an apology for attempting to prepare a manuscript for publication upon the life and character of a man, whose noble career has not only been eminently interwoven with the history of the Latter-day Saints, ecclesiastically, but also in the affairs and human events of a great commonwealth. Realizing that the data of details and circumstances, so requisite in writing his personal history, is very meagre, without spending much more time in research than is available, and that a subject of such importance should be treated by more able and experienced writers, it is with feelings of delicacy that the task is undertaken, and especially since vivid in the writer's mind is the following remark which he heard his lamented father — Apostle Orson Pratt—make, in reply to the question, why did he not write his own history? He said: "Should my history ever be written, it will be the result of a laborious task to the person undertaking it; for so little have I written concerning myself, that a general research through the Church records and other periodicals would have to be made, and I am quite sure that life is too short for me to write my history, even if I were competent." This remark was made at the Historian's Office, and at the time when Apostle Pratt was the Church Historian. Such a remark, coming as it did from a person of no little historical ability, and, that too, concerning his own personal history, was calculated in its very nature to engender the feeling of incompetency and embarrassment almost insurmountable. And even now, the writer is almost persuaded, at the threshold of his narrative, to throw down his pen and abandon the task. However, if the reader will patiently bear and forbear, it may not be uninteresting to peruse the following sketch, which is limited as to space and whose commentations are lacking in that eloquence, which the subject of the same, in justice, more richly deserves. —Milando Pratt. ANCESTRY AND GENEALOGY. A few centuries ago, when the old world groaned under the hand of tyranny and oppression, when persecution raged against those who desired to be the humble followers of Christ, the great western refuge of the New World was discovered; to which a few hardy, brave pioneers sailed and commenced the colonization of New England. Among these humble pilgrim fathers were William Pratt, the ancestor of Orson Pratt, and his older brother John. In February, 1639, these two brothers received a portion of land, in the first distribution made to the colonists, located at Hartford, Connecticut. This colony was founded in June. 1636, which was a little less than three years before they drew their portion of land. It is supposed that they accompanied the Rev. Thomas Hooker and his congregation, about one hundred in number, from Newtown, now called Cambridge, Massachusetts, through a dense wilderness, inhabited only by savages and wild beasts, and became the first settlers of Hartford. The ancient records at Newtown show that John Pratt owned land in that town.' This is the first reliable information concerning them, though it is believed, on circumstantial and probable evidence that these two brothers—John and William Pratt, were the two sons of the Rev. William Pratt, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, as the names of John and William appear in a Latin inscription on his monument, against the north wall of the church dedicated to St. Nicholas, in Stevenage, from which the following translation is taken: "Here lies William Pratt, Bachelor of Sacred Theology, and most illustrious rector of this church during thirty years. He had three sons, John, William and Richard, and the same number of daughters, Sarah, Mary and Elizabeth, by his renowned wife, Elizabeth. At length the course of his life being run, and his age becoming burdensome, he emigrated to the celestial country in the year of salvation, 1629, aged 67." John and William are not recognized in their father's will, and for the probable reason that they had left for America, or signified their intention of leaving, and had received their portion, as they were at the right age to be the settlers of that name in this country. Rev. William Pratt of Stevenage, the supposed father of John and William Pratt of Hartford, Connecticut, was the son of Andrew Pratt, who was the son of Thomas and Joan Pratt, who resided at Baldock, Hertfordshire, England, (also Simon Pratt of London, brother of Thomas) about the time of the discovery of America by Columbus. [1] Having thus traced the line of ancestry of Orson Pratt, Sen., some four generations, from the time the two brothers, John and William, emigrated to America, and appeared among the firsthand of adventurers who settled Hartford, Connecticut, one of the oldest if not the very oldest town in the State, it may not be deemed entirely irrelevant to speak of the causes which led to the settlement, and the character of those who laid the foundations of society, and planted in the wilderness, the germ of those civil and religious institutions, whose benign influence has made New England what it is, the cradle of liberty and the pride and glory of all Protestant lands. It was the desire to enjoy a more simple and unostentatious mode of worship, than that which was required by the majority of the English Church, which caused the settlement of New England. Forbidden to serve God in a manner which they regarded in the highest degree subservient to their spiritual welfare, the Puritans left their native land and sought for themselves a home where they might worship God, "under their own vine and fig tree," with none to molest them or make them afraid. It was not until every expedient for the reformation of the church in their own country had failed, that they resolved on a removal. They loved their native land, and it was with the deepest regret that they bade a final farewell to the homes of their childhood, to encounter the perils of the ocean, and expose themselves to unseen dangers, in the midst of a waste, howling wilderness. Actuated, like the ancient patriarch, by what they deemed, no less than he, the will of God, they left their own land and went out, not knowing whither. All of the circumstances attending their emigration to this western world, unequivocally demonstrate that the undertaking, from first to last, was inspired by strong religious principle. It was that unwavering steady faith in God, which was "the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen," that sustained the little persecuted remnant, that fled over the stormy wave to a land of religious tolerance; while their less favored brethren, unable to make their escape, were surrounded by the emissaries of ecclesiastical domination. It was the same divine principle that bound the exiled flock together in holy love, in a land of strangers, and kept them in the midst of foreign customs and habits, a distinct and separate people; and it was the same precious faith that led them to look beyond themselves and their own generation, that their children after them might remain the same peculiar people. It was faith that led them to bid adieu to the comforts and refinements of civilized life in the old world, and to seek their future abode beyond the waste of waters, in a land uncleared, untilled, and unpeopled by civilized man. We have every reason to believe that in this momentous enterprise they took no step without their eye fixed on God for light, guidance and direction. In their congregations, besides their private duties of devotion, they observed special seasons of fasting and prayer, in which they unitedly laid their cause before Him. from whom all good counsels and holy desires proceed. On these occasions their beloved pastor, previous to their embarkation, addressed them from the word of God and strengthened their faith. Soon after the congregation, of which Robinson was the pastor, led the way, other bands from different parts of England embarked for this land of promise, bringing their pastors with them. It was in 1630 that the Rev. Thomas Hooker, whom Cotton Mather styled, "The Light of the Western Churches," a distinguished divine and influential preacher at Chelmsford, in the county of Essex, was silenced for non-conformity, after four years' exercise of the ministry in that place. In order to escape the fines and imprisonments, he fled into Holland. Forty-seven ministers of his vicinity, after he was ejected from the Chelmsford pulpit, petitioned the Bishop of London in his favor, and while they were conformists, they esteemed him, and knew him "to be, for doctrine, orthodox; for life and conversation, honest; for disposition, peaceable and nowise turbulent or factious." But being a non-conformist, no personal or acquired excellencies, nor testimonies of his good conduct, nor solicitations of his friends, could save him from prosecution and deposition. Such had been his popularity that not only the people of Chelmsford, but others from all parts of the county of Essex came to hear him. The Earl of Warwick, though he resided at a great distance, was a frequent attendant upon his ministry. Great numbers of those who flocked to hear him, were savingly benefited by his instructions. When, therefore, he was driven from them, they turned their eyes to New England, hoping that when they should form a settlement there, he would be induced to become their spiritual guide. Accordingly, in 1632, a large body of them came over and settled at Newtown, Massachusetts. Mr. Hooker, near the close of a little more than a two years' residence in Holland, "understanding that many of his friends in Essex were on the wing for a wilderness in America, where they hoped for an opportunity to enjoy and practice the pure worship of the Lord Jesus Christ, in churches gathered according to his direction, readily answered their invitation to accompany them in their undertaking." He, therefore, left Holland, embarked for the New World in the Griffin, a ship of three hundred tons, and arrived at Boston, September 4th, 1633. Soon after his arrival in Boston he proceeded to Newtown, where, finding himself in the midst of a joyful and affectionate people, he was overwhelmed with gratitude, and embracing them with open arms, exclaimed: in the language of the Apostle: "Now I live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." These were the company who afterward settled Hartford, to which William Pratt and his brother John are supposed to have belonged. Mr. Hooker was chosen pastor of the church soon after his arrival at Newtown, and Mr. Stone their teacher. On the nth of October, 1633, the church was gathered, and after solemn fasting and prayer, the pastor and teacher were ordained to their respective offices. But Mr. Hooker and his congregation were not satisfied with Newtown as a place of residence. So many emigrants had arrived that they began to be straightened for lands, and from representations which had been made in regard to the lands on Connecticut River, they resolved on a removal. Accordingly, about the beginning of June, 1636, not quite three years after the organization of their church, “Mr. Hooker, Mr. Stone and about an hundred men, women and children, took their departure from Cambridge, and traveled more than a hundred miles, through a hideous, trackless wilderness, to Hartford. They had no guide but their compass, and made their way over mountains, through swamps, thickets and rivers which were not passable but with great difficulty. They had no cover but the heavens, nor any lodgings but those which simple nature afforded them. They drove with them a hundred and sixty head of cattle, and by the way subsisted on the milk of their cows. Mrs. Hooker, (being in feeble state) was borne through the wilderness upon a litter. The people generally carried their packs, arms, and cooking utensils, being nearly a fortnight upon their journey." These were the men who founded Hartford, and such were the circumstances under which they began the settlement. They were men of sound hearts, firm and fixed resolution, and persevering effort. Their faith in God never wavered. They kept constantly in view the grand design of their coming to this wilderness. Their notions of religious liberty were far from being mere speculations. Their views were intelligent and rational. Their purposes were strong; their aims high; their principles were not to be shaken by any temporal consideration; their consciences were not to be swayed by flatteries or frowns. They were determined to obey God rather than man. They never lost sight of their main object, to worship God according to his word, without the dictation of man, and to train up their families in the way they should go. To carry out their designs, they brought with them their pastor, and among the first of their acts were those which made provision for the support of Christian institutions, and of universal education. They had faith in the instructions of the Great Teacher, and were resolved to obey them; to deny themselves and seek first the Kingdom of God. The fire never went out on their family altars. From their dwellings the morning and evening incense never ceased to ascend an acceptable offering to Jehovah. They followed the example of faithful Abraham, not only in leaving their native country, but in commanding their households to keep the way of the Lord; and their precepts were enforced, as were his, by their own pious example. The Sabbath was a day of rest from worldly cares and labors, and from amusements and sports which they left their native country to avoid. It was their great concern to imbue the minds of their children with sound religious instruction, and to hand down to succeeding generations those Christian principles and virtues, which sustained them in all their trials and persecutions, and rendered them cheerful and happy amidst all their hardships and sufferings. Such were the men who were the early settlers of Connecticut. Similar to them were those who settled other portions of New England. From such men none need be ashamed to have derived their origin. The pride of ancestry, so far as it relates to birth and wealth and honor, is not, perhaps, justifiable. It is of little consequence whether we are descended from a prince or a peasant; whether royal blood flows in our veins, or our origin is humble and obscure. But it is surely of no trifling importance to be descended from pious ancestors; for in addition to the divine promise, that the blessing of the father shall descend upon the children, we may rationally expect much from the prayers, instructions and examples of godly progenitors. The compiler of this work is happy to bear his testimony to the fact, that, with few exceptions, the descendants of that one of the first settlers of Connecticut, so far as his history and that of his numerous progeny is written, have been men of industrious habits. A goodly number of them have honored the learned professions, and left behind them monuments of their perseverance, their industry, and their devotion to the present and future happiness of their race. Among them all stands prominent and honored the late Apostle Orson Pratt. His ancestor, William Pratt of Hartford, and of the fourth generation so far as his ancestry is now known, was a member of the Connecticut Legislature some twenty-five or thirty sessions: and the General Court gave him one hundred acres of land in Saybrook, Connecticut, for service performed as Lieutenant in the Pequot war. He was one of the judges of the First Court in New London County. He married Elizabeth Clark, daughter of John Clark, of Milford, Connecticut, (who was formerly of High or Great Munden, Hertfordshire, England) by whom he had eight children. The third child, Joseph, of the fifth generation, was born August 1st 1648, at Saybrook, Connecticut, married a wife, name unknown, by whom he had five children. Among them was William Pratt the second son, whom we shall call of the sixth generation. He married Hannah Hough, October 8th, 1700, by whom he had six children, of the seventh generation. Among these was Christopher, the fourth child, born November 4th, 17 12, who married Sarah Pratt, June 14th, 1739, by whom he had six children, of the eighth generation. Obadiah Pratt, being the second son among their number, was born September or October 14th, 1742, at Saybrook, Connecticut. He married Jemima Tolls, daughter of Ebenezer Tolls, by whom he had eleven children, of the ninth generation. Among their number was Jared Pratt, their first child. born November 25th, 1769, in Canaan,. Columbia County, New York. He married Polly Carpenter, daughter of Samuel Carpenter, of New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York, by whom he had one child. His wife having died, he married Charity Dickinson, July 7th, 1799. She was the daughter of Samuel and Huldah Dickinson, of Bolton, Warren County, New York, and Samuel was the son of Christopher and Mary Dickinson. Charity was born February 24th, 1776. Jared Pratt had five children by her. The following are the names of his six children, of the tenth generation: I. Mary Pratt, born February, 1793. 2. Anson, born January 9th, 1801. 3. Wm. D. born September 3rd, 1802, at Wooster, Otsego County, N. Y. 4. Parley Parker, born April 12th, 1807, at Burlington, Otsego County, N. Y. 5. Orson, born September 19th, 181 1, at Hartford, Washington County, N. Y. 6. Nelson, born May 26th, 1815, at Hartford, Washington County, N. Y. Jared Pratt, of the ninth generation, died November 5th, 1839, and was buried some three or four miles north or northeast from Detroit, in Michigan. Charity, his wife, died of cholera, in the town of St. Joseph, Missouri, May 20th, 1849, and was buried in the graveyard of that town, and a tombstone erected to her memory. Her oldest son Anson Pratt, died of cholera. May 26th, 1849, and was buried by her side, and a tombstone also erected to his memory. William D. Pratt died September 15th, 1870, at Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, aged sixty-eight years. Parley Parker Pratt was assassinated by a mob near Van Buren, Arkansas, May 13th, 1857, aged fifty years. Nelson Pratt died at the home of his son Edwin D. Pratt, of Norwich, Huron County, Ohio, May 8th, 1889, aged seventy- three years eleven months and twelve days. He was the last of a family of six children, four brothers and one sister having preceded him. [1] The name of Pratt is variously spelled in more ancient writings, thus, Pratt, Prat, Pratte, Pradt, Preed, Prate, also Praer, Prayers. It is a surname, derived, like many of the Norman and Saxon names, from a locality; from the Latin Pratuin, a meadow; Spanish and Portuguese, Prado; French, pre, preux, prairie. The-name of Pratt occurs among the earliest of English surnames, and the family, in many of its branches, held stations of influence and power in the British Empire. The earliest notice of Pratts in England, is prior to the year 1200 of the Christian Era, and shows that they, probably, came to England from Normandy. With regard to the home of the English Pratts, as they were anciently, so are they, at this day, chiefly seated in the eastern and southern parts of England, in the contiguous counties of Leicester, Huntington, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Devon, Lincoln and Hertford. As William Pratt came from Hertfordshire, England, to America, and we trace his lineage back into the 14th century, it is highly probable he is descended from William de Pratellis, who came over to England from Normandy in the Eleventh century. |
Orson Pratt, Sr.
|
"Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. December 1890. pg. 41-43.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Having traced the ancestral pedigree from Thomas Pratt of Baldock, England, of the fifteenth century, to Lieutenant William Pratt, the first Pratt settler of America, and from the latter, following the genealogical chain down to Orson Pratt, Sen., of the tenth generation, we will now give a brief sketch of his life and labors.
As stated in his genealogy, he was born September 19th, 1811, in Hartford, Washington County, New York. His parents, Jared and Charity Pratt, were numbered among the poor of the world. To procure the comforts of life, they were under the necessity of laboring for the rich. At times, bright prospects of wealth seemed to be open before them; but a succession of misfortunes kept them down in the low vales of poverty. The only occupation followed by his father was the cultivation of the soil. To this laborious method of procuring a living he was unaccustomed in his youthful days. Being the oldest among eleven children, his father, Obadiah, made him, in early life, a weaver for the family. But hand looms were soon dispensed with, and steam power substituted, to supply clothing for man. Weavers, therefore, were thrown out of employment, and however inexperienced, were obliged to adopt some other business to sustain themselves and families. Under these disadvantageous circumstances, his father, by hard labor for others, earned the scanty means of subsistence.
His brothers, when young, were sent from home to labor at farming in the service of others; after which they looked after their own welfare and education; living sometimes in one place, and then in another, without the advantages of parental instruction at a time when they most needed it. While blessed with the privilege of living at home, they were diligently taught in every principle of morality and honesty; for although his parents had no faith in the modern sectarian principles of Christianity, yet they looked upon the history of ancient Christianity, as recorded in the Bible, as something most sacred and worth possessing. These Bible doctrines they diligently instilled into the minds of their children, so far as they understood them, and often expressed themselves as desirous of belonging to the Church of Christ, if it could be found on earth.
Among his historical scraps, we find the following written by Orson Pratt himself, he says: "When I was about three or four years old, my parents removed from Hartford to New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York, where I was sent to school for several months, each year, until the spring of 1822. During this interval I often had many serious impressions in regard to God and a future state. And being very young, my parents instructed me to read the Bible, which I often did, with much interest, asking a great variety of questions, concerning what I found written. It was seldom that I attended any religious meetings, as my parents had not much faith in them, and were never so unfortunate as to unite themselves with any of the religious sects. "In the spring of 1822, being in my eleventh year, I went to live with a farmer whose name was Justin Jones; this was in the neighborhood of my parents' home. I continued at this place until the autumn of 1823. The preceding winter, I also went to school. I next engaged to labor at farming for Mr. Church, at Canaan, Four Corners, Columbia County, New York, and continued with him about seventeen or eighteen months; three or four of which I went to school, and became quite familiar with all the rules in Daboll's arithmetic. In the spring of 1825, I accompanied my oldest brother to Hurlgate, Long Island, about six miles from New York city. Here I engaged myself for one year to Mr. Greenock, a farmer, three months of which I went to school, and studied arithmetic and bookkeeping. In the spring of 1826, I was recommended by Mr. Greenock to a large cabinet making establishment in New York city, where I intended to remain until of age; but after tarrying a few months, I was taken violently sick and brought very low, so that my recovery, for some time, was considered doubtful. When my strength permitted, I went into the country, to Hurlgate, and tarried with my brother Anson, until the spring of 1827, when I returned to Canaan, about one hundred and fifty miles north of New York city, and engaged myself to labor for seven months on a farm for Mr. Noise; at the expiration of which I accompanied my brother Parley and Nelson Pratt to Lorain County, Ohio. We performed the journey by canal boat from Albany to Buffalo, and thence by schooner up Lake Erie. I boarded with Mr. Redington during the winter and went to school.
"In the spring of 1828, I started east in search of employment, came to the village of Chagrin, now called Willoughby, Ohio, where I labored a few months at a hotel; the most of my time being occupied at farming. I also labored a few months at farming for Mr. Norris, a few miles east of Painsville. In the autumn of this year, I performed a lengthy journey of some six or seven hundred miles to the state of Connecticut, where I labored a short time; and then took a steamboat for New York city, and thence to Long Island, and resided during the winter with my brother Anson."
"In the spring of 1829, I again returned to Canaan, and commenced farming for Mr. Haight. The following winter I spent four months at a boarding school or academy, during which I made myself thoroughly acquainted with geography, grammar, and surveying."
"In the spring of 1830, I engaged myself to Mr. Joshua Lord, with whom I tarried and labored on a farm until the following October. This was in Canaan, only one or two miles from the old homestead of my grandfather, Obadiah Pratt.
''From the age of ten to nineteen I saw much of the world, and was tossed about without any permanent abiding place; but through the grace of God, I was kept from many of the evils to which young people are exposed. The early impressions of morality and religion, instilled into my mind by my parents, always remained with me; and I often felt a great anxiety to be prepared for a future state; but never commenced, in real earnest, to seek after the Lord, until the autumn of 1829. I then began to pray very fervently, repenting of every sin. In the silent shades of night, while others were slumbering upon their pillows, I often retired to some secret place in the lonely fields or solitary wilderness, and bowed before the Lord, and prayed for hours with a broken heart and contrite spirit; this was my comfort and delight. The greatest desire of my heart was for the Lord to manifest His will concerning me. I continued to pray in this fervent manner until September 1830, at which time two Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came into the neighborhood, one of whom was my brother Parley. They held several meetings which I attended.
"Being convinced of the divine authenticity of the doctrine they taught, I was baptized by my brother Parley, September 19th, 1830. This was my anniversary birthday, being nineteen years old. I was the only person in the country who received and obeyed the message. Shortly after my baptism the Elders left.
"In October, 1830, I traveled westward over two hundred miles to see Joseph Smith, the Prophet. I found him in Fayette, Seneca County, New York, residing at the house of Mr. Whitmer. I soon became intimately acquainted with this good man, and also with the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. By my request, on the Fourth of November, the Prophet Joseph inquired of the Lord for me, and received the following revelation published in the Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. LVI. [Old edition.]
"My son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; the light and the life of the world; a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not; who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God, wherefore you are my son, and blessed are you because you have believed; and more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my Gospel, to lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming: for behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand, that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory, and it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble.
"But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked: wherefore lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost; and if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come: and verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your Lord and your Redeemer, Even so. Amen."
"On the First day of December, 1830, I was confirmed and in accordance with the word of the Lord, I was ordained an Elder under the hands of the Prophet. My first mission was to Colesville, Broome County, New York, where I commenced to open my mouth in public meetings, and teach the things of God, as the Holy Ghost gave me utterance. The same month I returned from Colesville to Fayette with Hyrum Smith.
"On the Second of January, 1831, I attended a conference at the house of Father Whitmer; and soon after Elder Samuel H. Smith and myself commenced laboring for one of the Saints, by the name of Joseph Coe, to assist him in making preparations to remove to Ohio according to the revelation given at the conference on the Second of January. And in a few weeks, Elder Samuel H. Smith and myself started on foot for Kirtland, Ohio, a distance of several hundred miles, to which place Joseph, the Prophet, had just previously moved.
"During the spring of 1831, I traveled on a short mission of about one month with Lyman Wight, going about one hundred miles west of Kirtland, preaching the Gospel wherever we were led by the Spirit of Truth; after which I united in the ministry with my brother Parley and preached some in Rome and also in. Thompson, where the Saints from Colesville were temporarily located; in the latter place I tarried some five or six weeks, and labored with my hands.
"In June a revelation was given commanding many Elders to travel two by two from Ohio to the western boundaries of Missouri, among whom my brother Parley and myself were called by name, and commanded to travel together. On our way, we held about fifty meetings, and baptized five in Peru, Delaware Co., Ohio, and six in Vermillion Co., Ills.
"About the last of August I arrived in Jackson County, Missouri; the next day I was taken with the chills and fever which confined me to my bed a few weeks.
"About the first of October, though still weak and feeble, I started on foot for Ohio, in company with Asa Dodds, preaching by the way, as commanded of the Lord through the Prophet. "Brother Dodds stopped in Indiana, but I continued my journey, although suffering much from the ague. Towards the close of the year, I arrived in Hiram, where the Prophet then resided."
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Having traced the ancestral pedigree from Thomas Pratt of Baldock, England, of the fifteenth century, to Lieutenant William Pratt, the first Pratt settler of America, and from the latter, following the genealogical chain down to Orson Pratt, Sen., of the tenth generation, we will now give a brief sketch of his life and labors.
As stated in his genealogy, he was born September 19th, 1811, in Hartford, Washington County, New York. His parents, Jared and Charity Pratt, were numbered among the poor of the world. To procure the comforts of life, they were under the necessity of laboring for the rich. At times, bright prospects of wealth seemed to be open before them; but a succession of misfortunes kept them down in the low vales of poverty. The only occupation followed by his father was the cultivation of the soil. To this laborious method of procuring a living he was unaccustomed in his youthful days. Being the oldest among eleven children, his father, Obadiah, made him, in early life, a weaver for the family. But hand looms were soon dispensed with, and steam power substituted, to supply clothing for man. Weavers, therefore, were thrown out of employment, and however inexperienced, were obliged to adopt some other business to sustain themselves and families. Under these disadvantageous circumstances, his father, by hard labor for others, earned the scanty means of subsistence.
His brothers, when young, were sent from home to labor at farming in the service of others; after which they looked after their own welfare and education; living sometimes in one place, and then in another, without the advantages of parental instruction at a time when they most needed it. While blessed with the privilege of living at home, they were diligently taught in every principle of morality and honesty; for although his parents had no faith in the modern sectarian principles of Christianity, yet they looked upon the history of ancient Christianity, as recorded in the Bible, as something most sacred and worth possessing. These Bible doctrines they diligently instilled into the minds of their children, so far as they understood them, and often expressed themselves as desirous of belonging to the Church of Christ, if it could be found on earth.
Among his historical scraps, we find the following written by Orson Pratt himself, he says: "When I was about three or four years old, my parents removed from Hartford to New Lebanon, Columbia County, New York, where I was sent to school for several months, each year, until the spring of 1822. During this interval I often had many serious impressions in regard to God and a future state. And being very young, my parents instructed me to read the Bible, which I often did, with much interest, asking a great variety of questions, concerning what I found written. It was seldom that I attended any religious meetings, as my parents had not much faith in them, and were never so unfortunate as to unite themselves with any of the religious sects. "In the spring of 1822, being in my eleventh year, I went to live with a farmer whose name was Justin Jones; this was in the neighborhood of my parents' home. I continued at this place until the autumn of 1823. The preceding winter, I also went to school. I next engaged to labor at farming for Mr. Church, at Canaan, Four Corners, Columbia County, New York, and continued with him about seventeen or eighteen months; three or four of which I went to school, and became quite familiar with all the rules in Daboll's arithmetic. In the spring of 1825, I accompanied my oldest brother to Hurlgate, Long Island, about six miles from New York city. Here I engaged myself for one year to Mr. Greenock, a farmer, three months of which I went to school, and studied arithmetic and bookkeeping. In the spring of 1826, I was recommended by Mr. Greenock to a large cabinet making establishment in New York city, where I intended to remain until of age; but after tarrying a few months, I was taken violently sick and brought very low, so that my recovery, for some time, was considered doubtful. When my strength permitted, I went into the country, to Hurlgate, and tarried with my brother Anson, until the spring of 1827, when I returned to Canaan, about one hundred and fifty miles north of New York city, and engaged myself to labor for seven months on a farm for Mr. Noise; at the expiration of which I accompanied my brother Parley and Nelson Pratt to Lorain County, Ohio. We performed the journey by canal boat from Albany to Buffalo, and thence by schooner up Lake Erie. I boarded with Mr. Redington during the winter and went to school.
"In the spring of 1828, I started east in search of employment, came to the village of Chagrin, now called Willoughby, Ohio, where I labored a few months at a hotel; the most of my time being occupied at farming. I also labored a few months at farming for Mr. Norris, a few miles east of Painsville. In the autumn of this year, I performed a lengthy journey of some six or seven hundred miles to the state of Connecticut, where I labored a short time; and then took a steamboat for New York city, and thence to Long Island, and resided during the winter with my brother Anson."
"In the spring of 1829, I again returned to Canaan, and commenced farming for Mr. Haight. The following winter I spent four months at a boarding school or academy, during which I made myself thoroughly acquainted with geography, grammar, and surveying."
"In the spring of 1830, I engaged myself to Mr. Joshua Lord, with whom I tarried and labored on a farm until the following October. This was in Canaan, only one or two miles from the old homestead of my grandfather, Obadiah Pratt.
''From the age of ten to nineteen I saw much of the world, and was tossed about without any permanent abiding place; but through the grace of God, I was kept from many of the evils to which young people are exposed. The early impressions of morality and religion, instilled into my mind by my parents, always remained with me; and I often felt a great anxiety to be prepared for a future state; but never commenced, in real earnest, to seek after the Lord, until the autumn of 1829. I then began to pray very fervently, repenting of every sin. In the silent shades of night, while others were slumbering upon their pillows, I often retired to some secret place in the lonely fields or solitary wilderness, and bowed before the Lord, and prayed for hours with a broken heart and contrite spirit; this was my comfort and delight. The greatest desire of my heart was for the Lord to manifest His will concerning me. I continued to pray in this fervent manner until September 1830, at which time two Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came into the neighborhood, one of whom was my brother Parley. They held several meetings which I attended.
"Being convinced of the divine authenticity of the doctrine they taught, I was baptized by my brother Parley, September 19th, 1830. This was my anniversary birthday, being nineteen years old. I was the only person in the country who received and obeyed the message. Shortly after my baptism the Elders left.
"In October, 1830, I traveled westward over two hundred miles to see Joseph Smith, the Prophet. I found him in Fayette, Seneca County, New York, residing at the house of Mr. Whitmer. I soon became intimately acquainted with this good man, and also with the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. By my request, on the Fourth of November, the Prophet Joseph inquired of the Lord for me, and received the following revelation published in the Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. LVI. [Old edition.]
"My son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; the light and the life of the world; a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not; who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God, wherefore you are my son, and blessed are you because you have believed; and more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my Gospel, to lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming: for behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand, that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory, and it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble.
"But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked: wherefore lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost; and if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come: and verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your Lord and your Redeemer, Even so. Amen."
"On the First day of December, 1830, I was confirmed and in accordance with the word of the Lord, I was ordained an Elder under the hands of the Prophet. My first mission was to Colesville, Broome County, New York, where I commenced to open my mouth in public meetings, and teach the things of God, as the Holy Ghost gave me utterance. The same month I returned from Colesville to Fayette with Hyrum Smith.
"On the Second of January, 1831, I attended a conference at the house of Father Whitmer; and soon after Elder Samuel H. Smith and myself commenced laboring for one of the Saints, by the name of Joseph Coe, to assist him in making preparations to remove to Ohio according to the revelation given at the conference on the Second of January. And in a few weeks, Elder Samuel H. Smith and myself started on foot for Kirtland, Ohio, a distance of several hundred miles, to which place Joseph, the Prophet, had just previously moved.
"During the spring of 1831, I traveled on a short mission of about one month with Lyman Wight, going about one hundred miles west of Kirtland, preaching the Gospel wherever we were led by the Spirit of Truth; after which I united in the ministry with my brother Parley and preached some in Rome and also in. Thompson, where the Saints from Colesville were temporarily located; in the latter place I tarried some five or six weeks, and labored with my hands.
"In June a revelation was given commanding many Elders to travel two by two from Ohio to the western boundaries of Missouri, among whom my brother Parley and myself were called by name, and commanded to travel together. On our way, we held about fifty meetings, and baptized five in Peru, Delaware Co., Ohio, and six in Vermillion Co., Ills.
"About the last of August I arrived in Jackson County, Missouri; the next day I was taken with the chills and fever which confined me to my bed a few weeks.
"About the first of October, though still weak and feeble, I started on foot for Ohio, in company with Asa Dodds, preaching by the way, as commanded of the Lord through the Prophet. "Brother Dodds stopped in Indiana, but I continued my journey, although suffering much from the ague. Towards the close of the year, I arrived in Hiram, where the Prophet then resided."
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. January 1891. pg. 81-86.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT. "About the first of January, 1832, I went to Kirtland, attended many meetings, visited disorderly members with Elder Cahoon, called church meetings and excommunicated several. I then returned to Hiram, united in the ministry with Elder Lyman E. Johnson, and started for Lorain County, Ohio, where we preached in the regions around until the general conference, held at Amherst, Lorain County, on the twenty-fifth of January. At this conference the Prophet Joseph was acknowledged President of the High Priesthood, and hands were laid on him by Elder Sidney Rigdon, who sealed upon his head the blessings which he had formerly received. I was appointed to preside over the Elders, and was set apart and ordained by Sidney Rigdon. At this Conference, by the request of the Priesthood, the Prophet inquired of the Lord, and a revelation was given and written in the presence of the whole assembly, appointing many of the Elders to missions, among whom, Elder Lyman E. Johnson and I were named and appointed on a mission to the Eastern States. The next day after conference we left Amherst, and in a few days found ourselves in Hiram. "February 2nd, 1832—On this day, by the counsel of the Prophet, I was ordained a High Priest under the hands of Sidney Rigdon. February 3rd—Elder L. E. Johnson and myself started on our eastern mission, traveling as usual, on foot, without purse or scrip, and carrying our change of clothing in our hands. We traveled in an easterly direction through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New 3 York City, to Hurlgate, on Long Island; preached thirty times in towns and villages on the way, where they previously had never heard the gospel. In the town of Blakesley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, we baptized four, and ordained one of them, namely, Asbury Secor, a priest. At Hurlgate, near the last of March, I baptized and confirmed my eldest brother, Anson Pratt. From this place we traveled north, visited Canaan, Columbia County, N.Y., and saw my parents. We then traveled north-east through the southern part of Vermont into New Hampshire, proceeded up the eastern shore of the Connecticut river to Bath, preaching wherever we were led by the Spirit; while journeying from Long Island to Bath we held five meetings. "We tarried twenty-six days in the regions round about Bath, held twenty-one meetings, and baptized fifteen, among whom were Orson Johnson, Hazen Aldrich, Amasa Lyman, John Duncan and Daniel S. Miles. "May 14—We traveled north, and came to the town of Charleston in Vermont; tarried ten days; preached seven times in this region, baptized fourteen, among whom were Winslow Farr, William Snow, and Zerubbabel Snow. In these parts the Lord wrought by our hands many miracles of healing. "Oct. 8—Re-crossed the lake into Vermont; the next day preached in Franklin village; two days more brought us to the town of Jay, where we held three meetings. "Oct. 15—Started for Bath, called at Charleston and held two meetings. "Oct. 20—Arrived at Bath, stopped five days; held six meetings in the neighboring towns; baptized one, and ordained John Duncan a Priest; and William Snow from Charleston being present, we ordained him an Elder. "Oct. 26—I started in company with Elders L. E. Johnson, Hazen Aldrich and William Snow and traveled west some three or four hundred miles—a portion of which we rode on a canal boat, where I preached to the passengers. "Nov. 8—Arrived at Spafford, Onondaga County, New York, at which place there was a branch of the Church; here we tarried six days; held five meetings, one of which was a conference; eleven Elders present; baptized eight, among whom were Allen Holcomb, whom we ordained an Elder, Libbeus T. Coon and Mathew Hilman. Elder L. E. Johnson here united in the ministry with Hazen Aldrich and started for Ohio. I united in the ministry with Elder Wm. Snow and started eastward, preached in the villages of Vesper, Tully, and Fabius in the latter place tarried six days; baptized two, namely, Samuel and Jemima Newcome. "Nov. 23—Traveled eleven miles; preached twice in Casinovia; then traveled six days to the town of Day, Saratoga County, where we tarried seventeen days; held fifteen meetings. "Dec. 20—We started for Bolton on the west shore of lake George; here was a branch of the Church; we tarried ten days; held ten meetings, baptized ten persons. "Dec. 31—Ordained Silas T. Gardner an Elder, held one meeting in Benson, and then pursued our Journey to Bath about one hundred miles distant. "January 8, 1833—Arrived in Bath; I tarried nine days, William Snow having gone to Charleston; held five meetings, then visited the church at Charleston, held one meeting; then returned to Bath and held two meetings. "Jan. 28—Started for Ohio. "Feb. 2—Arrived in Bolton; tarried four days, held three meetings; baptized two; ordained John Taylor a Priest, and then pursued my journey several hundred miles west. Within about one hundred and fifty miles of Kirtland, I fell in company with D. W. Patten and Reynolds Cahoon, tarried and held four meetings with them, and then proceeded on my journey to Kirtland, where I arrived Feb. 17, 1833, having been absent on this eastern mission one year and fourteen days, during which we traveled on foot nearly four thousand miles; attended two hundred and seven meetings, mostly in places where they had not heard the word; baptized one hundred and four persons and organized several new branches of the Church. "Feb. 18—Washed my hands and feet as a testimony unto the Lord that I had warned this wicked generation, and that my garments were clean from their blood, and on the same day I was admitted into the school of the prophets. During my attendance at this school, I boarded with the Prophet Joseph, from whom I received much good instruction. On the Sabbath days I continued preaching n various places. "Elder Lyman E. Johnson and myself, having received a commandment, through the Prophet, to visit the churches and preach in the Eastern States, left Kirtland on the 26th of March to fill our mission. We arrived in Bath, New Hampshire on the 7th of June, having attended forty-four meetings by the way, and baptized thirteen. "June 8—Met in conference in Bath; present, High Priests, four; Elders, eight; Priests, two. At this conference, Elders Willard Woodstock, Harlow Richfield, William Snow and Hazen Aldrich were ordained High Priests; Henry Herriman was ordained an Elder, and Daniel Carter a member, was ordained a Priest, the ordination being administered under my hands. During the next six days we held meetings in the towns round about. June 14—Elder Lyman E Johnson went to Charleston, and continued laboring in St. Johnsbury and the adjoining towns. "June 18—I baptized six, namely; Gardner Snow, Willard Snow, Lucina Snow, Jacob Gates, Mary Gates and Emily Harvey; the last person named having been healed three days before, by the power of God. After this I held thirty-five meetings in different counties in Northern Vermont, and baptized eight; returned to St Johnsbury. "July 6—Preached in St. Johnsbury, and baptized Sally Snow. The 28th, preached and baptized Susan Briant. After this held sixteen meetings in the towns around, and baptized seventeen, the most of whom lived in Danville. Many were healed through the ordinances, by the power of God. "July 19—Started for Charleston. "July 24—Attended conference in Charleston. Elders Orson Johnson and John Badger were ordained High Priests. Winslow Farr, Isaac Aldrich and Roswell Evans were ordained Elders; Gardner Snow, Willard Snow and Joseph Swasey were ordained Priests and Horace Evans was ordained a Teacher, the ordinations being under the hands of Lyman E. Johnson. After attending five meetings I left for Danville. "Aug. 31—Ordained Jacob Rust an Elder; tarried three days longer; held three meetings and baptized three. And then went to Bath, held five meetings in the adjoining towns, and baptized three. "Sept. 8—Held two meetings in Bath. Brother Horace Cowan was ordained an Elder under the hands of Lyman E. Johnson. "Sept. 9—I left Bath for Kirtland; held some meetings by the way; arrived in Kirtland Sept. 28th, having been absent six months, during which I traveled about two thousand miles, attended one hundred and twenty-five meetings, and baptized upwards of fifty persons. "I remained in Kirtland about two months, labored on the House of the Lord and printing office thirty days; the most of the time boarding with the Prophet. "Nov. 27—Elder Lyman E. Johnson and myself started to visit some of the eastern churches, having been set apart by a council of High Priests for that purpose. "Dec. 11—Held a conference in the evening at Elk Creek, settled some difficulties between the Elders; Amasa Lyman ordained a High Priest, under the hands of Lyman E. Johnson. From Kirtland to this place we had held seven meetings. "Dec. 16—We went to Silver Creek, tarried eight days; held eight meetings in the adjoining towns; then left for Geneseo, where we held a conference and preached much in the adjoining regions; after which I went to Waterloo, near where the Church was first organized, where I arrived on the 17th of January, 1834. "Jan. 20, 1834—I started for Kirtland, preaching by the way. “Feb. 13—Arrived in Kirtland, Elder Lyman E. Johnson having arrived a few days before me. I had been absent about two months and a half, traveled about one thousand miles, and attended thirty-seven meetings. "Feb. 22—I preached about four miles east of Cleveland, "Feb. 23 — Preached at Newbury Centre. "Feb 24—I traveled to Kirtland. This day the Prophet received a revelation, wherein Orson Hyde and myself were appointed to travel together, to assist in gathering up the strength of the Lord's House preparatory to the redemption of Zion. (See Doc. and Cov., sec. 101, par 7, old Ed.) "Feb. 26—We left Kirtland; traveled eastward about two weeks, preaching by the way. Arrived in Geneseo March 15. "March 17—Attended council held at Father Beaman's house, in which I was appointed to travel with Elder John Murdock. March 20—We started westward, preaching almost every day. Baptized two in the town of Greenwood. "March 30—Arrived in the town of Freedom; tarried in this region twelve days; held eleven meetings; baptized twenty-two, one of whom, Heman Hyde, on April 10th, we ordained a Teacher. "April 11—Continued our journey towards Kirtland, occasionally preaching by the way. "April 24—Arrived in Kirtland, having been absent nearly two months, during which we traveled about eight hundred miles, attended thirty-four meetings; baptized twenty-four persons. "April 26—I copied revelations for the Prophet Joseph. "May 1.—Being appointed to take charge of twenty persons, we started for Zion with four wagons. The Prophet overtook us in a few days with a larger company and we continued our journey to Clay County, Missouri. "July 7—I was ordained one of the standing High Council in Zion, under the hands of President Joseph Smith. "July 19—Bishop Partridge and myself, having been appointed by the High Council to visit the scattered Saints throughout Clay County, and set the Churches in order, commenced our mission. We held eight meetings in different parts of the county. "July 31—We reported the results of our mission to the High Council, which accepted the same ; after which the council selected John Carroll, Simeon Carter, Parley P. Pratt, and myself to visit the churches throughout the county and hold public meetings, which we accordingly did. "Aug. 21—The High Council gave their sanction for me to travel eastward towards Kirtland, preaching by the way. I accordingly united in the ministry with my brother William D. Pratt, and in a few days left, traveling on the north side of the Missouri river. Over exertion in traveling brought on the fever and ague, which continued to afflict me at intervals for months. Sometimes I laid down upon the wet prairies, many miles from any house, being unable to travel. William D. Pratt stopped at Vandalia, Illinois. At Terra Haute I preached a few times, and baptized George W. Harris and his wife; about the last of November I united in the ministry with Elder John Murdock, and continued my journey eastward, preaching in many places. In a few days we arrived at Sugar Creek, Indiana, where we found Lorenzo D Barnes and Lewis Robbins, who had just arrived from Zion. After holding a few meetings in this region, and baptizing a few, I united with Elder Barnes to travel. "Jan. 2, 1835—We left Sugar Creek; preached in many places for the next eighteen days. "Jan. 20—Arrived in Cincinnati. "Jan, 22—Crossed the Ohio River, visited a small branch of the Church on Licking river; tarried with them two weeks, preaching almost every evening; baptized a few. "Feb. 6—Went to Cincinnati, and commenced preaching in that city and in the towns round about. Tarried one month; baptized a few. "March 6—We started for another field of labor, and commenced preaching in Newbury, and in the adjoining towns; tarried about six weeks, preaching almost every day. "April 20—We started for Kirtland. While in the streets of Columbus, Ohio, I saw a man passing, whom I felt impressed to speak to; he was a Saint, and the only one in the city; I stopped at his house, and there read a late number of the Messenger and Advocate; found that I had been chosen one of the Twelve Apostles, and was requested to be in Kirtland on the 26th of April. "April 24—Took the stage, and arrived in Kirtland on the 26th, about ten o'clock in the forenoon; walked into the meeting, and learned that they had been prophesying that I would arrive there, so as to attend that meeting, although not one of them knew where I was. I was much rejoiced at meeting with the Saints. "April 26—I was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles in this last dispensation, under the hands of David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery." "April 26—I was blessed under the hands of Joseph Smith, Sen. "May 4—I left with the Twelve on a mission through the middle and Eastern States. "June 18—I baptized Sarah Marinda Bates, near Sacketts Harbor, whom I received in marriage upwards of a year after. During the latter part of July, the month of August, and the fore part of September, I preached almost every day in New Hampshire, in towns where they had not before heard the Gospel; baptized a few, and then returned to Kirtland. "Sept. 25—Arrived in Kirtland. "Oct. 14—Started on a mission to the Ohio river, preaching by the way; tarried two or three weeks in Beaver County, Pennsylvania; held sixteen meetings; baptized a few and raised up a small branch of the Church, and ordained Dr. Sampson Avard an Elder to take charge of them, and then returned to Kirtland, where I arrived on the 16th of November. In December I taught an evening grammar school in Kirtland, also during the winter studied Hebrew about eight weeks ; received a certificate from Prof. Seixas, testifying to my proficiency in the language, and certifying to my capabilities to teach the same. This was the winter and spring of our endowments in the Kirtland Temple. "April 6, 1836—Left Kirtland on an eastern mission, went to Canada West, preached about two months; baptized several. "June 4.—Took the steamer for Oswego, commenced preaching in Jefferson county and the regions adjoining; baptized many, and raised up some new branches. "July 4—I was married to Sarah M. Bates, Elder Luke Johnson officiating. "The fore part of October I closed my mission in those parts, and started with my wife and a few of the Saints for Kirtland, where we arrived on the twelfth of October "Towards the last of autumn I commenced the study of algebra without a teacher, occupying leisure hours in the evening. I soon went through Day's Algebra. "About the middle of August 1837, I moved my family, from Kirtland to Henderson. I started into the vineyard and labored during the fall and winter in the counties south-east from Jefferson. "Early in the spring, I took my family and went to the city of New York, and was appointed to preside over a large branch of the church in that city. I preached diligently among them some six or seven months, baptized many. In the meantime I again visited Henderson, left my wife at her father's and returned to New York; but receiving a letter from Far West, Missouri, to come to Zion, I again went to Henderson, brought my family again to New York City, and from there we departed for the west; arrived in St. Louis about the middle of November. The ice prevented our progress any farther. Stopped in St.Louis, and labored with my hands during the winter. "In the spring of 1838, I removed to Quincy, Illinois. In April went to Far West, from which place the Saints had been driven, held a conference with several of the Twelve on the morning of the 26th, and took our departure from the corner stone of the Temple for foreign nations, according to the revelation given through the Prophet more than a year before. Returned to Illinois. "July 4—Was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering my brother Parley from prison. "In the autumn visited New York City; continued preaching in the eastern churches of the Saints until the spring of 1840, when I embarked with several of the Twelve for England. In April made my way to Edinburgh, Scotland; preached there about nine months; raised up a church of over two hundred Saints; published a pamphlet entitled Remarkable Visions. "In the spring of 1841, set sail from Liverpool with several of the Twelve, and arrived in New York City, where I republished the 'Remarkable Visions.' Visited Henderson, near Lake Ontario, and then pursued my journey to Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois, having been absent from my family about two years. "I remained in Nauvoo about one year, during a portion of which I had the charge of a mathematical school. "In the summer of 1843, I performed a mission with several of the Twelve through the Eastern States; returned in the autumn; and being elected a member of the City Council, I was appointed in connection with others to draw up a memorial to Congress, which was accepted by the council, and I was appointed to go to Washington and present the same. I accordingly went and tarried in Washington ten weeks: this was in the spring of 1844. While sojourning in that city, I preached and baptized a few, and during my leisure moments, I calculated eclipses, and prepared an almanac publication for 1845. This I entitled 'The Prophetic Almanac': it was calculated for the latitude and meridian of Nauvoo, and some other principle towns in the United States. This was the first that I ever calculated and published. After this I visited several of the Eastern States, holding meetings, both religious and political. "June 28, 1844—I was in New York City and wrote a letter home to my family. After hearing of the martyrdom of Joseph the Prophet, I returned with several of the Twelve to Nauvoo. From 1836 to 1844, I occupied much of my leisure time in study, and made myself thoroughly acquainted with algebra, geometry, trigonometry, conic sections, differential and integral calculus, astronomy, and most of the physical sciences. These studies I pursued without the assistance of a teacher." Milando Pratt. |
Parley P. Pratt
|
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. February 1891. pg. 129-133.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
After the Prophet and Patriarch had been cruelly murdered by a mob at Carthage Jail, Apostle Pratt remained in Nauvoo, where he labored with the Twelve Apostles in the management of the affairs of the church, during the difficulties that succeeded the death of the Prophet and Patriarch. In the latter part of the year 1844, he entered into celestial marriage, having two wives sealed to him by President Brigham Young, who now, with the Twelve Apostles, held the highest authority in the Church, holding the right, as did the Prophet, to administer in all its ordinances.
The following year, in the summer of 1845, he was called to preside over the branches of the Church in the Eastern and Middle States. About this time mob violence again began to assert itself against the Saints in Illinois, and Elder Pratt issued two proclamations from New York to the Saints throughout his mission, in which he announced the end of American liberty, as indicated in the movement to expel the Saints from Illinois, enumerated their sufferings and fervently appealed to all connected with the Church in those parts, to gather out and assist in the defense of their brethren and sisters, and in relieving their sufferings.
In November, 1845, he issued his farewell message in those parts, prior to taking his departure for Nauvoo to join the Saints in their removal westward. On his return he received some property that had fallen to his wife Sarah, and with this means he purchased a carriage and a span of horses, with which he journeyed to Nauvoo, where he arrived sometime in December, having been absent on this mission about six months.
During the latter part of December, 1845, and in January, 1846, the Nauvoo Temple being sufficiently finished, he worked with the Twelve and other brethren and sisters, giving endowments and doing work for the dead. The mobs did not cease their violence, nor did they seem satisfied in wreaking their vengeance on innocent men whom they had cruelly butchered, but they were determined on driving the Saints from their comfortable homes into a cold bleak wilderness.
The exodus from Nauvoo commenced in the fore part of February, 1846. Elder Pratt and family, consisting of four wives and three small children—the youngest a babe only three weeks old—bade adieu to their comfortable home in the city of Nauvoo and started for the great west. This was on February 14th, 1846. They crossed the Mississippi river and immediately proceeded to the encampment on Sugar Creek, where they found the camp suffering considerably from the storm and cold. They remained encamped at this place for a number of days. President Young and the most of the Twelve had arrived with their wagons and the camp at this time had greatly enlarged. In the meantime they were visited by several snow storms and the weather became intensely cold, the thermometer, according to Orson Pratt's notes, ranging as follows:
February, 26th, at 6 p. m. 10° above zero
February, 27th, at 6 a. m. 5° above zero
February, 27th, at 6 p. m. 21° above zero
February, 28th, at midnight 21° above zero
February, 28th, at 6 a. m. 20° above zero
February, 28th, at noon 41° above zero
February, 28th, at 6 p. m. 26° above zero
The Mississippi froze over and the ice soon became sufficiently ,firm lor the crossing of teams, which brought over the rest of the camp.
"During our stay at Sugar Creek," says Orson Pratt's notes, "I obtained by means of a quadrant and an artificial horizon of quicksilver, a meridian observation of the sun from which I deduced the latitude of the camp and found the same 40° 32’ . By a number of observations with the quadrant, I had previously ascertained the latitude and longitude of the Temple at Nauvoo; the latitude being 40° 35' 48", the longitude 91° 10’ 45". A quadrant, however, is a very imperfect instrument for determining the longitude, as an error of one minute (1’) in the instrument itself, or in the observation, would produce in the calculated longitude an error of thirty miles. It is a misfortune that we have no sextant in the camp; neither a telescope of sufficient power to observe the immersions and emersions of Jupiter's satellites."
"March 1. This afternoon the general camp moved about five miles to the northwest, and after scraping away the snow we pitched our tents and, building large fires, soon found ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit. This evening, the sky being clear, I obtained the altitude of the North Polar Star, from which the latitude of the camp was ascertained to be 40 34' 52”; the thermometer standing at midnight at 28°"
At this place there had been obtained a job of making rails for corn by members of the camp who had arrived a few days before, by which means food was obtained for their animals. Two gentlemen from the interior of Iowa, who had been seen a few days before at the last encampment, visited this place for the purpose of trying to trade for Elder Pratt's dwelling house and the lot on which it stood, and a lot adjoining it on the south. This property being in a business part of the city, and adjoining the Temple square on the north, was considered one of the most beautiful and pleasant in Nauvoo. Before the decree of banishment was issued against the Saints by their persecutors, it was considered to be worth two thousand dollars. But now the owner was compelled to leave it unsold or take the small sum of three hundred dollars, and receive payment therefor, property at a very high price. These gentlemen offered four yoke of oxen with yokes and three chains, one wagon and eight barrels of flour. The next morning the camp moved on and Elder Pratt rode ahead on horseback to Farmington and saw the stock the gentlemen wished to trade him for his Nauvoo property, but nothing was determined on conclusively that day. He overtook the camp on the east bank of the Des Moines river, four miles below Farmington. By an observation of the Pole Star he determined the latitude to be 40 35' 51".
"March 3. At 7 a. m. the thermometer stood at 23°. The camp moved forward, following up the general course of the river, and encamped four miles above Farmington. A meridian observation of Sirius determined the latitude to be 40° 42' 26"."
"March 4. At 8 a. m. thermometer stood at 43°. The roads being muddy and some wagons and harness being broken, the camp remained until next day. Elder Pratt concluded the bargain for his house and lot and gave deeds for the same. By the request of the citizens of Farmington, the band of music from the camp visited them and gave them a concert, much to their satisfaction. Bishop Miller, with a portion of the camp, moved onward in a westerly direction."
"March 5. To-day the most of the camp moved forward, fording the Des Moines river at Bonaparte Mills. The roads being very muddy some of the teams were unable to draw their loads. The most of the camp proceeded about twelve miles and encamped on Indian Creek; the remainder encamped about seven miles back. By an observation of the Pole Star the latitude of the encampment on Indian Creek showed 40° 42’ 51”."
March 6th, at 7 a. m. the thermometer stood at 35°. The camp here waited until the wagons, which were obliged to stop seven miles back, came up. P. P. Pratt and some others moved on for the purpose of trying to find some employment which was supposed, from reports, could be obtained. The next morning at seven o'clock—thermometer 32° — Orson Pratt and wagons started with the expectation of stopping a few miles ahead, and working on the job which he supposed could be secured. After arriving in the neighborhood he found it could not be obtained on sufficiently favorable terms, and that his brother, P. P. Pratt's company and other wagons, had gone on. They drove twelve miles farther and stopped at Bishop Miller's encampment at Fox River. In this region a small branch of the Church was located. Seme corn was contributed by them for the benefit of the camp, and Bishop Miller had exerted himself in gathering it together at the camping place. The main body of the Saints located within three miles of them, and the next day Presidents Young and Kimball visited Orson Pratt at his tent, and said they expected to start with the main camp on the tenth instant, and desired that Elder Pratt should start the same day. They then returned to their company three miles back. Bishop Miller and P. P. Pratt started with their companies this morning.
On March 8th Orson Pratt spent part of the day in hunting, but was unable to kill anything except some small game. The weather was warm and pleasant, the thermometer at sunrise standing at 32°. By a meridian observation of Sirius he ascertained the latitude of the camp to be 40° 42' 56".
On March 10th Elder Orson Pratt, with his company, moved on in the rain about ten miles, and encamped about two miles north of Bloomfield, on the north side of Fox River. They remained at this place about ten days, waiting for the main camp which was detained by bad roads about thirteen miles back. The camp at this place became somewhat scattered on account of many having engaged work to obtain food for both themselves and teams. Here they exchanged their horses for oxen, as the latter would endure the journey much better than horses.
The next morning — Friday, the twentieth of March—at 6:30, the thermometer stood 10° below the freezing point. The main camp having come up, they proceeded on their journey about ten miles and pitched their tents for the night. On the twenty-first, at sunrise, the thermometer stood 21°. Feeling anxious to overtake Parley P. Pratt's company, Orson Pratt made an early start, traveled about twenty miles and encamped on the west bank of the Chariton river, the main camp being still behind. On the twenty-second, the day being rainy and unpleasant, the camp moved only seven miles. The next day they traveled through the rain and deep mud, about six miles, and encamped on the west branch of Shoal Creek. The heavy rains having rendered the prairies impassable, the several camps became very much separated from each other, and they were compelled to remain as they were for some two or three weeks, during which time their animals were fed upon the limbs and bark of trees, for the grass had not yet started, and they were a number of miles from any inhabited country, and therefore, it was very inconvenient to send for grain. The heavy rains and snows, together with the frosty night, rendered their situation very uncomfortable.
March 25. Orson Pratt went out hunting, but was unable to kill anything but a wild turkey. The next day he visited President Young and the main camp, about fifteen miles east, where a council was held with the Twelve and the general officers respecting a more perfect organization; after which Orson Pratt returned seven miles and stayed all night with his brother Parley. On the 27th, President Brigham Young and council met at Shoal Creek and completed the organization of the camp by appointing captains over hundreds, over fifties, and over tens, and over all these, a president and counselors, together with other necessary officers. After the council Orson Pratt returned to his own company.
Tuesday 31st. The day being pleasant an observation for the true time was obtained. The latitude of Orson Pratt's portion of the camp, on the west branch of Shoal Creek, was ascertained to be 40° 40’ 7"; longitude, by lunar distance, 92° 59' 15"
The following is from the private journal of Orson Pratt:
"Sunday, April 5. A portion of our camp met together, to offer up our sacrament to the Most High. After a few remarks by myself and Bishop Miller, we proceeded to break bread, and administer in the holy ordinance of the Lord's supper. At 6 o'clock in the evening, we met with captains of companies to make some arrangements for sending twelve or fourteen miles to the settlement for corn to sustain our animals."
"Monday 6th. This morning, at the usual hour of prayer, we bowed before the Lord with thankful hearts, it being just sixteen years since the organization of the Church, and we were truly grateful for the many manifestations of the goodness of God towards us as a people. The weather is still wet and rainy. Nine or ten wagons, with four yoke of oxen each, have started this morning for the settlements to obtain corn. In the evening we were visited by a heavy thunder storm, accompanied by a high wind and hail. Most of the tents, which were pitched upon high ground, were blown down, and the inmates exposed to the fury of the storm. The water in Shoal Creek arose in a very few minutes several feet in height, and threatened to overflow its banks and disturb our tents.
"Tuesday 7th. This morning the mud was somewhat frozen; the thermometer standing at 29°. The day is rainy and disagreeably wet, and the mud very deep."
"Wednesday 8th. Our teams which were sent three days ago after corn returned, the most of them empty, and we find it very difficult to sustain our animals,"
"Thursday 9th. After remaining here about three weeks, we concluded to move on slowly. The rain poured down in torrents. With great exertion a part of the camp were enabled to get about six miles, while others were stuck fast in the deep mud. We encamped at a point of timber about sunset, after being drenched several hours in rain. The mud and water in and around our tents were ankle deep, and the rain still continued to pour down without any cessation. We were obliged to cut brush and limbs of trees, and throw them upon the ground in our tents, to keep our beds from sinking in the mire. Those who were unable to reach the timber, suffered much on account of cold, having no fuel for fires. Our animals were turned loose to look out for themselves; the bark and limbs of trees were their principal food."
"Saturday 11th. During the night the mud froze hard. To any but Saints, our circumstances would have been very discouraging, for it seemed to be with the greatest difficulty that we could preserve our animals from actual starvation, and we were obliged to send off several days' journey to the Missouri settlements on the south to procure grain. Many of the people were nearly destitute of food, and many women and children suffered much from exposure to the inclemency of the weather, and from the lack of the necessaries of life, such as they were in former times accustomed to enjoy. But in the midst of all these temporal afflictions, the Saints were comforted in anticipation of better days; they looked forward to the time when these light afflictions would cease, and when they would have the privilege of sitting under their own vine and fig trees, with none to molest them or make them afraid. They were willing to endure hardships and privations, for the sake of escaping the unrelenting persecutions of Gentile Christians, from whom they had received for many years nothing but cruelty and the most heart-rendering oppression. Their desire was to establish themselves in some lonely valley of the mountains, in some sequestered spot, where they and their children could worship God and obey His voice, and prepare themselves for the glory which is to be revealed at the revelation of Jesus Christ. With these glorious anticipations, cheerfulness and joy seemed to animate every countenance, and sufferings were endured without murmuring. The Twelve and others of the authorities met in council, and determined to leave the settlements still further on our left, and launch forth upon the broad prairies on the northwest, which were for hundreds of miles entirely uninhabited."
"Monday 13th. The weather is yet cold; the thermometer standing, at six o'clock in the morning, at 3 below the freezing point. Our wagons which were sent after corn returned, and after feeding our half-famished cattle and horses, we resumed our journey. Our teams were so weak, and the roads so bad, we were unable to proceed more than about six. miles."
"Tuesday 14th. We moved forward about one mile and encamped. Some scanty feed began to make its appearance in the wettest portions of the prairie, but the nights were still too cold for the grass."
"Thursday 16th. We proceeded a few miles farther, and arrived in a very pleasant grove, which we called Paradise, in latitude 40° 44’ 7”. About one mile to the south, we found the grass very good. Here we stopped several days, a portion of the camp being about one mile north, at a place which they named Pleasant Point."
"Wednesday 22nd. We continued our journey about eight miles, and encamped over night. Rattlesnakes were quite plentiful; numbers were seen in various places about our camp; some of our animals were badly poisoned, but the most of them were cured, some in one way and some in another."
"Friday 24th. Yesterday we traveled about eight miles, to-day, six miles. We came to a place which we named Garden Grove. At this point we determined to form a small settlement and open farms for the benefit of the poor, and such as were unable at present to pursue their journey farther, and also for the benefit of the poor who were yet behind."
Milando Pratt.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
After the Prophet and Patriarch had been cruelly murdered by a mob at Carthage Jail, Apostle Pratt remained in Nauvoo, where he labored with the Twelve Apostles in the management of the affairs of the church, during the difficulties that succeeded the death of the Prophet and Patriarch. In the latter part of the year 1844, he entered into celestial marriage, having two wives sealed to him by President Brigham Young, who now, with the Twelve Apostles, held the highest authority in the Church, holding the right, as did the Prophet, to administer in all its ordinances.
The following year, in the summer of 1845, he was called to preside over the branches of the Church in the Eastern and Middle States. About this time mob violence again began to assert itself against the Saints in Illinois, and Elder Pratt issued two proclamations from New York to the Saints throughout his mission, in which he announced the end of American liberty, as indicated in the movement to expel the Saints from Illinois, enumerated their sufferings and fervently appealed to all connected with the Church in those parts, to gather out and assist in the defense of their brethren and sisters, and in relieving their sufferings.
In November, 1845, he issued his farewell message in those parts, prior to taking his departure for Nauvoo to join the Saints in their removal westward. On his return he received some property that had fallen to his wife Sarah, and with this means he purchased a carriage and a span of horses, with which he journeyed to Nauvoo, where he arrived sometime in December, having been absent on this mission about six months.
During the latter part of December, 1845, and in January, 1846, the Nauvoo Temple being sufficiently finished, he worked with the Twelve and other brethren and sisters, giving endowments and doing work for the dead. The mobs did not cease their violence, nor did they seem satisfied in wreaking their vengeance on innocent men whom they had cruelly butchered, but they were determined on driving the Saints from their comfortable homes into a cold bleak wilderness.
The exodus from Nauvoo commenced in the fore part of February, 1846. Elder Pratt and family, consisting of four wives and three small children—the youngest a babe only three weeks old—bade adieu to their comfortable home in the city of Nauvoo and started for the great west. This was on February 14th, 1846. They crossed the Mississippi river and immediately proceeded to the encampment on Sugar Creek, where they found the camp suffering considerably from the storm and cold. They remained encamped at this place for a number of days. President Young and the most of the Twelve had arrived with their wagons and the camp at this time had greatly enlarged. In the meantime they were visited by several snow storms and the weather became intensely cold, the thermometer, according to Orson Pratt's notes, ranging as follows:
February, 26th, at 6 p. m. 10° above zero
February, 27th, at 6 a. m. 5° above zero
February, 27th, at 6 p. m. 21° above zero
February, 28th, at midnight 21° above zero
February, 28th, at 6 a. m. 20° above zero
February, 28th, at noon 41° above zero
February, 28th, at 6 p. m. 26° above zero
The Mississippi froze over and the ice soon became sufficiently ,firm lor the crossing of teams, which brought over the rest of the camp.
"During our stay at Sugar Creek," says Orson Pratt's notes, "I obtained by means of a quadrant and an artificial horizon of quicksilver, a meridian observation of the sun from which I deduced the latitude of the camp and found the same 40° 32’ . By a number of observations with the quadrant, I had previously ascertained the latitude and longitude of the Temple at Nauvoo; the latitude being 40° 35' 48", the longitude 91° 10’ 45". A quadrant, however, is a very imperfect instrument for determining the longitude, as an error of one minute (1’) in the instrument itself, or in the observation, would produce in the calculated longitude an error of thirty miles. It is a misfortune that we have no sextant in the camp; neither a telescope of sufficient power to observe the immersions and emersions of Jupiter's satellites."
"March 1. This afternoon the general camp moved about five miles to the northwest, and after scraping away the snow we pitched our tents and, building large fires, soon found ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit. This evening, the sky being clear, I obtained the altitude of the North Polar Star, from which the latitude of the camp was ascertained to be 40 34' 52”; the thermometer standing at midnight at 28°"
At this place there had been obtained a job of making rails for corn by members of the camp who had arrived a few days before, by which means food was obtained for their animals. Two gentlemen from the interior of Iowa, who had been seen a few days before at the last encampment, visited this place for the purpose of trying to trade for Elder Pratt's dwelling house and the lot on which it stood, and a lot adjoining it on the south. This property being in a business part of the city, and adjoining the Temple square on the north, was considered one of the most beautiful and pleasant in Nauvoo. Before the decree of banishment was issued against the Saints by their persecutors, it was considered to be worth two thousand dollars. But now the owner was compelled to leave it unsold or take the small sum of three hundred dollars, and receive payment therefor, property at a very high price. These gentlemen offered four yoke of oxen with yokes and three chains, one wagon and eight barrels of flour. The next morning the camp moved on and Elder Pratt rode ahead on horseback to Farmington and saw the stock the gentlemen wished to trade him for his Nauvoo property, but nothing was determined on conclusively that day. He overtook the camp on the east bank of the Des Moines river, four miles below Farmington. By an observation of the Pole Star he determined the latitude to be 40 35' 51".
"March 3. At 7 a. m. the thermometer stood at 23°. The camp moved forward, following up the general course of the river, and encamped four miles above Farmington. A meridian observation of Sirius determined the latitude to be 40° 42' 26"."
"March 4. At 8 a. m. thermometer stood at 43°. The roads being muddy and some wagons and harness being broken, the camp remained until next day. Elder Pratt concluded the bargain for his house and lot and gave deeds for the same. By the request of the citizens of Farmington, the band of music from the camp visited them and gave them a concert, much to their satisfaction. Bishop Miller, with a portion of the camp, moved onward in a westerly direction."
"March 5. To-day the most of the camp moved forward, fording the Des Moines river at Bonaparte Mills. The roads being very muddy some of the teams were unable to draw their loads. The most of the camp proceeded about twelve miles and encamped on Indian Creek; the remainder encamped about seven miles back. By an observation of the Pole Star the latitude of the encampment on Indian Creek showed 40° 42’ 51”."
March 6th, at 7 a. m. the thermometer stood at 35°. The camp here waited until the wagons, which were obliged to stop seven miles back, came up. P. P. Pratt and some others moved on for the purpose of trying to find some employment which was supposed, from reports, could be obtained. The next morning at seven o'clock—thermometer 32° — Orson Pratt and wagons started with the expectation of stopping a few miles ahead, and working on the job which he supposed could be secured. After arriving in the neighborhood he found it could not be obtained on sufficiently favorable terms, and that his brother, P. P. Pratt's company and other wagons, had gone on. They drove twelve miles farther and stopped at Bishop Miller's encampment at Fox River. In this region a small branch of the Church was located. Seme corn was contributed by them for the benefit of the camp, and Bishop Miller had exerted himself in gathering it together at the camping place. The main body of the Saints located within three miles of them, and the next day Presidents Young and Kimball visited Orson Pratt at his tent, and said they expected to start with the main camp on the tenth instant, and desired that Elder Pratt should start the same day. They then returned to their company three miles back. Bishop Miller and P. P. Pratt started with their companies this morning.
On March 8th Orson Pratt spent part of the day in hunting, but was unable to kill anything except some small game. The weather was warm and pleasant, the thermometer at sunrise standing at 32°. By a meridian observation of Sirius he ascertained the latitude of the camp to be 40° 42' 56".
On March 10th Elder Orson Pratt, with his company, moved on in the rain about ten miles, and encamped about two miles north of Bloomfield, on the north side of Fox River. They remained at this place about ten days, waiting for the main camp which was detained by bad roads about thirteen miles back. The camp at this place became somewhat scattered on account of many having engaged work to obtain food for both themselves and teams. Here they exchanged their horses for oxen, as the latter would endure the journey much better than horses.
The next morning — Friday, the twentieth of March—at 6:30, the thermometer stood 10° below the freezing point. The main camp having come up, they proceeded on their journey about ten miles and pitched their tents for the night. On the twenty-first, at sunrise, the thermometer stood 21°. Feeling anxious to overtake Parley P. Pratt's company, Orson Pratt made an early start, traveled about twenty miles and encamped on the west bank of the Chariton river, the main camp being still behind. On the twenty-second, the day being rainy and unpleasant, the camp moved only seven miles. The next day they traveled through the rain and deep mud, about six miles, and encamped on the west branch of Shoal Creek. The heavy rains having rendered the prairies impassable, the several camps became very much separated from each other, and they were compelled to remain as they were for some two or three weeks, during which time their animals were fed upon the limbs and bark of trees, for the grass had not yet started, and they were a number of miles from any inhabited country, and therefore, it was very inconvenient to send for grain. The heavy rains and snows, together with the frosty night, rendered their situation very uncomfortable.
March 25. Orson Pratt went out hunting, but was unable to kill anything but a wild turkey. The next day he visited President Young and the main camp, about fifteen miles east, where a council was held with the Twelve and the general officers respecting a more perfect organization; after which Orson Pratt returned seven miles and stayed all night with his brother Parley. On the 27th, President Brigham Young and council met at Shoal Creek and completed the organization of the camp by appointing captains over hundreds, over fifties, and over tens, and over all these, a president and counselors, together with other necessary officers. After the council Orson Pratt returned to his own company.
Tuesday 31st. The day being pleasant an observation for the true time was obtained. The latitude of Orson Pratt's portion of the camp, on the west branch of Shoal Creek, was ascertained to be 40° 40’ 7"; longitude, by lunar distance, 92° 59' 15"
The following is from the private journal of Orson Pratt:
"Sunday, April 5. A portion of our camp met together, to offer up our sacrament to the Most High. After a few remarks by myself and Bishop Miller, we proceeded to break bread, and administer in the holy ordinance of the Lord's supper. At 6 o'clock in the evening, we met with captains of companies to make some arrangements for sending twelve or fourteen miles to the settlement for corn to sustain our animals."
"Monday 6th. This morning, at the usual hour of prayer, we bowed before the Lord with thankful hearts, it being just sixteen years since the organization of the Church, and we were truly grateful for the many manifestations of the goodness of God towards us as a people. The weather is still wet and rainy. Nine or ten wagons, with four yoke of oxen each, have started this morning for the settlements to obtain corn. In the evening we were visited by a heavy thunder storm, accompanied by a high wind and hail. Most of the tents, which were pitched upon high ground, were blown down, and the inmates exposed to the fury of the storm. The water in Shoal Creek arose in a very few minutes several feet in height, and threatened to overflow its banks and disturb our tents.
"Tuesday 7th. This morning the mud was somewhat frozen; the thermometer standing at 29°. The day is rainy and disagreeably wet, and the mud very deep."
"Wednesday 8th. Our teams which were sent three days ago after corn returned, the most of them empty, and we find it very difficult to sustain our animals,"
"Thursday 9th. After remaining here about three weeks, we concluded to move on slowly. The rain poured down in torrents. With great exertion a part of the camp were enabled to get about six miles, while others were stuck fast in the deep mud. We encamped at a point of timber about sunset, after being drenched several hours in rain. The mud and water in and around our tents were ankle deep, and the rain still continued to pour down without any cessation. We were obliged to cut brush and limbs of trees, and throw them upon the ground in our tents, to keep our beds from sinking in the mire. Those who were unable to reach the timber, suffered much on account of cold, having no fuel for fires. Our animals were turned loose to look out for themselves; the bark and limbs of trees were their principal food."
"Saturday 11th. During the night the mud froze hard. To any but Saints, our circumstances would have been very discouraging, for it seemed to be with the greatest difficulty that we could preserve our animals from actual starvation, and we were obliged to send off several days' journey to the Missouri settlements on the south to procure grain. Many of the people were nearly destitute of food, and many women and children suffered much from exposure to the inclemency of the weather, and from the lack of the necessaries of life, such as they were in former times accustomed to enjoy. But in the midst of all these temporal afflictions, the Saints were comforted in anticipation of better days; they looked forward to the time when these light afflictions would cease, and when they would have the privilege of sitting under their own vine and fig trees, with none to molest them or make them afraid. They were willing to endure hardships and privations, for the sake of escaping the unrelenting persecutions of Gentile Christians, from whom they had received for many years nothing but cruelty and the most heart-rendering oppression. Their desire was to establish themselves in some lonely valley of the mountains, in some sequestered spot, where they and their children could worship God and obey His voice, and prepare themselves for the glory which is to be revealed at the revelation of Jesus Christ. With these glorious anticipations, cheerfulness and joy seemed to animate every countenance, and sufferings were endured without murmuring. The Twelve and others of the authorities met in council, and determined to leave the settlements still further on our left, and launch forth upon the broad prairies on the northwest, which were for hundreds of miles entirely uninhabited."
"Monday 13th. The weather is yet cold; the thermometer standing, at six o'clock in the morning, at 3 below the freezing point. Our wagons which were sent after corn returned, and after feeding our half-famished cattle and horses, we resumed our journey. Our teams were so weak, and the roads so bad, we were unable to proceed more than about six. miles."
"Tuesday 14th. We moved forward about one mile and encamped. Some scanty feed began to make its appearance in the wettest portions of the prairie, but the nights were still too cold for the grass."
"Thursday 16th. We proceeded a few miles farther, and arrived in a very pleasant grove, which we called Paradise, in latitude 40° 44’ 7”. About one mile to the south, we found the grass very good. Here we stopped several days, a portion of the camp being about one mile north, at a place which they named Pleasant Point."
"Wednesday 22nd. We continued our journey about eight miles, and encamped over night. Rattlesnakes were quite plentiful; numbers were seen in various places about our camp; some of our animals were badly poisoned, but the most of them were cured, some in one way and some in another."
"Friday 24th. Yesterday we traveled about eight miles, to-day, six miles. We came to a place which we named Garden Grove. At this point we determined to form a small settlement and open farms for the benefit of the poor, and such as were unable at present to pursue their journey farther, and also for the benefit of the poor who were yet behind."
Milando Pratt.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. March 1891. pg. 185-189.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
Garden Grove is situated on a branch of Grand River. The land had been vacated a few months before by the Indians. The following Sabbath after their encampment at this place, two meetings were held and the Saints were addressed by four of the Twelve, viz: John Taylor, in the forenoon; Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Orson Pratt in the afternoon. Having concluded to make a settlement upon these lands, and put in spring crops for the benefit of the Saints who should follow them, the next morning at six o'clock the horn sounded, and all the men assembled themselves together to be organized for labor. One hundred men were appointed to split rails, forty-eight to cut logs and build log houses, several were appointed to build a bridge, a number to dig wells, others to wood their plows, several for herdsmen to watch the stock and keep them from straying, and some to be sent out to the settlements to trade off horses, feather beds, etc., for cows and provisions; and finally, the whole camp were to be occupied about something. During this council for organization they were drenched in rain. After the dismissal of the council, Elder Orson Pratt met in council with the authorities and heard some letters read from Nauvoo asking advice relative to selling the Temple at that place. A decision in this matter was deferred until the next day, when the subject was taken up and discussed. It was considered that inasmuch as they had been driven from their inheritances and homes and from the Temple, that all sales of their property were but forced sales, and, for the purpose of keeping a poor people from perishing, they felt that they would be justified by their Heavenly Father in selling under such circumstances. At this council it was also proposed to send a company of men, without families, across the mountains with seed, grain, farming utensils, and provisions, to make preparations for those who should follow.
On the 29th day of April, 1846, the people were all called together at twelve o'clock. The subject of selling the Temple at Nauvoo was laid before thorn and they decided, by a unanimous vote, to sell it; and they also decided to sell the Temple and other church property at Kirtland, Ohio. At this meeting the captains of fifties were instructed to ascertain and report what means could be raised in their companies to fit out the expedition to the west of the Rocky Mountains. During the evening, Orson Pratt obtained an observation of the pole star, and found the latitude to be 40 52’.
On April 30th, information was received that several hundred wagons were on their way from Nauvoo, being strung along the road for more than one hundred miles from that city. It was expected that another settlement, about thirty-five or forty miles north of Garden Grove, would be formed, and a spring crop put in, and also another on the Big Platte River one hundred miles or more west of the Missouri.
From the first to the eleventh of May, Orson Pratt assisted the brethren in fencing the field, building log houses, bridges, etc., and he frequently met in council with the Twelve and others, and when the weather would permit, took observations for the latitude, longitude, and the true time. Notwithstanding the bad weather, an immense amount of work had been accomplished in the various departments of business.
On the eleventh of May, Orson Pratt, in company with his brother Parley and some of his company of fifty, who were in readiness, left Garden Grove and traveled westward about six miles and encamped at a point of timber, where they stopped until the thirteenth, when they again started upon their journey westward, traveling several days through the rain, over trackless, broken prairies! and bridging the streams, which were very much swollen by the falling rain. Finding a beautiful place on the middle fork of Grand River, Orson Pratt and company resolved to await the arrival of the main camp which joined them on the evening of the eighteenth. This place was named by Parley P. Pratt, Mt Pisgah.
At this point a council was held, in which it was decided that the Twelve, and those whom they should select, should go across the mountains and pioneer the way for those who should follow, and that the remainder of the people should tarry for a season on the Pottawattamie lands, and cultivate the same,, if the Indians owning the lands, would consent. Brother Sherwood was sent to a portion of that tribe, encamped about fifty miles north-west, to obtain permission. The people being called together, the decision of the council was laid before them in great plainness by Elders Young, Kimball, P. P. Pratt, and Bishop Miller, when some few yoke of oxen and one or two wagons were offered for the mountain expedition. The next day the people were again called together and addressed by President Young, who requested them to separate into two parties, that it might be determined who were intending to stay and cultivate the land for a season, and who were going west with the Twelve. A great majority were for going west immediately, if the Twelve went; thus rendering it impossible to properly fit out the expedition, in consequence of so many wanting to go.
President Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Parley P. Pratt, John Taylor, Geo. A. Smith and many others, with large companies, proceeded onward towards Council Bluffs; but Orson Pratt remained at Mount Pisgah until June 7th, several days later, in consequence of not having wagons and teams sufficient to get along with. During his stay here, a large number of the Saints arrived from Nauvoo; the most of whom passed on for the Bluffs, intending to go with the first company. Others remained at the farm, not having sufficient means for an outfit. Elder Orson Hyde also arrived with a large company. At this place Sister Louisa Chandler Pratt, one of Elder Orson Pratt's wives was taken sick with a billious fever, which turned into the typhus fever. Dr. Clinton was consulted, and thinking that journeying on might not injure her, but perhaps do her good, and having procured three additional wagons with some additional teams, Elder Pratt and family left Mount Pisgah and proceeded on for several days until they reached the Platte River. Finding Sister Louisa dangerously sick, they halted and pitched their tent upon a narrow neck of land on the west bank of the Platte, the place being comfortably shaded by large black-walnut trees. Sister Louisa continued to get worse during the day, and before sundown became speechless, and about 10:30 o'clock p.m. she breathed her last. According to her request, she was laid out in her robe and other garments which she had worn in the Nauvoo Temple. The next morning a place was searched out on the east bank of the Platte, two Indian graves being but a few rods distant. Her coffin consisted of four slabs of bass-wood with thick bark at the head and foot. The funeral took place at twelve o'clock noon, and the people were addressed by R. D. Sprague. A large company of Saints from Michigan was present. Elder Pratt cut the following letters in a tree which stood at the foot of the grave, namely: "L. C. P. died June 12th, 1846."
After the close of these sad rites, and towards evening, the journey westward was resumed. Quite a number of the Pottawattamie Indians visited the company at their various camping places and appeared quite friendly. In passing through one of their villages, and as they were crossing the two forks of the Nishnabotona river, scores of their men, women and children collected around.
On June 17th they arrived in the neighborhood of the main encampment near a little village of whites and half-breeds on the Missouri river. A large number of the Pottawattamies also resided in this vicinity. Here was also the residence of the Indian agent; and a branch of the American Fur Company's establishment was located here. At this place the great chief of the Pottawattamies, who was an educated man, visited the camp. 'He spoke English fluently and welcomed the people to the use of the timber upon his lands, while they tarried for the purpose of making an outfit. A Mr. Sarpee and one of his men who had just arrived from the mountains, also visited the encampment and gave much information in relation to the great West. Mr. Sarpee was a wealthy merchant engaged in the American Fur Company's business. From him a job of work was secured by the camp to freight about ninety thousand pounds of buffalo robes, furs, etc, from the head of Grand Island — some two hundred and twenty miles west of this place—for which Mr. Sarpee engaged to pay one thousand dollars in cash, together with some provisions, a horse and other things. Preparations were made, and wagons and teams sent some sixty or eighty miles down the river into the settlements to obtain cows, and provisions, for the great western expedition.
It was during Elder Orson Pratt's stay at this place that the famous call was made by the Federal Government, for -the Saints to furnish five hundred young men to march to California, and take part in the war with Mexico. This call was made by Captain James Allen of the United States army, who arrived at Mount Pisgah, Iowa, on June 26, 1846, and presented the Saints, who were temporarily located there, with a circular calling for five hundred of their young and most able-bodied men. Suffice it to say, without entering into detail, this body of men was raised, and the history of this famous Mormon Battalion forms one of the most notable pages in the events of modern times.[1]
Having obtained some supplies from the Missouri settlements, Orson v Pratt, with his company, pushed on to Cuttler's Park and from thence to Winter Quarters, where the dreary winter of 1846-7 was shared with the Saints in their joy and in their sufferings.
In the spring of 1847, leaving his 'family in Winter Quarters, he started with the Pioneer Company, consisting of one hundred and forty-eight persons, and arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley, July 21st, 1847, he and Erastus Snow being some two or three days in advance of the main companies.
To give the reader a more detailed statement of the arrival of these advancing pioneers, we extract the following from the private journal of Orson Pratt:
"Wednesday, July 21, 1847.—No frost this morning, but a heavy dew. We resumed our journey, came two and a half miles and ascended a mountain for one and a half miles; descended upon the west side one mile; came upon a swift running creek, where we halted for noon; we called this Last Creek. Brother Erastus Snow (having overtaken our camp from the other camp, which he said was but a few miles in the rear) and myself proceeded, in advance of the camp, down Last Creek four and a half miles, to where it passes through a canon and issues into the broad open valley below. To avoid the canon the wagons, last season, had passed over an exceedingly steep and dangerous hill. Brother Snow and myself ascended this hill, from the top of which a broad open valley, about twenty miles wide and thirty long, lay stretched out before us, at the north end of which, the broad waters of the great Salt Lake glistened in the sunbeams, containing high mountainous islands from twenty-five to thirty miles in extent. After issuing from the mountains, among which we had been shut up for many days, and beholding in a moment such extensive scenery open before us, we could not refrain from a shout of joy, which almost involuntarily escaped from our lips the moment this grand and lovely scenery was within our view. We immediately descended very gradually into the lower parts of the valley, and although we had but one horse between us, yet we traversed a circuit of about twelve miles before we left the valley to return to our camp, which we found encamped one and a half miles up the ravine from the valley, and three miles in advance of their noon halt. It was about nine o'clock in the evening when we got into camp. The main body of the Pioneers who were in the rear, were encamped only one and a half miles up the creek from us, with the exception of some wagons containing some who were sick, who were still behind."
Orson Pratt, in reality, was the first one of the Pioneers to set foot upon the site of where Salt Lake City is located. In detailing, by word of mouth, the ac count of the trip of that eventful day, the writer heard his father say, that soon after leaving the mouth of the (Emigration) canon, Brother Erastus Snow dis covered that he had lost his coat off the horse they had between them, and he retraced his steps in search of the lost garment. Orson Pratt continued his journey farther down into the valley, and in making his circuitous route he came upon the waters of City Creek, and traversed the land where the Temple Block and central portions of the city are now located. After having traveled thus far on foot and alone, he turned his course southward and met Brother Snow on the creek several miles below where it issues from the mouth of Emigration Canon, and from thence the two returned to the camp in the canon.
The next day—July 22—Orson Pratt and George A. Smith, accompanied by seven others, rode down and explored a portion of the northern part of the valley. They visited the warm and hot springs issuing from the base of the mountains, and continued their journey northward towards the Great Salt Lake. Finding the soil, as they proceeded, unfit for agricultural purposes, they returned f and found their wagons encamped 'about five and a half miles from where they had left the canon.
The following day- -July 23—John Pack and Joseph Matthews were sent back to the rear camps, which were still in the mountains, to inform President Young and the brethren who were with him, of the discoveries and explorations made by the advance companies. The camp moved about two miles north and encamped on the stream subsequently known as City Creek, in the locality of what is now the Eighth Ward of Salt Lake City.
At this place the camp was called together and Orson Pratt offered up prayer and thanksgiving in behalf of the Pioneers, all of whom had been so wonderfully preserved on the whole journey from the Missouri River to the valley; and he dedicated the camp and the land unto which they had come, to the Lord, imploring His blessings upon their labors and all that pertained unto them. The meeting was addressed by Willard Richards and Orson Pratt, and various committees were appointed to attend to different branches of business, preparatory to putting in crops, and in about two hours after their arrival, they began ploughing about where Godbe's Drug store now stands, and that same afternoon they built a dam to divert water, with which to irrigate the soil.
Saturday, July 24.—Potatoes were planted in the forenoon on a portion of the ground previously ploughed by the Pioneers. About noon, President Young, whose delay several days in the mountains was caused by sickness, arrived at the Pioneer encampment on City Creek, accompanied by the brethren who constituted the rear company.
Apostle Wilford Woodruff, in whose carriage President Young was riding at the time they emerged from the mountains into the valley, among other notes of that day says:
"President Young expressed his entire satisfaction at the appearance of the valley as a resting place for the Saints, and felt amply repaid for his journey. While lying upon his bed in my carriage, gazing upon the scene before us, many things of the future concerning the valley were shown to him in a vision."
Milando Pratt.
[1] See Daniel Tyler's History of the Mormon Battalion.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
Garden Grove is situated on a branch of Grand River. The land had been vacated a few months before by the Indians. The following Sabbath after their encampment at this place, two meetings were held and the Saints were addressed by four of the Twelve, viz: John Taylor, in the forenoon; Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Orson Pratt in the afternoon. Having concluded to make a settlement upon these lands, and put in spring crops for the benefit of the Saints who should follow them, the next morning at six o'clock the horn sounded, and all the men assembled themselves together to be organized for labor. One hundred men were appointed to split rails, forty-eight to cut logs and build log houses, several were appointed to build a bridge, a number to dig wells, others to wood their plows, several for herdsmen to watch the stock and keep them from straying, and some to be sent out to the settlements to trade off horses, feather beds, etc., for cows and provisions; and finally, the whole camp were to be occupied about something. During this council for organization they were drenched in rain. After the dismissal of the council, Elder Orson Pratt met in council with the authorities and heard some letters read from Nauvoo asking advice relative to selling the Temple at that place. A decision in this matter was deferred until the next day, when the subject was taken up and discussed. It was considered that inasmuch as they had been driven from their inheritances and homes and from the Temple, that all sales of their property were but forced sales, and, for the purpose of keeping a poor people from perishing, they felt that they would be justified by their Heavenly Father in selling under such circumstances. At this council it was also proposed to send a company of men, without families, across the mountains with seed, grain, farming utensils, and provisions, to make preparations for those who should follow.
On the 29th day of April, 1846, the people were all called together at twelve o'clock. The subject of selling the Temple at Nauvoo was laid before thorn and they decided, by a unanimous vote, to sell it; and they also decided to sell the Temple and other church property at Kirtland, Ohio. At this meeting the captains of fifties were instructed to ascertain and report what means could be raised in their companies to fit out the expedition to the west of the Rocky Mountains. During the evening, Orson Pratt obtained an observation of the pole star, and found the latitude to be 40 52’.
On April 30th, information was received that several hundred wagons were on their way from Nauvoo, being strung along the road for more than one hundred miles from that city. It was expected that another settlement, about thirty-five or forty miles north of Garden Grove, would be formed, and a spring crop put in, and also another on the Big Platte River one hundred miles or more west of the Missouri.
From the first to the eleventh of May, Orson Pratt assisted the brethren in fencing the field, building log houses, bridges, etc., and he frequently met in council with the Twelve and others, and when the weather would permit, took observations for the latitude, longitude, and the true time. Notwithstanding the bad weather, an immense amount of work had been accomplished in the various departments of business.
On the eleventh of May, Orson Pratt, in company with his brother Parley and some of his company of fifty, who were in readiness, left Garden Grove and traveled westward about six miles and encamped at a point of timber, where they stopped until the thirteenth, when they again started upon their journey westward, traveling several days through the rain, over trackless, broken prairies! and bridging the streams, which were very much swollen by the falling rain. Finding a beautiful place on the middle fork of Grand River, Orson Pratt and company resolved to await the arrival of the main camp which joined them on the evening of the eighteenth. This place was named by Parley P. Pratt, Mt Pisgah.
At this point a council was held, in which it was decided that the Twelve, and those whom they should select, should go across the mountains and pioneer the way for those who should follow, and that the remainder of the people should tarry for a season on the Pottawattamie lands, and cultivate the same,, if the Indians owning the lands, would consent. Brother Sherwood was sent to a portion of that tribe, encamped about fifty miles north-west, to obtain permission. The people being called together, the decision of the council was laid before them in great plainness by Elders Young, Kimball, P. P. Pratt, and Bishop Miller, when some few yoke of oxen and one or two wagons were offered for the mountain expedition. The next day the people were again called together and addressed by President Young, who requested them to separate into two parties, that it might be determined who were intending to stay and cultivate the land for a season, and who were going west with the Twelve. A great majority were for going west immediately, if the Twelve went; thus rendering it impossible to properly fit out the expedition, in consequence of so many wanting to go.
President Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Parley P. Pratt, John Taylor, Geo. A. Smith and many others, with large companies, proceeded onward towards Council Bluffs; but Orson Pratt remained at Mount Pisgah until June 7th, several days later, in consequence of not having wagons and teams sufficient to get along with. During his stay here, a large number of the Saints arrived from Nauvoo; the most of whom passed on for the Bluffs, intending to go with the first company. Others remained at the farm, not having sufficient means for an outfit. Elder Orson Hyde also arrived with a large company. At this place Sister Louisa Chandler Pratt, one of Elder Orson Pratt's wives was taken sick with a billious fever, which turned into the typhus fever. Dr. Clinton was consulted, and thinking that journeying on might not injure her, but perhaps do her good, and having procured three additional wagons with some additional teams, Elder Pratt and family left Mount Pisgah and proceeded on for several days until they reached the Platte River. Finding Sister Louisa dangerously sick, they halted and pitched their tent upon a narrow neck of land on the west bank of the Platte, the place being comfortably shaded by large black-walnut trees. Sister Louisa continued to get worse during the day, and before sundown became speechless, and about 10:30 o'clock p.m. she breathed her last. According to her request, she was laid out in her robe and other garments which she had worn in the Nauvoo Temple. The next morning a place was searched out on the east bank of the Platte, two Indian graves being but a few rods distant. Her coffin consisted of four slabs of bass-wood with thick bark at the head and foot. The funeral took place at twelve o'clock noon, and the people were addressed by R. D. Sprague. A large company of Saints from Michigan was present. Elder Pratt cut the following letters in a tree which stood at the foot of the grave, namely: "L. C. P. died June 12th, 1846."
After the close of these sad rites, and towards evening, the journey westward was resumed. Quite a number of the Pottawattamie Indians visited the company at their various camping places and appeared quite friendly. In passing through one of their villages, and as they were crossing the two forks of the Nishnabotona river, scores of their men, women and children collected around.
On June 17th they arrived in the neighborhood of the main encampment near a little village of whites and half-breeds on the Missouri river. A large number of the Pottawattamies also resided in this vicinity. Here was also the residence of the Indian agent; and a branch of the American Fur Company's establishment was located here. At this place the great chief of the Pottawattamies, who was an educated man, visited the camp. 'He spoke English fluently and welcomed the people to the use of the timber upon his lands, while they tarried for the purpose of making an outfit. A Mr. Sarpee and one of his men who had just arrived from the mountains, also visited the encampment and gave much information in relation to the great West. Mr. Sarpee was a wealthy merchant engaged in the American Fur Company's business. From him a job of work was secured by the camp to freight about ninety thousand pounds of buffalo robes, furs, etc, from the head of Grand Island — some two hundred and twenty miles west of this place—for which Mr. Sarpee engaged to pay one thousand dollars in cash, together with some provisions, a horse and other things. Preparations were made, and wagons and teams sent some sixty or eighty miles down the river into the settlements to obtain cows, and provisions, for the great western expedition.
It was during Elder Orson Pratt's stay at this place that the famous call was made by the Federal Government, for -the Saints to furnish five hundred young men to march to California, and take part in the war with Mexico. This call was made by Captain James Allen of the United States army, who arrived at Mount Pisgah, Iowa, on June 26, 1846, and presented the Saints, who were temporarily located there, with a circular calling for five hundred of their young and most able-bodied men. Suffice it to say, without entering into detail, this body of men was raised, and the history of this famous Mormon Battalion forms one of the most notable pages in the events of modern times.[1]
Having obtained some supplies from the Missouri settlements, Orson v Pratt, with his company, pushed on to Cuttler's Park and from thence to Winter Quarters, where the dreary winter of 1846-7 was shared with the Saints in their joy and in their sufferings.
In the spring of 1847, leaving his 'family in Winter Quarters, he started with the Pioneer Company, consisting of one hundred and forty-eight persons, and arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley, July 21st, 1847, he and Erastus Snow being some two or three days in advance of the main companies.
To give the reader a more detailed statement of the arrival of these advancing pioneers, we extract the following from the private journal of Orson Pratt:
"Wednesday, July 21, 1847.—No frost this morning, but a heavy dew. We resumed our journey, came two and a half miles and ascended a mountain for one and a half miles; descended upon the west side one mile; came upon a swift running creek, where we halted for noon; we called this Last Creek. Brother Erastus Snow (having overtaken our camp from the other camp, which he said was but a few miles in the rear) and myself proceeded, in advance of the camp, down Last Creek four and a half miles, to where it passes through a canon and issues into the broad open valley below. To avoid the canon the wagons, last season, had passed over an exceedingly steep and dangerous hill. Brother Snow and myself ascended this hill, from the top of which a broad open valley, about twenty miles wide and thirty long, lay stretched out before us, at the north end of which, the broad waters of the great Salt Lake glistened in the sunbeams, containing high mountainous islands from twenty-five to thirty miles in extent. After issuing from the mountains, among which we had been shut up for many days, and beholding in a moment such extensive scenery open before us, we could not refrain from a shout of joy, which almost involuntarily escaped from our lips the moment this grand and lovely scenery was within our view. We immediately descended very gradually into the lower parts of the valley, and although we had but one horse between us, yet we traversed a circuit of about twelve miles before we left the valley to return to our camp, which we found encamped one and a half miles up the ravine from the valley, and three miles in advance of their noon halt. It was about nine o'clock in the evening when we got into camp. The main body of the Pioneers who were in the rear, were encamped only one and a half miles up the creek from us, with the exception of some wagons containing some who were sick, who were still behind."
Orson Pratt, in reality, was the first one of the Pioneers to set foot upon the site of where Salt Lake City is located. In detailing, by word of mouth, the ac count of the trip of that eventful day, the writer heard his father say, that soon after leaving the mouth of the (Emigration) canon, Brother Erastus Snow dis covered that he had lost his coat off the horse they had between them, and he retraced his steps in search of the lost garment. Orson Pratt continued his journey farther down into the valley, and in making his circuitous route he came upon the waters of City Creek, and traversed the land where the Temple Block and central portions of the city are now located. After having traveled thus far on foot and alone, he turned his course southward and met Brother Snow on the creek several miles below where it issues from the mouth of Emigration Canon, and from thence the two returned to the camp in the canon.
The next day—July 22—Orson Pratt and George A. Smith, accompanied by seven others, rode down and explored a portion of the northern part of the valley. They visited the warm and hot springs issuing from the base of the mountains, and continued their journey northward towards the Great Salt Lake. Finding the soil, as they proceeded, unfit for agricultural purposes, they returned f and found their wagons encamped 'about five and a half miles from where they had left the canon.
The following day- -July 23—John Pack and Joseph Matthews were sent back to the rear camps, which were still in the mountains, to inform President Young and the brethren who were with him, of the discoveries and explorations made by the advance companies. The camp moved about two miles north and encamped on the stream subsequently known as City Creek, in the locality of what is now the Eighth Ward of Salt Lake City.
At this place the camp was called together and Orson Pratt offered up prayer and thanksgiving in behalf of the Pioneers, all of whom had been so wonderfully preserved on the whole journey from the Missouri River to the valley; and he dedicated the camp and the land unto which they had come, to the Lord, imploring His blessings upon their labors and all that pertained unto them. The meeting was addressed by Willard Richards and Orson Pratt, and various committees were appointed to attend to different branches of business, preparatory to putting in crops, and in about two hours after their arrival, they began ploughing about where Godbe's Drug store now stands, and that same afternoon they built a dam to divert water, with which to irrigate the soil.
Saturday, July 24.—Potatoes were planted in the forenoon on a portion of the ground previously ploughed by the Pioneers. About noon, President Young, whose delay several days in the mountains was caused by sickness, arrived at the Pioneer encampment on City Creek, accompanied by the brethren who constituted the rear company.
Apostle Wilford Woodruff, in whose carriage President Young was riding at the time they emerged from the mountains into the valley, among other notes of that day says:
"President Young expressed his entire satisfaction at the appearance of the valley as a resting place for the Saints, and felt amply repaid for his journey. While lying upon his bed in my carriage, gazing upon the scene before us, many things of the future concerning the valley were shown to him in a vision."
Milando Pratt.
[1] See Daniel Tyler's History of the Mormon Battalion.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. April 1891. pg. 201-207.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
The first Sabbath services, after the arrival of the Pioneers, were held July 25th, 1847, within the encircle of the encampment. It was here these brave God-fearing colonists assembled for public worship, and in their expressions of gratitude to the Almighty God who had led them out of captivity to a land destined for the gathering of the Saints, they failed not to acknowledge His goodness in preserving every soul, from the time they left the Missouri River until their arrival at the Great American Basin in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. Like the former day Israel and not unlike the pilgrim fathers, were these gallant Pioneers, in their remembrance of the duties of the Sabbath. On this day, for the first time in the valley, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered and partaken of by the whole congregation, followed by remarks from Elders Wilford Woodruff, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards, Lorenzo D. Young, John Pack and others. Elder Pratt gave a powerful address from the following text:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." (Isaiah hi: 7, 8.)
Appropriating this text to his sermon, Elder Pratt proved that these words of Isaiah were being literally fulfilled in the fact that the Saints were now being located in the valleys of the mountains.
President Young, though still feeble, 6 gave a few timely' remarks, exhorting the brethren to keep holy the Sabbath day; that they must not work on Sunday; that they would loose five times as much as they would gain by it. None were to hunt on that day. He also said, that no man who came here should buy any land ; that he had none to sell ; but that every man should have his land measured out to him for city and farming purposes. He might till it as he pleased, but he must be industrious and take care of it.
On Tuesday, July 27th, the Twelve, accompanied by Samuel Brannan and several others, started, about nine o'clock a night on an exploring expedition.
"We directed our course west," says Orson Pratt. "Two or three miles brought us to a river called the Utah Outlet. It is about six rods wide and three feet deep at the ford; gravel bottom; its current is not very rapid, and the water not quite so transparent as the mountain streams generally in this valley; its course is north towards the Salt Lake, into which it empties. About thirteen miles further, across a level prairie, with here and their the bed of a lake, now perfectly hard and dry, we came to a north point of a range of mountains which forms the western boundary of this valley. At the foot of these mountains, at the north point, there is a stream of fresh water; very little brackish. We halted here a short time for the horses to feed. About six miles further west, following the emigrant trail, brought us to the Great Salt Lake, which here made up near the base of the mountains. We all bathed in the water, which is fully saturated with salt; its specific gravity is such as to buoy us up in a remarkable manner; the water is very transparent; the bottom is sandy. We continued on about four miles further when we reached a valley (Tooele Valley) putting up to the southward from the lake. This valley we judged to be about twelve miles in diameter. On the south, there was a small opening, which we supposed might be a continuation of the valley, or an opening into a plain beyond. It was nearly dark, and we concluded to return to the place of our noon halt, where we encamped for the night."
The next day, July 28th, the exploring party traveled about ten miles south, along the eastern base of the Oquirrh mountains; they found a barren country and no water. Orson Pratt ascended a ridge about three miles south of a point where the company halted for noon, from the top of which he could see Utah Lake. Striking eastward across the valley, they returned to the main camp, having traveled during the day, thirty miles. They saw on this trip about one hundred goats, sheep and antelope.
After returning from this trip, the brethren were more satisfied than ever that they were already encamped upon the spot where their contemplated city should be built. Soon after their return to the camp, President Young called a council of the Quorum of the Twelve. There were present: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, Geo. A. Smith, Amasa Lyman and Ezra T. Benson. They walked from the north camp to about the center between the two creeks, when President Young waved his hand and said: "Here is the forty acres" (which was afterwards changed to ten acres) "for the temple. The city can be laid out perfectly square, north and south, east and west." It was then moved and carried that a block be laid off for the Temple, and that the city be laid out into lots of ten rods by twenty each, exclusive of the streets, and into blocks of eight lots, containing ten acres in each block, and one and a quarter acres in each lot. It was further moved and carried, that each street be laid out eight rods wide, and that there be a sidewalk on each side, twenty feet wide, and that each house be built in the center of the lot, twenty feet from the front, that there might be uniformity throughout the city. It was also moved that there be four public squares of ten acres each, to be laid out in various parts of the city for public grounds.
After the Twelve had passed upon the business before them, the whole camp came together at eight o'clock, upon the Temple ground and passed the vote unanimously; and, when the business part of the meeting was closed, President Young arose and addressed the assembly upon a variety of subjects. In his remarks he said that he was determined to have all things in order, and righteousness should be practiced in the land. They had come here according to the direction and counsel of Brother Joseph before his death; "and," said the President, "Joseph would still have been alive, if the Twelve had been in Nauvoo when he re-crossed the river from Montrose." During his remarks, President Young observed that he intended "to have every hole and corner, from the Bay of San Francisco to Hudson's Bay, known to us." At this meeting the Apostles were appointed a committee to lay off the city.
Thursday, July 29.—The Mormon Battalion detachment, under the command of Captain James Brown, numbering one hundred and forty men, accompanied by about one hundred of the Mississippi Saints, who traveled with the Battalion from Pueblo, arrived, which greatly added to the strength of the Pioneer camp, increasing the number of souls there to about four hundred. President Young, with the Pioneer brethren, having mounted their horses and gone out to meet the detachment, returned at the head of the companies and marched into camp with martial music. The soldiers appeared in military order. There was great rejoicing at the meeting between the brethren of the Pioneers and the Battalion boys.
The following morning, the Twelve met in council with the officers of the Battalion, and in the evening a general meeting of the camps was held. President Young, who spoke upon this occasion, eulogized the soldiers of the Battalion. He considered that they had been the means of saving the Saints from destruction, by the sacrifice they had made in enlisting in the services of their country according to the requisition made by the United States Government.
Saturday, July 31.—A bowery, about forty feet long by twenty-eight wide, was constructed on the Temple Block by the Battalion brethren. This was built to accommodate all the members of the camp who would assemble on the morrow for worship. During the day about twenty Shoshone Indians, with several squaws visited the camp, and commenced trading with some of the brethren, when a dispute arose between two of the young warriors, who commenced fighting very fiercely. After a gun stock and a pole had been broken over each others head by themselves, they were finally separated.
As a result of eight days labor, Colonel Markham reported fifty-three acres plowed, thirty-five acres of which were planted with buckwheat, corn, oats, etc. ; eight acres in another lot, with corn, potatoes, beans, etc., and four acres of a plowed ten acre lot, with garden seeds. -Corn, covering about three acres, was already up about three inches above ground, and some beans and potatoes also began to appear. Besides this, much other work had been done, such as making a road to the timber, hauling timber for a boat, making and repairing plows, etc.
Sunday, August 1st.—At ten o'clock A. m. the Saints assembled under the bowery on the Temple Block. All the Apostles were present except President Young, who was again sick. Heber C. Kimball advised, that if a guard was not already out around the cattle, one be placed immediately, as the Indians had left camp very suddenly in the morning without assigning any reasons. The assembly was addressed by Orson Pratt, the substance of which is as follows:
''It is with peculiar feeling I arise before so many of the Saints in this uncultivated region, inhabited by savages. My mind is full of reflections on the scenes through which we have passed, after being brought through the desert of sage to this distant land. God's ways are not as our ways. It is not well that the Saints should always foresee the difficulties they have to encounter. We expect the revolutions to take place, which are foretold in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, and we are to congregate among the remnant of Joseph. We did think that our wives and children would be built up among the strongholds of the Gentiles, and that we should be as missionaries to them, by dwelling in their midst. But Jehovah had different purposes. He designed that the Saints should be brought out almost as an entire people; and the Book of Mormon could not have been fulfilled, if the Saints had not left the Gentiles; for when the Gentiles should reject the Gospel, it was to be taken among the Lamanites. As long as the Gospel, the Priesthood and the main body of the Saints remained with them, the fulness of the Gospel was not taken away from the Gentiles; hence our removal hither is one of the greatest events that has ever taken place among this people. I feel thankful, as one of the Twelve, for the privilege of coming as one of the Pioneers to this glorious valley, where we can build up a city to the Lord. Isaiah says, in speaking of Zion, that it shall be called 'sought out,' a city not forsaken. (Isaiah lxii:i2.) If ever there was a place sought out, it is this. We have inquired diligently and have found it. This cannot refer to Jerusalem, but to this very place, point and spot that the Pioneers have found, where a city shall be built unto the Lord, where righteousness will reign and iniquity not abound. Isaiah and Joel both spoke very plainly on this subject: 'It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the tops of the mountains.' In what part of the earth could it be established better than in this place, where this congregation is now gathered! In the midst of the spurs of the mountains, we have found a place large enough to gather thousands of the Saints. You may travel through Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, but you cannot find a place higher in altitude than this, where any people can raise crops and sustain themselves. The house of the Lord will indeed be established in the tops of the mountains, when we shall have one reared here. The Lord himself must give the pattern of such a building, and give directions to His servants concerning its details. I verily believe I shall see such a hours reared here, and behold thousands flocking to it, to learn the way of salvation; and desire to live and see thousands of the Saints raise their voices in praises to God in this consecrated land. Isaiah says, 'He that walketh righteously * * * shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the mountains of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.' Isaiah xxxii 15-16.) Isaiah was on the Eastern continent when he spoke this, and was' referring to a very distant place."
"It will be pretty difficult to get a ship of war up to this place. When we get used to this healthy climate, the people will grow in strength and vigor, and sickness will cease to trouble them. The wilderness shall become a fruitful field and a fruitful field as a forest. The time will come when the great Jehovah will cause springs of water to gush forth from the desert land and cause it to bring forth in abundance, while the curse of God shall rest upon the lands that the Gentiles have defiled. Isaiah speaks of the heritage of Joseph being in a high place. We are here more than four thousand feet above sea level, and the high mountains will 'catch the hail,' and we be preserved in a low place. We will not feel discouraged, but stand bold and fearless in the strength of our God, who will bless and prosper us in these mountains, if we will but keep His commandments."
The next morning—Monday August 2nd—Elders Orson Pratt and Henry G. Sherwood commenced surveying the city, beginning with the Temple Block; but as the chain was somewhat out of repair, it was concluded to wait until a standard pole could be brought from the mountains, by which it could be tested. Although the day was very warm the whole camp was full of life and activity. Some of the brethren commenced making adobes, and towards evening Elder Kimball's teams returned from the mountains with some good house logs and poles for measuring.
At a former decision of the Twelve, forty acres of land were reserved for the Temple Block, but when the survey was commenced the tract appeared so large that it was finally reduced to ten acres.
Friday, Aug. 6.—All of the brethren of the Twelve, who were present at the camp, renewed their covenants with the Lord by re-baptism. President Young went down into the water and baptized the following named brethren in their order, viz: Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, and Amasa Lyman. He then confirmed them and sealed upon them their Apostleship, and all the keys powers and blessings belonging to that office. Elder Heber C. Kimball baptized and confirmed President Brigham Young. This they considered a great privilege and a duty, as they had been led and preserved by the hand of God into a "glorious valley to locate and build up Zion."
In the afternoon Prof. Orson Pratt made an observation, and found the latitude at the northern boundary of the Temple Block to be 40° 45' 44" and the longitude 111° 26’ 35”.
The next day a dam was built in the creek, a short distance above the camp, in order to bring the cool refreshing stream of water around and inside the camp. About noon a terrible whirlwind struck the camp and did considerable damage. In the afternoon the Twelve went to the Temple Block to select their inheritances. President Young chose a block east of the Temple grounds, and running southeast, upon which to settle his friends around him; Heber C. Kimball a block north of the Temple Block; Orson Pratt, south and running south; Wilford Woodruff, a block cornering the Temple 'Block on the southwest, and adjoining Orson Pratt's on the west; George A. Smith chose the block joining on the west side of the Temple; Amasa Lyman took a block running forty rods below on the south of Wilford Woodruff's. It was supposed that Willard Richards would take his on the east, near President Young's, but subsequently the eastern portion of the block selected by Orson Pratt was divided with him, as also the remaining west half of Orson Pratt's block was subsequently divided with his brother Parley P. Pratt and his cousin John Van Cott, reserving only to himself the northwest corner lot.
Early in the evening, the Twelve accompanied by quite a number of the camp, repaired to the place in City Creek where the brethren had built the dam, and Elder Heber C. Kimball baptized fifty-five members of the camp, for the remission of their sins; they were confirmed under the hands of President Young, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith and Amasa Lyman; President Young being mouth.
The day following—being the Sabbath —two hundred and twenty-four of the Saints renewed their covenants before the Lord by baptism, making a total of two hundred and eighty-four,—the whole of the camp,—who had been re-baptized during the last three days. In the afternoon, the Sacrament was administered, and at the close of the meeting, one hundred and ten men were called to go into the adobe yard, and seventy-six volunteered.
The following days of the week were busily occupied by the brethren in making adobes, building houses, surveying the city, and in other labors. Orson Pratt took observations and ascertained the height of the Temple Block to be four thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, as deduced from the mean of eleven barometrical observations taken on different days. Barometrical height of the east side of the Temple Block above the right bank of the Utah Outlet (Jordan River) due west of the Temple Block, sixty-five feet. From the Temple Block, up City Creek, about one mile to the northeast, by the barometer, the water fell two hundred and fourteen feet. About three miles to the northeast from the Temple Block up City Creek, as indicated by the barometer five hundred and fifty-four feet. Barometrical height near the base of Ensign Peak above the Temple Block, eight hundred and sixty two feet. The summit of Ensign Peak above the Temple Block, one thousand and eighty-one feet. Second hill northeast of Ensign Peak, one thousand five hundred and ten feet. Height of mountain northeast of Ensign Peak, above the Temple Block, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine feet. Height of Twin Mountain Peak above the sea level, eleven thousand two hundred and nineteen feet. Height of Twin Mountain Peak above the Temple Block, six thousand nine hundred and nineteen feet. Distance from the Temple block to a conical peak near the north end of the western range of mountains as determined by the sextant, sixteen and a half miles.
Towards the end of the week some twenty houses had been commenced. These first houses were built on the east line of the stockade or fort, subsequently know as the Old Fort, in the Sixth Ward.
As some of the Pioneers and soldiers of the Battalion began to get quite anxious concerning their families at Winter Quarters, and were desirous of starting back as soon as possible, it was decided to start the ox teams on the return trip the following Monday, and preparations were made accordingly. William A. King constructed a new roadometer which could tell the distance traveled for one thousand miles, without keeping any account. This new machine was modeled after a plan or design given by Prof. Orson Pratt, who, according to President Young's request, gave the subject his attention, which resulted in the completion of this useful machine to be used on the return trip to Winter Quarters. After giving a full description of this simple piece of ingenuity, Prof. Pratt says: "This machine (which may be called the double endless screw) is simple in its construction, and of very small bulk, requiring scarcely any sensible additional power, and the knowledge obtained respecting distances, in traveling, will certainly be very satisfactory to every traveler, especially in a country but little known. The weight of this machine need not exceed three pounds."
Sunday, August 15.—At ten o'clock A. M. a meeting was held in the bowery. President Young preached a most interesting discourse on the "law of adoption," the death of Brother Crow's grandchild, who had been drowned a few days previous in City Creek, giving occasion for the same. The death and funeral of this little child was the first that had occurred in the valley. In the afternoon the congregation was addressed by Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Pratt. In the evening, those of the Pioneers and Battalion, who were expecting to start back to Winter Quarters with the ox teams on the morrow, met at President Young's tent and received their instructions.
The following day, most of the wagons going to Winter Quarters with ox teams started and traveled to the mouth of Emigration Canon, where they waited until the next morning for the remainder of the company.
The following day they were joined by the remainder of. the company, and soon after resuming their journey conjointly, they were overtaken by Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards and others from the Pioneer camp in the valley. After Brother Kimball had given them some timely advice and necessary instructions, they continued their journey, and Brother Kimball and escorts returned to the valley.
The brethren in the valley continued to labor in the various avocations assigned them, and by the twentieth of August, the laying out of the city was completed. The first survey consisted of one hundred and thirty-five blocks, each containing ten acres. The blocks were subdivided into eight lots of one and a fourth acres each. The streets were made eight rods wide including the sidewalks, which were each twenty feet wide. There were four public squares including the Old Fort block.
On Sunday, August 22., a special conference of the Church was held at the bowery on the Temple Block commencing at two o'clock p. m. This conference, which had been appointed at the forenoon meeting, was convened for the purpose of transacting important business of the Church previous to the Pioneers leaving for Winter Quarters. There were present of the Twelve, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, Amasa Lyman, Willard Richards and Orson Pratt. At this special meeting the city was named "The Great Salt Lake City," and the post office "The Great Basin Post Office," the river west of the city was named "The Western Jordan," the large creek flowing into the city was called "City Creek;" "Red Butte Creek," "Canon Creek," (afterwards called Emigration Creek,) 'Big Canon Creek," (now Parleys Canon) and "Mill Creek" also received their respective names.
President Young moved that a president be appointed to preside over the people in the valley, and that there be a High Council, and all other necessary officers appointed. All this business was done by motions which were seconded and carried unanimously. The brethren were all invited to speak their minds freely, so that everything that should be done, might prove beneficial to those present as well as those who should soon arrive.
Much valuable instruction was given at this special conference. Those of the Pioneers who were expecting to return to Winter Quarters were advised to get ready as soon as possible. Heber C. Kimball in his closing remarks said: "Let us discourage the spirit of alienation and be united. I wish to God we did not have to return, and I would give a great deal to have my family here now. This is a Paradise to me, and one of the loveliest places I ever beheld. I hope none of us will be left alive to pollute this land. I would rather die than act as inconsistent as many have in times past." President Young moved that the conference adjourn until October 6th, 1848. after which Orson Pratt offered the benediction.
Several days were spent in making preparations for the departure of the company which was to return, and on Thursday, August 26th, the Twelve and others who were destined for Winter Quarters, started on their return. The whole camp consisted of one hundred and eight men, thirty-six wagons, seventy-one horses and forty-nine mules. They frequently met passing trains of Saints upon the plains, who were wending their way to the valley of the Great Basin. Occasionally these Saints, when met, were encouragingly instructed and counseled by the Twelve and other brethren, and although much hardship and fatigue were endured by this returning Pioneer company, not a man had died, nor a horse or mule lost, except through carelessness.
About an hour before sunset on October 31st, the company, with President Young and the Twelve at their head, drove into Winter Quarters, in order. The streets were crowded with people, who had come out to meet and shake hands with the Pioneers, as they passed through the lines, and the "weary travelers truly rejoiced to once more behold their wives, children and friends, after an absence of six months, in which time they had traveled over two thousand miles, sought out a location where the Saints could dwell in peace, and accomplished one of the most interesting and important missions of this dispensation."
Milando Pratt.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
The first Sabbath services, after the arrival of the Pioneers, were held July 25th, 1847, within the encircle of the encampment. It was here these brave God-fearing colonists assembled for public worship, and in their expressions of gratitude to the Almighty God who had led them out of captivity to a land destined for the gathering of the Saints, they failed not to acknowledge His goodness in preserving every soul, from the time they left the Missouri River until their arrival at the Great American Basin in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. Like the former day Israel and not unlike the pilgrim fathers, were these gallant Pioneers, in their remembrance of the duties of the Sabbath. On this day, for the first time in the valley, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered and partaken of by the whole congregation, followed by remarks from Elders Wilford Woodruff, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards, Lorenzo D. Young, John Pack and others. Elder Pratt gave a powerful address from the following text:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." (Isaiah hi: 7, 8.)
Appropriating this text to his sermon, Elder Pratt proved that these words of Isaiah were being literally fulfilled in the fact that the Saints were now being located in the valleys of the mountains.
President Young, though still feeble, 6 gave a few timely' remarks, exhorting the brethren to keep holy the Sabbath day; that they must not work on Sunday; that they would loose five times as much as they would gain by it. None were to hunt on that day. He also said, that no man who came here should buy any land ; that he had none to sell ; but that every man should have his land measured out to him for city and farming purposes. He might till it as he pleased, but he must be industrious and take care of it.
On Tuesday, July 27th, the Twelve, accompanied by Samuel Brannan and several others, started, about nine o'clock a night on an exploring expedition.
"We directed our course west," says Orson Pratt. "Two or three miles brought us to a river called the Utah Outlet. It is about six rods wide and three feet deep at the ford; gravel bottom; its current is not very rapid, and the water not quite so transparent as the mountain streams generally in this valley; its course is north towards the Salt Lake, into which it empties. About thirteen miles further, across a level prairie, with here and their the bed of a lake, now perfectly hard and dry, we came to a north point of a range of mountains which forms the western boundary of this valley. At the foot of these mountains, at the north point, there is a stream of fresh water; very little brackish. We halted here a short time for the horses to feed. About six miles further west, following the emigrant trail, brought us to the Great Salt Lake, which here made up near the base of the mountains. We all bathed in the water, which is fully saturated with salt; its specific gravity is such as to buoy us up in a remarkable manner; the water is very transparent; the bottom is sandy. We continued on about four miles further when we reached a valley (Tooele Valley) putting up to the southward from the lake. This valley we judged to be about twelve miles in diameter. On the south, there was a small opening, which we supposed might be a continuation of the valley, or an opening into a plain beyond. It was nearly dark, and we concluded to return to the place of our noon halt, where we encamped for the night."
The next day, July 28th, the exploring party traveled about ten miles south, along the eastern base of the Oquirrh mountains; they found a barren country and no water. Orson Pratt ascended a ridge about three miles south of a point where the company halted for noon, from the top of which he could see Utah Lake. Striking eastward across the valley, they returned to the main camp, having traveled during the day, thirty miles. They saw on this trip about one hundred goats, sheep and antelope.
After returning from this trip, the brethren were more satisfied than ever that they were already encamped upon the spot where their contemplated city should be built. Soon after their return to the camp, President Young called a council of the Quorum of the Twelve. There were present: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, Geo. A. Smith, Amasa Lyman and Ezra T. Benson. They walked from the north camp to about the center between the two creeks, when President Young waved his hand and said: "Here is the forty acres" (which was afterwards changed to ten acres) "for the temple. The city can be laid out perfectly square, north and south, east and west." It was then moved and carried that a block be laid off for the Temple, and that the city be laid out into lots of ten rods by twenty each, exclusive of the streets, and into blocks of eight lots, containing ten acres in each block, and one and a quarter acres in each lot. It was further moved and carried, that each street be laid out eight rods wide, and that there be a sidewalk on each side, twenty feet wide, and that each house be built in the center of the lot, twenty feet from the front, that there might be uniformity throughout the city. It was also moved that there be four public squares of ten acres each, to be laid out in various parts of the city for public grounds.
After the Twelve had passed upon the business before them, the whole camp came together at eight o'clock, upon the Temple ground and passed the vote unanimously; and, when the business part of the meeting was closed, President Young arose and addressed the assembly upon a variety of subjects. In his remarks he said that he was determined to have all things in order, and righteousness should be practiced in the land. They had come here according to the direction and counsel of Brother Joseph before his death; "and," said the President, "Joseph would still have been alive, if the Twelve had been in Nauvoo when he re-crossed the river from Montrose." During his remarks, President Young observed that he intended "to have every hole and corner, from the Bay of San Francisco to Hudson's Bay, known to us." At this meeting the Apostles were appointed a committee to lay off the city.
Thursday, July 29.—The Mormon Battalion detachment, under the command of Captain James Brown, numbering one hundred and forty men, accompanied by about one hundred of the Mississippi Saints, who traveled with the Battalion from Pueblo, arrived, which greatly added to the strength of the Pioneer camp, increasing the number of souls there to about four hundred. President Young, with the Pioneer brethren, having mounted their horses and gone out to meet the detachment, returned at the head of the companies and marched into camp with martial music. The soldiers appeared in military order. There was great rejoicing at the meeting between the brethren of the Pioneers and the Battalion boys.
The following morning, the Twelve met in council with the officers of the Battalion, and in the evening a general meeting of the camps was held. President Young, who spoke upon this occasion, eulogized the soldiers of the Battalion. He considered that they had been the means of saving the Saints from destruction, by the sacrifice they had made in enlisting in the services of their country according to the requisition made by the United States Government.
Saturday, July 31.—A bowery, about forty feet long by twenty-eight wide, was constructed on the Temple Block by the Battalion brethren. This was built to accommodate all the members of the camp who would assemble on the morrow for worship. During the day about twenty Shoshone Indians, with several squaws visited the camp, and commenced trading with some of the brethren, when a dispute arose between two of the young warriors, who commenced fighting very fiercely. After a gun stock and a pole had been broken over each others head by themselves, they were finally separated.
As a result of eight days labor, Colonel Markham reported fifty-three acres plowed, thirty-five acres of which were planted with buckwheat, corn, oats, etc. ; eight acres in another lot, with corn, potatoes, beans, etc., and four acres of a plowed ten acre lot, with garden seeds. -Corn, covering about three acres, was already up about three inches above ground, and some beans and potatoes also began to appear. Besides this, much other work had been done, such as making a road to the timber, hauling timber for a boat, making and repairing plows, etc.
Sunday, August 1st.—At ten o'clock A. m. the Saints assembled under the bowery on the Temple Block. All the Apostles were present except President Young, who was again sick. Heber C. Kimball advised, that if a guard was not already out around the cattle, one be placed immediately, as the Indians had left camp very suddenly in the morning without assigning any reasons. The assembly was addressed by Orson Pratt, the substance of which is as follows:
''It is with peculiar feeling I arise before so many of the Saints in this uncultivated region, inhabited by savages. My mind is full of reflections on the scenes through which we have passed, after being brought through the desert of sage to this distant land. God's ways are not as our ways. It is not well that the Saints should always foresee the difficulties they have to encounter. We expect the revolutions to take place, which are foretold in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, and we are to congregate among the remnant of Joseph. We did think that our wives and children would be built up among the strongholds of the Gentiles, and that we should be as missionaries to them, by dwelling in their midst. But Jehovah had different purposes. He designed that the Saints should be brought out almost as an entire people; and the Book of Mormon could not have been fulfilled, if the Saints had not left the Gentiles; for when the Gentiles should reject the Gospel, it was to be taken among the Lamanites. As long as the Gospel, the Priesthood and the main body of the Saints remained with them, the fulness of the Gospel was not taken away from the Gentiles; hence our removal hither is one of the greatest events that has ever taken place among this people. I feel thankful, as one of the Twelve, for the privilege of coming as one of the Pioneers to this glorious valley, where we can build up a city to the Lord. Isaiah says, in speaking of Zion, that it shall be called 'sought out,' a city not forsaken. (Isaiah lxii:i2.) If ever there was a place sought out, it is this. We have inquired diligently and have found it. This cannot refer to Jerusalem, but to this very place, point and spot that the Pioneers have found, where a city shall be built unto the Lord, where righteousness will reign and iniquity not abound. Isaiah and Joel both spoke very plainly on this subject: 'It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the tops of the mountains.' In what part of the earth could it be established better than in this place, where this congregation is now gathered! In the midst of the spurs of the mountains, we have found a place large enough to gather thousands of the Saints. You may travel through Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, but you cannot find a place higher in altitude than this, where any people can raise crops and sustain themselves. The house of the Lord will indeed be established in the tops of the mountains, when we shall have one reared here. The Lord himself must give the pattern of such a building, and give directions to His servants concerning its details. I verily believe I shall see such a hours reared here, and behold thousands flocking to it, to learn the way of salvation; and desire to live and see thousands of the Saints raise their voices in praises to God in this consecrated land. Isaiah says, 'He that walketh righteously * * * shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the mountains of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.' Isaiah xxxii 15-16.) Isaiah was on the Eastern continent when he spoke this, and was' referring to a very distant place."
"It will be pretty difficult to get a ship of war up to this place. When we get used to this healthy climate, the people will grow in strength and vigor, and sickness will cease to trouble them. The wilderness shall become a fruitful field and a fruitful field as a forest. The time will come when the great Jehovah will cause springs of water to gush forth from the desert land and cause it to bring forth in abundance, while the curse of God shall rest upon the lands that the Gentiles have defiled. Isaiah speaks of the heritage of Joseph being in a high place. We are here more than four thousand feet above sea level, and the high mountains will 'catch the hail,' and we be preserved in a low place. We will not feel discouraged, but stand bold and fearless in the strength of our God, who will bless and prosper us in these mountains, if we will but keep His commandments."
The next morning—Monday August 2nd—Elders Orson Pratt and Henry G. Sherwood commenced surveying the city, beginning with the Temple Block; but as the chain was somewhat out of repair, it was concluded to wait until a standard pole could be brought from the mountains, by which it could be tested. Although the day was very warm the whole camp was full of life and activity. Some of the brethren commenced making adobes, and towards evening Elder Kimball's teams returned from the mountains with some good house logs and poles for measuring.
At a former decision of the Twelve, forty acres of land were reserved for the Temple Block, but when the survey was commenced the tract appeared so large that it was finally reduced to ten acres.
Friday, Aug. 6.—All of the brethren of the Twelve, who were present at the camp, renewed their covenants with the Lord by re-baptism. President Young went down into the water and baptized the following named brethren in their order, viz: Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, and Amasa Lyman. He then confirmed them and sealed upon them their Apostleship, and all the keys powers and blessings belonging to that office. Elder Heber C. Kimball baptized and confirmed President Brigham Young. This they considered a great privilege and a duty, as they had been led and preserved by the hand of God into a "glorious valley to locate and build up Zion."
In the afternoon Prof. Orson Pratt made an observation, and found the latitude at the northern boundary of the Temple Block to be 40° 45' 44" and the longitude 111° 26’ 35”.
The next day a dam was built in the creek, a short distance above the camp, in order to bring the cool refreshing stream of water around and inside the camp. About noon a terrible whirlwind struck the camp and did considerable damage. In the afternoon the Twelve went to the Temple Block to select their inheritances. President Young chose a block east of the Temple grounds, and running southeast, upon which to settle his friends around him; Heber C. Kimball a block north of the Temple Block; Orson Pratt, south and running south; Wilford Woodruff, a block cornering the Temple 'Block on the southwest, and adjoining Orson Pratt's on the west; George A. Smith chose the block joining on the west side of the Temple; Amasa Lyman took a block running forty rods below on the south of Wilford Woodruff's. It was supposed that Willard Richards would take his on the east, near President Young's, but subsequently the eastern portion of the block selected by Orson Pratt was divided with him, as also the remaining west half of Orson Pratt's block was subsequently divided with his brother Parley P. Pratt and his cousin John Van Cott, reserving only to himself the northwest corner lot.
Early in the evening, the Twelve accompanied by quite a number of the camp, repaired to the place in City Creek where the brethren had built the dam, and Elder Heber C. Kimball baptized fifty-five members of the camp, for the remission of their sins; they were confirmed under the hands of President Young, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith and Amasa Lyman; President Young being mouth.
The day following—being the Sabbath —two hundred and twenty-four of the Saints renewed their covenants before the Lord by baptism, making a total of two hundred and eighty-four,—the whole of the camp,—who had been re-baptized during the last three days. In the afternoon, the Sacrament was administered, and at the close of the meeting, one hundred and ten men were called to go into the adobe yard, and seventy-six volunteered.
The following days of the week were busily occupied by the brethren in making adobes, building houses, surveying the city, and in other labors. Orson Pratt took observations and ascertained the height of the Temple Block to be four thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, as deduced from the mean of eleven barometrical observations taken on different days. Barometrical height of the east side of the Temple Block above the right bank of the Utah Outlet (Jordan River) due west of the Temple Block, sixty-five feet. From the Temple Block, up City Creek, about one mile to the northeast, by the barometer, the water fell two hundred and fourteen feet. About three miles to the northeast from the Temple Block up City Creek, as indicated by the barometer five hundred and fifty-four feet. Barometrical height near the base of Ensign Peak above the Temple Block, eight hundred and sixty two feet. The summit of Ensign Peak above the Temple Block, one thousand and eighty-one feet. Second hill northeast of Ensign Peak, one thousand five hundred and ten feet. Height of mountain northeast of Ensign Peak, above the Temple Block, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine feet. Height of Twin Mountain Peak above the sea level, eleven thousand two hundred and nineteen feet. Height of Twin Mountain Peak above the Temple Block, six thousand nine hundred and nineteen feet. Distance from the Temple block to a conical peak near the north end of the western range of mountains as determined by the sextant, sixteen and a half miles.
Towards the end of the week some twenty houses had been commenced. These first houses were built on the east line of the stockade or fort, subsequently know as the Old Fort, in the Sixth Ward.
As some of the Pioneers and soldiers of the Battalion began to get quite anxious concerning their families at Winter Quarters, and were desirous of starting back as soon as possible, it was decided to start the ox teams on the return trip the following Monday, and preparations were made accordingly. William A. King constructed a new roadometer which could tell the distance traveled for one thousand miles, without keeping any account. This new machine was modeled after a plan or design given by Prof. Orson Pratt, who, according to President Young's request, gave the subject his attention, which resulted in the completion of this useful machine to be used on the return trip to Winter Quarters. After giving a full description of this simple piece of ingenuity, Prof. Pratt says: "This machine (which may be called the double endless screw) is simple in its construction, and of very small bulk, requiring scarcely any sensible additional power, and the knowledge obtained respecting distances, in traveling, will certainly be very satisfactory to every traveler, especially in a country but little known. The weight of this machine need not exceed three pounds."
Sunday, August 15.—At ten o'clock A. M. a meeting was held in the bowery. President Young preached a most interesting discourse on the "law of adoption," the death of Brother Crow's grandchild, who had been drowned a few days previous in City Creek, giving occasion for the same. The death and funeral of this little child was the first that had occurred in the valley. In the afternoon the congregation was addressed by Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Pratt. In the evening, those of the Pioneers and Battalion, who were expecting to start back to Winter Quarters with the ox teams on the morrow, met at President Young's tent and received their instructions.
The following day, most of the wagons going to Winter Quarters with ox teams started and traveled to the mouth of Emigration Canon, where they waited until the next morning for the remainder of the company.
The following day they were joined by the remainder of. the company, and soon after resuming their journey conjointly, they were overtaken by Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards and others from the Pioneer camp in the valley. After Brother Kimball had given them some timely advice and necessary instructions, they continued their journey, and Brother Kimball and escorts returned to the valley.
The brethren in the valley continued to labor in the various avocations assigned them, and by the twentieth of August, the laying out of the city was completed. The first survey consisted of one hundred and thirty-five blocks, each containing ten acres. The blocks were subdivided into eight lots of one and a fourth acres each. The streets were made eight rods wide including the sidewalks, which were each twenty feet wide. There were four public squares including the Old Fort block.
On Sunday, August 22., a special conference of the Church was held at the bowery on the Temple Block commencing at two o'clock p. m. This conference, which had been appointed at the forenoon meeting, was convened for the purpose of transacting important business of the Church previous to the Pioneers leaving for Winter Quarters. There were present of the Twelve, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, Amasa Lyman, Willard Richards and Orson Pratt. At this special meeting the city was named "The Great Salt Lake City," and the post office "The Great Basin Post Office," the river west of the city was named "The Western Jordan," the large creek flowing into the city was called "City Creek;" "Red Butte Creek," "Canon Creek," (afterwards called Emigration Creek,) 'Big Canon Creek," (now Parleys Canon) and "Mill Creek" also received their respective names.
President Young moved that a president be appointed to preside over the people in the valley, and that there be a High Council, and all other necessary officers appointed. All this business was done by motions which were seconded and carried unanimously. The brethren were all invited to speak their minds freely, so that everything that should be done, might prove beneficial to those present as well as those who should soon arrive.
Much valuable instruction was given at this special conference. Those of the Pioneers who were expecting to return to Winter Quarters were advised to get ready as soon as possible. Heber C. Kimball in his closing remarks said: "Let us discourage the spirit of alienation and be united. I wish to God we did not have to return, and I would give a great deal to have my family here now. This is a Paradise to me, and one of the loveliest places I ever beheld. I hope none of us will be left alive to pollute this land. I would rather die than act as inconsistent as many have in times past." President Young moved that the conference adjourn until October 6th, 1848. after which Orson Pratt offered the benediction.
Several days were spent in making preparations for the departure of the company which was to return, and on Thursday, August 26th, the Twelve and others who were destined for Winter Quarters, started on their return. The whole camp consisted of one hundred and eight men, thirty-six wagons, seventy-one horses and forty-nine mules. They frequently met passing trains of Saints upon the plains, who were wending their way to the valley of the Great Basin. Occasionally these Saints, when met, were encouragingly instructed and counseled by the Twelve and other brethren, and although much hardship and fatigue were endured by this returning Pioneer company, not a man had died, nor a horse or mule lost, except through carelessness.
About an hour before sunset on October 31st, the company, with President Young and the Twelve at their head, drove into Winter Quarters, in order. The streets were crowded with people, who had come out to meet and shake hands with the Pioneers, as they passed through the lines, and the "weary travelers truly rejoiced to once more behold their wives, children and friends, after an absence of six months, in which time they had traveled over two thousand miles, sought out a location where the Saints could dwell in peace, and accomplished one of the most interesting and important missions of this dispensation."
Milando Pratt.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. May 1891. pg. 275-277.
Life and Labors of Orson Pratt.
The Pioneers, on their return from the Rocky Mountains, found their families, and the Saints generally at Winter Quarters, well and prosperous. Through their industrious and thorough habits of cultivation, the earth had brought forth abundantly, and they had been greatly blessed.
During the month of November, 1847, much important business came before the Twelve; and, on the last of the month, the subject of reorganizing the First Presidency, which had been vacant since the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, was considered.
On the third of December a conference was held on the east side of the Missouri River; but, after having resolved to build a large tabernacle for the congregation, it adjourned for three weeks.
December the 5th a feast and a grand council was held at the house of Elder Orson Hyde, who, during the absence of the Pioneers, had been in charge at Winter Quarters. In this council. Elder Brigham Young, who was President of the Twelve Apostles, first expressed his views concerning the reorganization of the Quorum of the First Presidency, and wished those present to do the same in their order, when Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, Willard Richards, George A. Smith. Amasa Lyman and Ezra T. Benson spoke to the question. President Young closed.
It was then moved by Orson Hyde and seconded by Wilford Woodruff that Brigham Young be President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that he nominate his two counselors to form the First Presidency, which motion was carried unanimously.
President Young then nominated Heber C. Kimball as his first counselor, and Willard Richards as his second counselor, which was seconded and carried unanimously.
The next day the Twelve again met and appointed Father John Smith presiding Patriarch of the whole Church.
On the twenty-fourth of December the conference reassembled, which lasted four days. About one thousand persons assembled in the "Log Tabernacle," sixty by forty feet, and chose Brigham Young "President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world."
During the first three or four months of the year 1848, the Saints at Winter Quarters were busy preparing for the general migration of the Church to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Those who participated in the "Battle of Nauvoo" commemorated it with a feast on the third of February.
The regular general conference, celebrating the organization of the Church, was held on the sixth of April, 1848, at which Apostle Orson Pratt was called to go upon a mission to Europe to preside and take charge of all the affairs of the Church in that country. The following is a copy of his appointment: "Elder Orson Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is hereby delegated to repair to England; to preach the Gospel, print, publish, superintend the emigration, and preside over all the conferences, and all the affairs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Islands and adjacent countries; and we call upon all the Saints to give diligent heed to his teaching, and follow his counsel in all things, for in so doing they will be blessed. Elder Pratt's family will accompany him, if he choose; in so doing, we pray .that they may be blessed. It is the duty of Elder Pratt to see that the Elders and Saints carry out those principles contained in our General Epistle of twenty-third of December, 1847.
"Done at Winter Quarters, Omaha Nation, North America, this twenty-second day of April, 1848, and signed in behalf of the Presiding Council of the said Church.
Brigham Young, President.
Willard Richards, Clerk.''
On the twenty-ninth a feast was made by President Young for his immediate associates, some of whom were going on missions, others were designed to stay on the frontiers to conduct and bring up the emigration; while the President himself was about to lead the vanguard of the people to the mountains.
In compliance with his appointment, Elder Orson Pratt, with his first wife and three children, left Winter Quarters about the middle of May, 1848. He took passage upon a boat to St. Louis from which place he resumed his journey to Liverpool, where he and his family arrived, on the twenty-sixth of July, after a prosperous voyage of nineteen days from New York.
About the time Elder Pratt left Winter Quarters all the people were in a bustle there, some preparing for missions, others for the long and tedious trip across the great plains to the mountains, and many others, who were not prepared to fit out for the valleys, were busily engaging themselves cultivating the Pottawattamie lands. The Sunday previous President Young addressed the people and prophesied that the Saints would never be driven from the Rocky Mountains. He blessed those who were going with him to the valley, and those who were to tarry. He also blessed the Pottawattamie lands, whose soil should yield forth in abundance for the sustenance of the pilgrim Saints gathering to their destined homes in the Mountains of Israel.
The migrating Saints, when ready, began moving out. They formed an encampment on the Elk Horn of six hundred wagons. President Young started for the latter place on May 24th to organize this company, the largest Pioneer force which had yet set out to build up the great West. But we need not follow the Pioneers on their second journey through the wilderness of a thousand miles to the mountains. Suffice it to say that this great moving body of Saints arrived safely in the City of the Great Salt Lake, in September, 1848.
Three of the Twelve, namely, Orson Hyde, George A. Smith and Ezra T. Benson were appointed to take the presiding care over the Saints left upon the Pottawattamie lands of which there were about fifteen thousand souls. Their duties also devolved in giving all necessary counsel and instructions to companies arriving from the east, as well as to those who should depart for the west.
Elder Orson Pratt succeeded Elder Orson Spencer in the Presidency of the European Mission and as editor of the Millennial Star, and soon after his arrival in England, the duties incumbent upon these offices fell with no little responsibility upon his shoulders.
The "Star" in announcing the arrival of President Orson Pratt, says: "We are happy in the assurance that thousands will hail the arrival of this beloved Apostle with the liveliest emotions of gratitude and joy. * * * He is fervently desirous to participate in the labors and joys of the British Saints. * * * The intelligence which he brings from the land of Zion is every way cheering."
On August 15th, 1848, President Orson Pratt issued his "First General Epistle to the Saints throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and adjacent Countries." The following is a short extract from the same: "It is with feelings of no ordinary kind, that I enter upon the vastly important and highly responsible duties of this mission. I am deeply sensible that it is a matter of no small moment to be entrusted with the watchcare of some forty thousand Saints. To impart to the Saints, to individuals and families, to branches of the Church and conferences, the counsels of life, requires nothing less than the wisdom of God—the inspiration of the Almighty." From Father Adam down through the dispensations of the Gospel, is it recorded that a more humble, child-like spirit possessed a servant of God than that which was plainly manifested by this humble Apostle of this "last dispensation" of the Lord, when he assumed the duties of the high and holy calling of the Presidency of the British Mission to which he had been appointed? A servant in very deed! Called to administer the bread of life to a priest-ridden people who knew not the way of salvation; a ruler, leader and counselor; called to occupy an exhalted position over a great branch of the Church of Jesus Christ, yet a servant in the deepest sense of the word; and in such an attitude did Elder Orson Pratt place himself before the British Saints, as the following extract from a synopsis of his remark made at a general conference held in the Music Hall, Camp Field, Manchester, Sunday, August 13th, 1848, will attest:
"I arise, brothers and sisters and friends, to express to you the gratitude of my heart for the manifestation of your feelings, and for your kindness to me at this time; I not only feel grateful to you, but I feel grateful also to my Father in Heaven, for the privilege I now have of rising before so large a congregation of Saints, and of beholding your faces, and standing in your midst, and that we are met in the capacity of a General Conference.
"You have become a great people. In the course of a few years you have swelled your number to tens of thousands; and this calls for the utmost gratitude of the hearts of the servants of God; for he has opened the hearts and the minds of the people in this land to receive the truth, and to obey the message which he has sent from heaven, and to receive the testimony of his servants. Although I feel to rejoice at this time with exceeding great joy, yet I feel as a little child; my heart is melted down with gratitude and thanksgiving to God. I feel my own insufficiency, so far as human wisdom is concerned, for the great and important duties that have been placed upon me, not only by the authorities of this Church on the American continent, but also by the authorities in this land. Were it not that I know there is a God in Israel, and that his arm is sufficient— that this power has been promised, that his aid has always been given to his servants—I should feel at this time constrained to fall down in the dust, and exclaim. Who is sufficient for this work ! Surely no person can be sufficient for a work of this nature, without the help and assistance of God. No human arm can guide a church of God, no human arm can administer proper counsel, or direct in all the affairs of the Kingdom of God; but man at all times needs the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; he needs the light that shines from the eternal world, which is given to those who have confidence in God; His arm will be stretched out to assist such in His great work. I feel my own weakness as a man, and would earnestly request of the Church who are now presence to support me by their prayers that may be a benefit to the Saints in this country. These are the desires of my heart; and I ask your prayers in the name of the Lord, that I may be enabled to give proper instructions in the very moment they are needed, according to the circumstances of the people; that by my administration the Saints throughout this land may be benefited."
There was a vast congregation of about three thousand people gathered at the conference on this occasion, to whom Elder Pratt had been introduced and over whom he had been nominated to preside by Elder Orson Spencer, before the foregoing remarks were made.
Before closing, President Orson Pratt made some very appropriate remarks eulogistic of the presidential labors of Elder Orson Spencer who had just preceded him in the British Mission. He expressed the satisfaction of himself and also of the authorities of the Church with Brother Spencer, and among other good things said: "He has been an instrument in benefiting the people in this land, by the great and inestimable truths he has published to the Saints in this country— truths that will shine in the presence of God in the great day when the redeemed shall be assembled before His throne—truths that shall stand forever."
As it was designed that Brother 'Spencer remain a few months in England, President Pratt chose him as one of his counselors, and then took a vote of confidence, sustenance, and approval, on Elder Spencer's behalf, for his diligence and great success in the British Islands, and for his better health and future prosperity in the Kingdom of God, which was carried unanimously by a show of hands.
Milando Pratt.
Life and Labors of Orson Pratt.
The Pioneers, on their return from the Rocky Mountains, found their families, and the Saints generally at Winter Quarters, well and prosperous. Through their industrious and thorough habits of cultivation, the earth had brought forth abundantly, and they had been greatly blessed.
During the month of November, 1847, much important business came before the Twelve; and, on the last of the month, the subject of reorganizing the First Presidency, which had been vacant since the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, was considered.
On the third of December a conference was held on the east side of the Missouri River; but, after having resolved to build a large tabernacle for the congregation, it adjourned for three weeks.
December the 5th a feast and a grand council was held at the house of Elder Orson Hyde, who, during the absence of the Pioneers, had been in charge at Winter Quarters. In this council. Elder Brigham Young, who was President of the Twelve Apostles, first expressed his views concerning the reorganization of the Quorum of the First Presidency, and wished those present to do the same in their order, when Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, Willard Richards, George A. Smith. Amasa Lyman and Ezra T. Benson spoke to the question. President Young closed.
It was then moved by Orson Hyde and seconded by Wilford Woodruff that Brigham Young be President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that he nominate his two counselors to form the First Presidency, which motion was carried unanimously.
President Young then nominated Heber C. Kimball as his first counselor, and Willard Richards as his second counselor, which was seconded and carried unanimously.
The next day the Twelve again met and appointed Father John Smith presiding Patriarch of the whole Church.
On the twenty-fourth of December the conference reassembled, which lasted four days. About one thousand persons assembled in the "Log Tabernacle," sixty by forty feet, and chose Brigham Young "President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world."
During the first three or four months of the year 1848, the Saints at Winter Quarters were busy preparing for the general migration of the Church to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Those who participated in the "Battle of Nauvoo" commemorated it with a feast on the third of February.
The regular general conference, celebrating the organization of the Church, was held on the sixth of April, 1848, at which Apostle Orson Pratt was called to go upon a mission to Europe to preside and take charge of all the affairs of the Church in that country. The following is a copy of his appointment: "Elder Orson Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is hereby delegated to repair to England; to preach the Gospel, print, publish, superintend the emigration, and preside over all the conferences, and all the affairs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Islands and adjacent countries; and we call upon all the Saints to give diligent heed to his teaching, and follow his counsel in all things, for in so doing they will be blessed. Elder Pratt's family will accompany him, if he choose; in so doing, we pray .that they may be blessed. It is the duty of Elder Pratt to see that the Elders and Saints carry out those principles contained in our General Epistle of twenty-third of December, 1847.
"Done at Winter Quarters, Omaha Nation, North America, this twenty-second day of April, 1848, and signed in behalf of the Presiding Council of the said Church.
Brigham Young, President.
Willard Richards, Clerk.''
On the twenty-ninth a feast was made by President Young for his immediate associates, some of whom were going on missions, others were designed to stay on the frontiers to conduct and bring up the emigration; while the President himself was about to lead the vanguard of the people to the mountains.
In compliance with his appointment, Elder Orson Pratt, with his first wife and three children, left Winter Quarters about the middle of May, 1848. He took passage upon a boat to St. Louis from which place he resumed his journey to Liverpool, where he and his family arrived, on the twenty-sixth of July, after a prosperous voyage of nineteen days from New York.
About the time Elder Pratt left Winter Quarters all the people were in a bustle there, some preparing for missions, others for the long and tedious trip across the great plains to the mountains, and many others, who were not prepared to fit out for the valleys, were busily engaging themselves cultivating the Pottawattamie lands. The Sunday previous President Young addressed the people and prophesied that the Saints would never be driven from the Rocky Mountains. He blessed those who were going with him to the valley, and those who were to tarry. He also blessed the Pottawattamie lands, whose soil should yield forth in abundance for the sustenance of the pilgrim Saints gathering to their destined homes in the Mountains of Israel.
The migrating Saints, when ready, began moving out. They formed an encampment on the Elk Horn of six hundred wagons. President Young started for the latter place on May 24th to organize this company, the largest Pioneer force which had yet set out to build up the great West. But we need not follow the Pioneers on their second journey through the wilderness of a thousand miles to the mountains. Suffice it to say that this great moving body of Saints arrived safely in the City of the Great Salt Lake, in September, 1848.
Three of the Twelve, namely, Orson Hyde, George A. Smith and Ezra T. Benson were appointed to take the presiding care over the Saints left upon the Pottawattamie lands of which there were about fifteen thousand souls. Their duties also devolved in giving all necessary counsel and instructions to companies arriving from the east, as well as to those who should depart for the west.
Elder Orson Pratt succeeded Elder Orson Spencer in the Presidency of the European Mission and as editor of the Millennial Star, and soon after his arrival in England, the duties incumbent upon these offices fell with no little responsibility upon his shoulders.
The "Star" in announcing the arrival of President Orson Pratt, says: "We are happy in the assurance that thousands will hail the arrival of this beloved Apostle with the liveliest emotions of gratitude and joy. * * * He is fervently desirous to participate in the labors and joys of the British Saints. * * * The intelligence which he brings from the land of Zion is every way cheering."
On August 15th, 1848, President Orson Pratt issued his "First General Epistle to the Saints throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and adjacent Countries." The following is a short extract from the same: "It is with feelings of no ordinary kind, that I enter upon the vastly important and highly responsible duties of this mission. I am deeply sensible that it is a matter of no small moment to be entrusted with the watchcare of some forty thousand Saints. To impart to the Saints, to individuals and families, to branches of the Church and conferences, the counsels of life, requires nothing less than the wisdom of God—the inspiration of the Almighty." From Father Adam down through the dispensations of the Gospel, is it recorded that a more humble, child-like spirit possessed a servant of God than that which was plainly manifested by this humble Apostle of this "last dispensation" of the Lord, when he assumed the duties of the high and holy calling of the Presidency of the British Mission to which he had been appointed? A servant in very deed! Called to administer the bread of life to a priest-ridden people who knew not the way of salvation; a ruler, leader and counselor; called to occupy an exhalted position over a great branch of the Church of Jesus Christ, yet a servant in the deepest sense of the word; and in such an attitude did Elder Orson Pratt place himself before the British Saints, as the following extract from a synopsis of his remark made at a general conference held in the Music Hall, Camp Field, Manchester, Sunday, August 13th, 1848, will attest:
"I arise, brothers and sisters and friends, to express to you the gratitude of my heart for the manifestation of your feelings, and for your kindness to me at this time; I not only feel grateful to you, but I feel grateful also to my Father in Heaven, for the privilege I now have of rising before so large a congregation of Saints, and of beholding your faces, and standing in your midst, and that we are met in the capacity of a General Conference.
"You have become a great people. In the course of a few years you have swelled your number to tens of thousands; and this calls for the utmost gratitude of the hearts of the servants of God; for he has opened the hearts and the minds of the people in this land to receive the truth, and to obey the message which he has sent from heaven, and to receive the testimony of his servants. Although I feel to rejoice at this time with exceeding great joy, yet I feel as a little child; my heart is melted down with gratitude and thanksgiving to God. I feel my own insufficiency, so far as human wisdom is concerned, for the great and important duties that have been placed upon me, not only by the authorities of this Church on the American continent, but also by the authorities in this land. Were it not that I know there is a God in Israel, and that his arm is sufficient— that this power has been promised, that his aid has always been given to his servants—I should feel at this time constrained to fall down in the dust, and exclaim. Who is sufficient for this work ! Surely no person can be sufficient for a work of this nature, without the help and assistance of God. No human arm can guide a church of God, no human arm can administer proper counsel, or direct in all the affairs of the Kingdom of God; but man at all times needs the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; he needs the light that shines from the eternal world, which is given to those who have confidence in God; His arm will be stretched out to assist such in His great work. I feel my own weakness as a man, and would earnestly request of the Church who are now presence to support me by their prayers that may be a benefit to the Saints in this country. These are the desires of my heart; and I ask your prayers in the name of the Lord, that I may be enabled to give proper instructions in the very moment they are needed, according to the circumstances of the people; that by my administration the Saints throughout this land may be benefited."
There was a vast congregation of about three thousand people gathered at the conference on this occasion, to whom Elder Pratt had been introduced and over whom he had been nominated to preside by Elder Orson Spencer, before the foregoing remarks were made.
Before closing, President Orson Pratt made some very appropriate remarks eulogistic of the presidential labors of Elder Orson Spencer who had just preceded him in the British Mission. He expressed the satisfaction of himself and also of the authorities of the Church with Brother Spencer, and among other good things said: "He has been an instrument in benefiting the people in this land, by the great and inestimable truths he has published to the Saints in this country— truths that will shine in the presence of God in the great day when the redeemed shall be assembled before His throne—truths that shall stand forever."
As it was designed that Brother 'Spencer remain a few months in England, President Pratt chose him as one of his counselors, and then took a vote of confidence, sustenance, and approval, on Elder Spencer's behalf, for his diligence and great success in the British Islands, and for his better health and future prosperity in the Kingdom of God, which was carried unanimously by a show of hands.
Milando Pratt.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. June 1891. pg. 305-310.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
At the afternoon meeting, President Orson Pratt spoke at some length from Isaiah xl, 9; "O Zion that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God!"
This passage is one among numerous others, relating to great events which were to receive a fulfillment just previous to the second advent of our Lord, whose coming is clearly predicted in the following verses: "Behold the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold his reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them to his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." The subjects contained in the foregoing text. Elder Pratt arranged under three general headings:
First.—Who were to be the people whom the Prophet here addresses as "Zion?"
Second.—What is the nature of the good tidings which Zion shall bring?
Third.—Why is Zion commanded to get up into the high mountains?"
Upon these questions President Pratt spoke briefly in substance as follows:
"First.—Who were to be the people whom the prophet here addresses as "Zion!"
"They were to be a people raised up by the Lord Himself, just before He "comes with a strong hand" to rule with His own arm. David says (Psalm cii.) "When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." The Zion mentioned in these passages could not have had reference to the Zion then existing at Jerusalem, but to a Zion that was to be built up and exist in the future. It could not have had reference to the church established under the administration of the ancient apostles; for the Lord did not appear in His glory" to rule with a strong hand in that day. It could not have had reference to any people who have existed for the last seventeen centuries; for, according to their own testimony, the Lord has not spoken during that time; and therefore He has not called any of them Zion. Neither has He built up any city among them called Zion; for, if He had, He would have appeared in His glory. But, as a preparatory work for His glorious appearing, both a people and a city called Zion are to be raised up. The people now have an existence. The city is yet to be built up by them according to the pattern which the Lord shall give by new revelation. The Latter- day Saints, the 'pure in heart' have already been acknowledged by the Lord to be Zion. (Doctrine and Covenants, page 243).
"The nations of the world will not be at a loss to know when the Lord builds Zion; for each dwelling in Zion will have an appendage to it different from what has ever been seen in any of the cities of the nations. Isaiah says, that "the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night. This peculiar appendage will distinguish the assemblies and dwelling places of Zion from the assemblies and dwelling places of all other cities. We think that this appendage will not be easily counterfeited. It will bs a new order of architecture, that will puzzle the wise men of Babylon. Gas light and artificial illumination will rather get out of fashion in those days, especially in Zion. When the great men of the earth find that they can neither buy nor steal the patent for thus illuminating their cities, they will no doubt feel anxious to emigrate. Hence Isaiah says, 'the gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.' But some of the kings will get awfully frightened as they draw near the city, and behold a flame of fire over every habitation. They will find out that a city of such splendor is no place for them, and they will haste away as fast as possible.
"David illustrates this beautifully in the 48th Psalm: 'Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled, they were troubled and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as a woman in travail.'
"It seems, then, that the Lord will build up a city before he appears in His glory, that will strike sudden terror to the hearts of kings, as they assemble to see it. They will have something else to think of then besides catechisms, creeds, and doctrines of uninspired men. Their imaginary 'God without body, parts, or passions,' will, for awhile, be forgotten, as they look upon the dazzling glory of Zion. Such is the city and such are the people, whom Isaiah in our text calls Zion and to whom he addresses his prophetic message.
"Second.—What is the nature of the ^good tidings' which this people called Zion were to bring ?
''The 'everlasting gospel no doubt was to form the principal part of this message of 'good tidings.' The Lord could not raise up a people called Zion, without restoring to the earth the gospel as predicted by John in his prophecy. That gospel, when restored, must produce the same blessings among the children of Zion as were enjoyed in ancient times, namely, visions, dreams, new revelations, prophesies, healings, and, m fine, all the miraculous gifts promised to the believers.
"Now this, indeed, would be 'good tidings' to the nations, who, for a great many centuries have been destitute of such blessings. The gospel containing such tidings as nothing more nor less than the 'everlasting gospel,' that is, a gospel that is unchangeably and everlastingly the same, producing in all ages, among all nations, and at all times, the same fruits, the same blessings, the same miraculous powers and gifts, wherever and whenever it is preached by those sent of God, and received and obeyed in faith. Such a gospel had no been preached by one having authority on this eastern hemisphere for the last seventeen hundred years, until it was of late restored by an angel from heaven. But now it is preached with power and authority for the last time, and those who receive it are the children of Zion, and they are gathering out by the thousands from among the nations, that in the Lord's due time they may build the city of Zion according to the prophets. This people then are the people who are carrying *good tidings to the nations. Never were there better tidings revealed to man than are contained in the present message.
"O, ye inhabitants of the British Isles, rejoice, for Zion hath sent unto you 'good tidings' of great joy. She hath sent to you the messengers of peace, holding the great seal of authority from her king. If you will hear their voice, and receive their good tidings, you shall become the King's favorites, and assist in building Him a beautiful city, and He will come and dwell in your midst, and you shall go in and out in His presence, and His glory shall be upon you and upon your children, and upon all your assemblies, and upon every dwelling place of the city, and it shall be called "the perfection of beauty,'' and the great King shall honor it with His presence.
"Let the poor in the Isles rejoice in the tidings, for the day of their deliverance is near at hand; for they shall be gathered to Zion, and flourish in the rich valleys of Ephraim. Let the rich rejoice also; for they shall have the privilege of bringing their gold and their silver with them to beautify the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts—the mount Zion. Let the kings of the earth rejoice, for they shall come to the light of Zion, and shall be taught a perfect system of government; for a perfect law shall go forth of Zion, from which kings and many nations shall learn wisdom. Let all the inhabitants of the earth rejoice, for a feast of fat things is preparing, and all that will come, may come and partake freely.
"Behold, we publish 'good tidings' to all nations and kingdoms, peoples and tongues, that the preparatory glory of the second coming of our Lord is about to be revealed. Blessed are they who shall take oil in their lamps and gather out from among the nations—from the midst of great Babylon, and go forth to meet the Bridegroom—to the place appointed, and there build unto Him a city and sanctuary that the place of His feet may be made glorious; for, recollect, the Bridegroom will not come until 'He builds up Zion.' Blessed are they who shall receive these good tidings, and shall seek with all their hearts to build up Zion, for they shall be filled with the gift and power of the Holy Ghost and shall perform miracles, signs and wonders in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and shall receive their inheritance among the mighty ones of Zion. Zion is now sounding her 'good tidings' in the ears of the present generation.
"Third.—Why is Zion commanded to 'get up into the high mountains ? ' Why did He exclaim so emphatically, 'O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountains ! ' Surely He must have seen some cause of an important nature, why Zion should go into a high mountain, or He never would have uttered a commandment to take effect nearly three thousand years in the future. One of the principal causes why Zion should be required to 'get up into a high mountain' is, that they might build a house of God there, in fulfillment of prophecy. Micah, (chap. 4), says: 'But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths, for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.' * * * All this was to take place in the 'last days.'
"We can see the propriety then of Isaiah's calling upon the people of the latter-day Zion to 'get up into the high mountain.' For it is there that the 'house of the God of Jacob' is to be built. It is from the mountains that Zion shall send forth her perfect law to teach the kings of the earth wisdom, and the nations afar of? a perfect order of government. It is in the house of God which shall be in the mountains, that 'many nations' shall be taught in the ways of the Lord, and be instructed to 'walk in his paths.' There must be something connected with the House of God in the mountains which is very peculiar, or it would never excite the attention of many nations. There are many thousands of houses built up at the present day, professing to be the houses of God. Scores of them are to be seen in almost every city of America and Europe; yet there does not appear anything very striking in any of them. There is not one house among the whole of them that has excited the attention of even one nation. There is a very good reason for this; for all nations have been entirely destitute of a 'house of God' for more than seventeen hundred years. Indeed, the house of God was not to be built again until the last days; and, when it was built, it should be built in the mountains, and not in several hundred places among the nations.
"The 'house of God' could not be built without new revelation to give the pattern of its various apartments. Without new revelation Zion would not know the precise time to 'get up into the high mountains,' they would not know the precise mountain where God would have His house to be built. The 'house of God' never was in any past age, and never can be in any future age, built without express commandments or new revelations being given to the people who build it. When the house of God shall be built in the right time, and in the right place, and according to the right pattern, and by the right people, then it will be acknowledged by the God of Jacob—then His glory shall rest upon it, and His presence shall come into it. Then 'He shall sit between the cherubims,' and reign in the midst of Zion. Then the wicked shall tremble, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be moved Then many nations shall say, come, let us go up to Zion, for God is there; His house is there; His people are there; His law is there; His glory and power are there; the "perfection of beauty" is there; whatsoever is great, and good, and noble are there? Come, then, let us go up, 'for he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths,' and we will no more lift up our swords against nations, but convert them into the peaceful implements of husbandry, and henceforth dwell with the people of God. It is to accomplish this great, this marvellous, this wonderful work, that Zion in the last days is commanded to ‘get up into the high mountain.'
"Thousands of her noble enterprising sons have already traversed the widely extended plains of North America, and have ascended the great central range of mountains that form as it were, the backbone of that continent, and among its deep, retired, and lonely recesses they have 'sought out' a resting place for the children of Zion. In the spring of 1847, eight of the Quorum of the Twelve, in company with one hundred and thirty-five others, left Council Bluffs on the Missouri River, as pioneers, to explore the great interior of the continent, and find a place suitable for the location of the Saints. We prepared ourselves with astronomical and other scientific instruments of English construction, viz: one circle of reflection, two sextants, one quadrant, two artificial horizons, one large reflecting telescope, several smaller ones, two barometers, several thermometers, besides nautical almanacs, books, maps, &c. We also invented a simple machine attached to a wagon wheel, by which the whole distance, as well as distances from place to place, were accurately measured. By the aid of these instruments, the latitudes and longitudes of the most prominent places upon our route were obtained, as also their elevations above the sea. Meteorological and geological observations were also taken throughout the whole journey. Geographical descriptions of the streams, rivers, lakes, plains, deserts, mountains, and vales, will also be found interspersed throughout the numerous journals kept by us. Botanical and zoological observations were not forgotten by the scientific among us; and, indeed, the whole journey was rendered intensely interesting to the lovers of nature. New sceneries, grand and sublime beyond description, were constantly exhibiting themselves to our delighted vision. Mineral springs, hot springs, mineral tar springs, caves, and numerous other natural curiosities, were found in abundance, which constantly exited the analyzing and cause - seeking powers of our chemists and natural philosophers.
"In the latter part of July we arrived in the valley, called by us the "valley of the Great Salt Lake;" here we located a site for a city, called by us "Great Salt Lake City." In this city we reserved a block for the building of a house unto the God of Jacob; this we called 'Temple Block.' The latitude of the northern boundary of this block, as ascertained by a meridian observation of the sun with a sextant, is 40 deg. 45 min. 44 sec. Its longitude, as ascertained from the mean of the calculations of three lunar distances taken by the sextant and circle, is 111 deg 26 min. 34 sec, west of Greenwich, Its altitude above the level of the sea, as determined by taking the mean of a number of barometrical observations upon different days, is 4300 feet. The variation of the magnetic needle at the same place was 15 deg. 47 min. 23 sec, as determined on the 30th of July, 1847, by the mean of several observations and calculations of the sun's azimuth and altitudes.
"This valley is almost shut up by high and lofty ranges of mountains on the east, west and south, and by the Great Salt Lake on the north. Two of the highest peaks of the range of mountains on the east are elevated about one and one-third miles above the level of the valley, and are capped with perpetual snow, which, glistening in the sunbeams, gives to the scenery the picture of eternal winter, wedded in sweet unison with the gentile mild, varied, and refreshing seasons of the valleys beneath. The mountain scenery of this whole region presents a beautiful picturesque appearance, awfully grand and imposing. The impress of the power of Divinity seems to be enstamped in majestic silence on every rugged brow. One would think that Sublimity itself had hewn out an everlasting habitation in these wild romantic mountains.
"It will be perceived that the site for the city is in the same latitude as the City of New York. And it is highly probable that all the variety of grains and fruit, so abundant in New York, can be raised in the valley. The average temperature during the month of August, in the heat of the day, was about 96° of Fahrenheit's scale, which is about the same as in the same latitude on the eastern coast of that continent. The nights are cool and refreshing, the mountain breezes gentle, generally changing their directions with the sun, so that in twenty-four hours a pure, exhilarating, reviving breeze is experienced from every point of the compass. The winters are mild and pleasant; the grass remaining green the year round. Cattle, sheep, horses, mules, etc., graze at all seasons. The cutting and laying up of hay is unnecessary. It will be necessary to irrigate the soil, as there is not much rain that descends into the valley. The showers of rain, hail and snow generally fall upon the lofty ranges of mountains, where the vapor is condensed -by coming in the neighborhood of large masses of snow, and immediately precipitates itself upon surrounding hills and forests, beautifully illustrating the prediction of Isaiah (chap. xxxii), who prophesied that the calamities of Israel should continue until the spirit poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceful habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; 'when it shall hail, cowing down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. ' To stand upon the site of our city, and cast our eyes up to the elevated regions above us, and see the showers of hail and snow descending upon the dark forests of the mountains, we would exclaim with the ancient prophet, that surely, 'the city is low in a low place!'—the mountain storms do not effect her!—the hail of the high forests does not disturb her 'quiet resting place!'
"If ever a city was low in a low place, when compared with the mountains in the immediate neighborhood, it is the 'Great Salt Lake City.' Or if ever a city was high in a high place, when compared with the general surface of the earth or with the sea level, it is Salt Lake City. Well might the ancient prophets speak of Zion going up into the high mountains, and of the house of the God of Jacob being built in the mountains, when it is ascertained that the 'Temple Block' is 4300 feet above the level of the ocean. It cannot, for a moment, be supposed that Zion would go up to the top of some mountain peak, and undertake to build a city and a temple upon its snowy summit. But the word mountain in those passages doubtless means some high elevated portions of the earth, and yet not so high as to be rendered sterile by eternal frosts and snows, for this would unfit ;t for the habitation of man.
"Isaiah (chap. Ixii), says: 'Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation Cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; and thou shalt be called, sought out, a city not forsaken.' By this passage it seems that the daughter of Zion was not only to 'get up into the high mountain,' but was to locate a city in a place 'sought out.' From this we learn, also, that the latter-day Zion was not to be built where Zion anciently stood, that is, in Jerusalem, the place of which has been well known for ages; but in the 'high mountain,' in a place unknown, that should be 'sought out;' and there they should be called, ' the holy people'—' the redeemed of the Lord '—' a city not forsaken.' This was something, too, that was to take place in connection with the great preparatory work for the coming of the Lord; for it will be seen in the above passage that the 'end of the world' was about this time to hear a proclamation concerning His coming, ' His reward being with him, and His work before Him.'
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who are publishing ' good tidings,' that are saying unto Zion, 'behold, thy God reigneth.' Let the servants of the Lord cry aloud to the children of Zion scattered abroad, saying: Go ye 'up into the high mountain' and build yourselves a city, and the God of Jacob a house; for 'He will suddenly come to His temple,' and reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously."
Milando Pratt.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
At the afternoon meeting, President Orson Pratt spoke at some length from Isaiah xl, 9; "O Zion that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God!"
This passage is one among numerous others, relating to great events which were to receive a fulfillment just previous to the second advent of our Lord, whose coming is clearly predicted in the following verses: "Behold the Lord God will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold his reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them to his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." The subjects contained in the foregoing text. Elder Pratt arranged under three general headings:
First.—Who were to be the people whom the Prophet here addresses as "Zion?"
Second.—What is the nature of the good tidings which Zion shall bring?
Third.—Why is Zion commanded to get up into the high mountains?"
Upon these questions President Pratt spoke briefly in substance as follows:
"First.—Who were to be the people whom the prophet here addresses as "Zion!"
"They were to be a people raised up by the Lord Himself, just before He "comes with a strong hand" to rule with His own arm. David says (Psalm cii.) "When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." The Zion mentioned in these passages could not have had reference to the Zion then existing at Jerusalem, but to a Zion that was to be built up and exist in the future. It could not have had reference to the church established under the administration of the ancient apostles; for the Lord did not appear in His glory" to rule with a strong hand in that day. It could not have had reference to any people who have existed for the last seventeen centuries; for, according to their own testimony, the Lord has not spoken during that time; and therefore He has not called any of them Zion. Neither has He built up any city among them called Zion; for, if He had, He would have appeared in His glory. But, as a preparatory work for His glorious appearing, both a people and a city called Zion are to be raised up. The people now have an existence. The city is yet to be built up by them according to the pattern which the Lord shall give by new revelation. The Latter- day Saints, the 'pure in heart' have already been acknowledged by the Lord to be Zion. (Doctrine and Covenants, page 243).
"The nations of the world will not be at a loss to know when the Lord builds Zion; for each dwelling in Zion will have an appendage to it different from what has ever been seen in any of the cities of the nations. Isaiah says, that "the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night. This peculiar appendage will distinguish the assemblies and dwelling places of Zion from the assemblies and dwelling places of all other cities. We think that this appendage will not be easily counterfeited. It will bs a new order of architecture, that will puzzle the wise men of Babylon. Gas light and artificial illumination will rather get out of fashion in those days, especially in Zion. When the great men of the earth find that they can neither buy nor steal the patent for thus illuminating their cities, they will no doubt feel anxious to emigrate. Hence Isaiah says, 'the gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.' But some of the kings will get awfully frightened as they draw near the city, and behold a flame of fire over every habitation. They will find out that a city of such splendor is no place for them, and they will haste away as fast as possible.
"David illustrates this beautifully in the 48th Psalm: 'Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled, they were troubled and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as a woman in travail.'
"It seems, then, that the Lord will build up a city before he appears in His glory, that will strike sudden terror to the hearts of kings, as they assemble to see it. They will have something else to think of then besides catechisms, creeds, and doctrines of uninspired men. Their imaginary 'God without body, parts, or passions,' will, for awhile, be forgotten, as they look upon the dazzling glory of Zion. Such is the city and such are the people, whom Isaiah in our text calls Zion and to whom he addresses his prophetic message.
"Second.—What is the nature of the ^good tidings' which this people called Zion were to bring ?
''The 'everlasting gospel no doubt was to form the principal part of this message of 'good tidings.' The Lord could not raise up a people called Zion, without restoring to the earth the gospel as predicted by John in his prophecy. That gospel, when restored, must produce the same blessings among the children of Zion as were enjoyed in ancient times, namely, visions, dreams, new revelations, prophesies, healings, and, m fine, all the miraculous gifts promised to the believers.
"Now this, indeed, would be 'good tidings' to the nations, who, for a great many centuries have been destitute of such blessings. The gospel containing such tidings as nothing more nor less than the 'everlasting gospel,' that is, a gospel that is unchangeably and everlastingly the same, producing in all ages, among all nations, and at all times, the same fruits, the same blessings, the same miraculous powers and gifts, wherever and whenever it is preached by those sent of God, and received and obeyed in faith. Such a gospel had no been preached by one having authority on this eastern hemisphere for the last seventeen hundred years, until it was of late restored by an angel from heaven. But now it is preached with power and authority for the last time, and those who receive it are the children of Zion, and they are gathering out by the thousands from among the nations, that in the Lord's due time they may build the city of Zion according to the prophets. This people then are the people who are carrying *good tidings to the nations. Never were there better tidings revealed to man than are contained in the present message.
"O, ye inhabitants of the British Isles, rejoice, for Zion hath sent unto you 'good tidings' of great joy. She hath sent to you the messengers of peace, holding the great seal of authority from her king. If you will hear their voice, and receive their good tidings, you shall become the King's favorites, and assist in building Him a beautiful city, and He will come and dwell in your midst, and you shall go in and out in His presence, and His glory shall be upon you and upon your children, and upon all your assemblies, and upon every dwelling place of the city, and it shall be called "the perfection of beauty,'' and the great King shall honor it with His presence.
"Let the poor in the Isles rejoice in the tidings, for the day of their deliverance is near at hand; for they shall be gathered to Zion, and flourish in the rich valleys of Ephraim. Let the rich rejoice also; for they shall have the privilege of bringing their gold and their silver with them to beautify the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts—the mount Zion. Let the kings of the earth rejoice, for they shall come to the light of Zion, and shall be taught a perfect system of government; for a perfect law shall go forth of Zion, from which kings and many nations shall learn wisdom. Let all the inhabitants of the earth rejoice, for a feast of fat things is preparing, and all that will come, may come and partake freely.
"Behold, we publish 'good tidings' to all nations and kingdoms, peoples and tongues, that the preparatory glory of the second coming of our Lord is about to be revealed. Blessed are they who shall take oil in their lamps and gather out from among the nations—from the midst of great Babylon, and go forth to meet the Bridegroom—to the place appointed, and there build unto Him a city and sanctuary that the place of His feet may be made glorious; for, recollect, the Bridegroom will not come until 'He builds up Zion.' Blessed are they who shall receive these good tidings, and shall seek with all their hearts to build up Zion, for they shall be filled with the gift and power of the Holy Ghost and shall perform miracles, signs and wonders in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and shall receive their inheritance among the mighty ones of Zion. Zion is now sounding her 'good tidings' in the ears of the present generation.
"Third.—Why is Zion commanded to 'get up into the high mountains ? ' Why did He exclaim so emphatically, 'O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountains ! ' Surely He must have seen some cause of an important nature, why Zion should go into a high mountain, or He never would have uttered a commandment to take effect nearly three thousand years in the future. One of the principal causes why Zion should be required to 'get up into a high mountain' is, that they might build a house of God there, in fulfillment of prophecy. Micah, (chap. 4), says: 'But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths, for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.' * * * All this was to take place in the 'last days.'
"We can see the propriety then of Isaiah's calling upon the people of the latter-day Zion to 'get up into the high mountain.' For it is there that the 'house of the God of Jacob' is to be built. It is from the mountains that Zion shall send forth her perfect law to teach the kings of the earth wisdom, and the nations afar of? a perfect order of government. It is in the house of God which shall be in the mountains, that 'many nations' shall be taught in the ways of the Lord, and be instructed to 'walk in his paths.' There must be something connected with the House of God in the mountains which is very peculiar, or it would never excite the attention of many nations. There are many thousands of houses built up at the present day, professing to be the houses of God. Scores of them are to be seen in almost every city of America and Europe; yet there does not appear anything very striking in any of them. There is not one house among the whole of them that has excited the attention of even one nation. There is a very good reason for this; for all nations have been entirely destitute of a 'house of God' for more than seventeen hundred years. Indeed, the house of God was not to be built again until the last days; and, when it was built, it should be built in the mountains, and not in several hundred places among the nations.
"The 'house of God' could not be built without new revelation to give the pattern of its various apartments. Without new revelation Zion would not know the precise time to 'get up into the high mountains,' they would not know the precise mountain where God would have His house to be built. The 'house of God' never was in any past age, and never can be in any future age, built without express commandments or new revelations being given to the people who build it. When the house of God shall be built in the right time, and in the right place, and according to the right pattern, and by the right people, then it will be acknowledged by the God of Jacob—then His glory shall rest upon it, and His presence shall come into it. Then 'He shall sit between the cherubims,' and reign in the midst of Zion. Then the wicked shall tremble, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be moved Then many nations shall say, come, let us go up to Zion, for God is there; His house is there; His people are there; His law is there; His glory and power are there; the "perfection of beauty" is there; whatsoever is great, and good, and noble are there? Come, then, let us go up, 'for he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths,' and we will no more lift up our swords against nations, but convert them into the peaceful implements of husbandry, and henceforth dwell with the people of God. It is to accomplish this great, this marvellous, this wonderful work, that Zion in the last days is commanded to ‘get up into the high mountain.'
"Thousands of her noble enterprising sons have already traversed the widely extended plains of North America, and have ascended the great central range of mountains that form as it were, the backbone of that continent, and among its deep, retired, and lonely recesses they have 'sought out' a resting place for the children of Zion. In the spring of 1847, eight of the Quorum of the Twelve, in company with one hundred and thirty-five others, left Council Bluffs on the Missouri River, as pioneers, to explore the great interior of the continent, and find a place suitable for the location of the Saints. We prepared ourselves with astronomical and other scientific instruments of English construction, viz: one circle of reflection, two sextants, one quadrant, two artificial horizons, one large reflecting telescope, several smaller ones, two barometers, several thermometers, besides nautical almanacs, books, maps, &c. We also invented a simple machine attached to a wagon wheel, by which the whole distance, as well as distances from place to place, were accurately measured. By the aid of these instruments, the latitudes and longitudes of the most prominent places upon our route were obtained, as also their elevations above the sea. Meteorological and geological observations were also taken throughout the whole journey. Geographical descriptions of the streams, rivers, lakes, plains, deserts, mountains, and vales, will also be found interspersed throughout the numerous journals kept by us. Botanical and zoological observations were not forgotten by the scientific among us; and, indeed, the whole journey was rendered intensely interesting to the lovers of nature. New sceneries, grand and sublime beyond description, were constantly exhibiting themselves to our delighted vision. Mineral springs, hot springs, mineral tar springs, caves, and numerous other natural curiosities, were found in abundance, which constantly exited the analyzing and cause - seeking powers of our chemists and natural philosophers.
"In the latter part of July we arrived in the valley, called by us the "valley of the Great Salt Lake;" here we located a site for a city, called by us "Great Salt Lake City." In this city we reserved a block for the building of a house unto the God of Jacob; this we called 'Temple Block.' The latitude of the northern boundary of this block, as ascertained by a meridian observation of the sun with a sextant, is 40 deg. 45 min. 44 sec. Its longitude, as ascertained from the mean of the calculations of three lunar distances taken by the sextant and circle, is 111 deg 26 min. 34 sec, west of Greenwich, Its altitude above the level of the sea, as determined by taking the mean of a number of barometrical observations upon different days, is 4300 feet. The variation of the magnetic needle at the same place was 15 deg. 47 min. 23 sec, as determined on the 30th of July, 1847, by the mean of several observations and calculations of the sun's azimuth and altitudes.
"This valley is almost shut up by high and lofty ranges of mountains on the east, west and south, and by the Great Salt Lake on the north. Two of the highest peaks of the range of mountains on the east are elevated about one and one-third miles above the level of the valley, and are capped with perpetual snow, which, glistening in the sunbeams, gives to the scenery the picture of eternal winter, wedded in sweet unison with the gentile mild, varied, and refreshing seasons of the valleys beneath. The mountain scenery of this whole region presents a beautiful picturesque appearance, awfully grand and imposing. The impress of the power of Divinity seems to be enstamped in majestic silence on every rugged brow. One would think that Sublimity itself had hewn out an everlasting habitation in these wild romantic mountains.
"It will be perceived that the site for the city is in the same latitude as the City of New York. And it is highly probable that all the variety of grains and fruit, so abundant in New York, can be raised in the valley. The average temperature during the month of August, in the heat of the day, was about 96° of Fahrenheit's scale, which is about the same as in the same latitude on the eastern coast of that continent. The nights are cool and refreshing, the mountain breezes gentle, generally changing their directions with the sun, so that in twenty-four hours a pure, exhilarating, reviving breeze is experienced from every point of the compass. The winters are mild and pleasant; the grass remaining green the year round. Cattle, sheep, horses, mules, etc., graze at all seasons. The cutting and laying up of hay is unnecessary. It will be necessary to irrigate the soil, as there is not much rain that descends into the valley. The showers of rain, hail and snow generally fall upon the lofty ranges of mountains, where the vapor is condensed -by coming in the neighborhood of large masses of snow, and immediately precipitates itself upon surrounding hills and forests, beautifully illustrating the prediction of Isaiah (chap. xxxii), who prophesied that the calamities of Israel should continue until the spirit poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceful habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; 'when it shall hail, cowing down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. ' To stand upon the site of our city, and cast our eyes up to the elevated regions above us, and see the showers of hail and snow descending upon the dark forests of the mountains, we would exclaim with the ancient prophet, that surely, 'the city is low in a low place!'—the mountain storms do not effect her!—the hail of the high forests does not disturb her 'quiet resting place!'
"If ever a city was low in a low place, when compared with the mountains in the immediate neighborhood, it is the 'Great Salt Lake City.' Or if ever a city was high in a high place, when compared with the general surface of the earth or with the sea level, it is Salt Lake City. Well might the ancient prophets speak of Zion going up into the high mountains, and of the house of the God of Jacob being built in the mountains, when it is ascertained that the 'Temple Block' is 4300 feet above the level of the ocean. It cannot, for a moment, be supposed that Zion would go up to the top of some mountain peak, and undertake to build a city and a temple upon its snowy summit. But the word mountain in those passages doubtless means some high elevated portions of the earth, and yet not so high as to be rendered sterile by eternal frosts and snows, for this would unfit ;t for the habitation of man.
"Isaiah (chap. Ixii), says: 'Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation Cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; and thou shalt be called, sought out, a city not forsaken.' By this passage it seems that the daughter of Zion was not only to 'get up into the high mountain,' but was to locate a city in a place 'sought out.' From this we learn, also, that the latter-day Zion was not to be built where Zion anciently stood, that is, in Jerusalem, the place of which has been well known for ages; but in the 'high mountain,' in a place unknown, that should be 'sought out;' and there they should be called, ' the holy people'—' the redeemed of the Lord '—' a city not forsaken.' This was something, too, that was to take place in connection with the great preparatory work for the coming of the Lord; for it will be seen in the above passage that the 'end of the world' was about this time to hear a proclamation concerning His coming, ' His reward being with him, and His work before Him.'
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who are publishing ' good tidings,' that are saying unto Zion, 'behold, thy God reigneth.' Let the servants of the Lord cry aloud to the children of Zion scattered abroad, saying: Go ye 'up into the high mountain' and build yourselves a city, and the God of Jacob a house; for 'He will suddenly come to His temple,' and reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously."
Milando Pratt.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. July 1891. pg. 321-324.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS WRITINGS.
DIVINE AUTHORITY.
"A message of simple truth, when sent from God—when published by divine authority, through divinely inspired men —penetrates the mind like a sharp, two-edged sword, and cuts asunder the deeply rooted prejudices, the iron-bound sinews of ancient error and tradition, made sacred by age and rendered popular by human wisdom. It severs with undeviating exactness between truth and falsehood, between the doctrine of Christ and the doctrines of men; it levels with the most perfect ease every argument that human learning may array against it. Opinions, creeds invented by uninspired men, and doctrines originated in schools of divinity, all vanish like the morning dew—all sink into insignificance when compared with a message direct from heaven. Such a message shines upon the understanding like the splendors of the noon-day sun; it whispers in the ears of mortals, saying, 'This is the way, walk ye in it.' Certainty and assurance are its constant companions; it is entirely unlike all plans or systems ever invented by human authority; it has no alliance, connection, or fellowship with any of them; it speaks with divine authority, and all nations, without an exception, are required to obey. He that receives the message and endures to the end, will be saved; he that rejects it will be damned. It matters not what his former righteousness may have been — none can be excused.
"Joseph Smith testified that Peter, James, and John came to him in the capacity of ministering angels, and by the laying on of hands ordained him an apostle, and commanded him to preach, baptize, lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and administer all other ordinances of the Gospel, as they themselves did in ancient days. Did Swedenborg, did Irving' s apostles—or did any other impostors during the long age of darkness—profess that the apostleship was conferred upon them by those who held it last—by any angel who held the office himself? No, and therefore they are not apostles, but deceivers.
"If Mr. Smith had pretended that he received the apostleship by the revelation of the Holy Ghost, without an ordination under the hands of an apostle, we should at once know that his pretentions were vain and that he was a deceiver.
"If an impostor, how came Mr. Smith to discover all this? Why did he not, like the Irvingites, assume the apostleship without an apostle to ordain him? How came he to possess so much more wisdom than Irving, as to discover that he could not be an apostle without being ordained under the hands of an apostle? If Mr. Smith be a false apostle, it must be confessed that he has exhibited far more judgment than all the false apostles who have preceded him, learned and talented as they were. * * *
"Joseph Smith's doctrine is reasonable, scriptural, perfect and infallible in all its precepts, commands, ordinances, promises, blessings, and gifts. In his organization of the Church no officer mentioned in the New Testament organization is omitted. Inspired apostles and prophets are considered as necessary as pastors, teachers, or any other officer. * * * The bold, unequivocal promise of the miraculous gifts to all who should believe and embrace this message, are all evidences such as no impostor ever has given, or ever can give. They are evidences such as will prove the salvation of every creature that receives the message, and the damnation of every soul that rejects it."
"15 Wilton Street, Liverpool, September 30th, 1848." (This date marks the event of my birth.)
I have made a note of some of the fundamental principles that Elder Pratt endorsed as set forth by Joseph Smith. He sat under his teachings when a boy, nineteen years of age, and ever treasured them to his death. Although he became well-informed in theology, conversant and well learned in the higher branches of education and theories of men, yet no cloud of doubt ever darkened his mind, or left an unbelieving line of infidelity to mar his path to a brighter sphere, where reason sat enthroned as a beacon light that never became dim by usage or application. Even the study of God's works in the starry heavens above intensified his marvelous powers of mind to grasp His eternal laws and forces. A mind like his outstript the dogmas of an unbelieving world which had cast aside the consistencies of human thought, that no chains can fetter, or unbelief drag down to its narrow cell.
Intelligence and truth combined
Will grasp and hold the human mind.
The light of truth bids darkness flee,
And says to the captive soul, be free.
His writings were numerous while upon this three years' mission. He labored incessantly as President over all the Conferences of the Church in the British Islands and adjacent countries. Besides editing the Millennial Star, he published and distributed many pamphlets on different subjects pertaining to the doctrine and tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which were in accord with the teachings of our Savior and His apostles, while they tarried here on the earth. The scriptures, as set forth in both the Old and New Testaments, were well nigh exhausted in the references brought to bear upon the subjects in his preachings and writings. On points of doctrine Elder Pratt was in direct opposition to many of the Christian world's views of the dealings of God with his children, pertaining to their spiritual and temporal welfare. Instead of a God "without body, parts, or passions," "whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere," he set Him forth as a personal being, with all His attributes, in the most truthful and convincing manner. The Spirit of truth bringing things to his remembrance, he wielded his pen for the enlightenment of minds that superstition and tradition had calloused in error.
The subject of immaterialism, as applied to the Great Creator by the Church of England, and as set forth in their creed, which has had such a bearing upon the civilized Christian world in leading to infidelity of the worst form, Elder Pratt discussed, and exposed its absurdities to the conversion of many of the readers of his pamphlet on "Absurdities of Immaterialism," from which the following is briefly extracted:
"As no immaterialist can, from experiment, reason, or any other process whatsoever, glean the least shadow of evidence in favor of the immateriality of any substance, therefore, we shall now on our part show that immaterialism is absurd, and opposed to true philosophy. The immaterialist assumes that God consists of an immaterial substance, indivisible in its nature, 'whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere.' The indivisibility of a substance implies impenetrability; that is, two substances cannot exist in the same space at the same time; hence, if an indivisible substance exists everywhere, as it cannot be penetrated, it will absolutely exclude the existence of all other substances. Such a substance would be a boundless, infinite solid, without pores, incapable of condensation, or expansion, or motion, for there would be no empty space left to move to. Observation teaches us that this is not the case; therefore an infinitely extended, indivisible, immaterial substance is absurd in the highest degree, and opposed to true philosophy. An immaterial substance cannot exist.
"We shall first endeavor to show what is absolutely essential to the existence of all substance. It will be generally admitted that space is essential to existence. Space, being boundless, all substance must exist in space. Space is not the property of substance, but the place of its existence. Infinite space has no qualities or properties of any description excepting divisibility. Some eminent philosophers have supposed extension to be a property of space, but such a supposition is absurd. Extension is space itself, and not a property of space.
"As well might we say that azote is a property of nitrogen, whereas they are only two different names given to the same substance, as to say that extension is a property of space. Infinite space is divisible, but otherwise it cannot possibly be described, for it has no other properties or qualities by which to describe it. It has no boundaries—no figure—no other conceivable properties of any description. It has a variety of names such as space, extension, volume, magnitude, distance, all of which are synonymous terms.
"Duration is also essential to the existence of substance. There can be no such thing as existence without duration. Duration, like infinite space, is divisible, but otherwise it has no properties or qualities of any description. Like space, we can call it by different names, as duration, time, period; but to give it any other kind of description would be absolutely impossible.
"Infinite space can only be distinguished from duration by certain imaginary qualities, which can be assigned to finite portions of it, but which cannot be assigned to duration. We can conceive of cubical, prismatical and spherical portions of space, but we cannot conceive of portions of duration under any kind of shape. Both space and duration are entirely powerless, being immovable, yet both are susceptible of division to infinity. Nothing is the negative of space, of duration, and of matter; it is the zero of all existence. Modern immaterialists freely admit, as we have already shown, that a "disembodied spirit" is "nowhere." "We must no longer allow ourselves to imagine" says the immaterialist, "that it is, or can be, in any place." But that which does not occupy any place or space, has no magnitude, and is not susceptible of division; therefore it must be an unextended point or nothing. Immateriality is a representative of nothing; immaterial substance is only another name for no substance; therefore such a substance does not, and cannot exist.''
These short extracts from Elder Pratt's writings may interest those who were acquainted with his useful life in the ministry. No doubt the English sisters will remember distributing his pamphlets. Many of the learned as well as the uninformed became convinced of the truths they contained.
We will here give some of his prophetic sayings in an editorial in the Millennial Star, as they were awakened by a letter of inquiry from a gentleman: ''Awake O, ye honorable among the nations! Ye who desire righteousness, but know not where to find it! Awake from a deep sleep, and hear the voice of a. humble servant of God; for the day-star has dawned upon a benighted world; but its light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. Come, then, to the light that your path may be illuminated. He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth, nor the dangers which await his footsteps. He that cometh to the light shall be guided in the straight path wherein he shall not stumble. That light which was from the beginning is again made manifest, and the power thereof, those who receive it may have eternal life, and those who receive it not, may have the light which they are in possession of taken from them. The keys of authority and power are once more committed unto the sons of men upon the earth; and they are sent forth by divine revelation to gather out the good and virtuous from among all nations, that they may be taught in all things pertaining to the Kingdom of God, and be prepared for the revelation of the powers of heaven.
"Woe unto the nations in that day that the righteous are gathered out of their midst, for they shall be as Sodom and Gomorrah, and shall speedily be consumed in their wickedness, for their sins cry aloud to the heavens for vengeance.
"But we are aware that this great division between the wicked and the righteous is unlooked for by the slumbering nations. So great are the powers of darkness which now prevail that even many who desire to know the truth, do not, at first, because of the imperfection of their visual powers, clearly discern its bright and effulgent rays."
Milando Pratt.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS WRITINGS.
DIVINE AUTHORITY.
"A message of simple truth, when sent from God—when published by divine authority, through divinely inspired men —penetrates the mind like a sharp, two-edged sword, and cuts asunder the deeply rooted prejudices, the iron-bound sinews of ancient error and tradition, made sacred by age and rendered popular by human wisdom. It severs with undeviating exactness between truth and falsehood, between the doctrine of Christ and the doctrines of men; it levels with the most perfect ease every argument that human learning may array against it. Opinions, creeds invented by uninspired men, and doctrines originated in schools of divinity, all vanish like the morning dew—all sink into insignificance when compared with a message direct from heaven. Such a message shines upon the understanding like the splendors of the noon-day sun; it whispers in the ears of mortals, saying, 'This is the way, walk ye in it.' Certainty and assurance are its constant companions; it is entirely unlike all plans or systems ever invented by human authority; it has no alliance, connection, or fellowship with any of them; it speaks with divine authority, and all nations, without an exception, are required to obey. He that receives the message and endures to the end, will be saved; he that rejects it will be damned. It matters not what his former righteousness may have been — none can be excused.
"Joseph Smith testified that Peter, James, and John came to him in the capacity of ministering angels, and by the laying on of hands ordained him an apostle, and commanded him to preach, baptize, lay on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and administer all other ordinances of the Gospel, as they themselves did in ancient days. Did Swedenborg, did Irving' s apostles—or did any other impostors during the long age of darkness—profess that the apostleship was conferred upon them by those who held it last—by any angel who held the office himself? No, and therefore they are not apostles, but deceivers.
"If Mr. Smith had pretended that he received the apostleship by the revelation of the Holy Ghost, without an ordination under the hands of an apostle, we should at once know that his pretentions were vain and that he was a deceiver.
"If an impostor, how came Mr. Smith to discover all this? Why did he not, like the Irvingites, assume the apostleship without an apostle to ordain him? How came he to possess so much more wisdom than Irving, as to discover that he could not be an apostle without being ordained under the hands of an apostle? If Mr. Smith be a false apostle, it must be confessed that he has exhibited far more judgment than all the false apostles who have preceded him, learned and talented as they were. * * *
"Joseph Smith's doctrine is reasonable, scriptural, perfect and infallible in all its precepts, commands, ordinances, promises, blessings, and gifts. In his organization of the Church no officer mentioned in the New Testament organization is omitted. Inspired apostles and prophets are considered as necessary as pastors, teachers, or any other officer. * * * The bold, unequivocal promise of the miraculous gifts to all who should believe and embrace this message, are all evidences such as no impostor ever has given, or ever can give. They are evidences such as will prove the salvation of every creature that receives the message, and the damnation of every soul that rejects it."
"15 Wilton Street, Liverpool, September 30th, 1848." (This date marks the event of my birth.)
I have made a note of some of the fundamental principles that Elder Pratt endorsed as set forth by Joseph Smith. He sat under his teachings when a boy, nineteen years of age, and ever treasured them to his death. Although he became well-informed in theology, conversant and well learned in the higher branches of education and theories of men, yet no cloud of doubt ever darkened his mind, or left an unbelieving line of infidelity to mar his path to a brighter sphere, where reason sat enthroned as a beacon light that never became dim by usage or application. Even the study of God's works in the starry heavens above intensified his marvelous powers of mind to grasp His eternal laws and forces. A mind like his outstript the dogmas of an unbelieving world which had cast aside the consistencies of human thought, that no chains can fetter, or unbelief drag down to its narrow cell.
Intelligence and truth combined
Will grasp and hold the human mind.
The light of truth bids darkness flee,
And says to the captive soul, be free.
His writings were numerous while upon this three years' mission. He labored incessantly as President over all the Conferences of the Church in the British Islands and adjacent countries. Besides editing the Millennial Star, he published and distributed many pamphlets on different subjects pertaining to the doctrine and tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which were in accord with the teachings of our Savior and His apostles, while they tarried here on the earth. The scriptures, as set forth in both the Old and New Testaments, were well nigh exhausted in the references brought to bear upon the subjects in his preachings and writings. On points of doctrine Elder Pratt was in direct opposition to many of the Christian world's views of the dealings of God with his children, pertaining to their spiritual and temporal welfare. Instead of a God "without body, parts, or passions," "whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere," he set Him forth as a personal being, with all His attributes, in the most truthful and convincing manner. The Spirit of truth bringing things to his remembrance, he wielded his pen for the enlightenment of minds that superstition and tradition had calloused in error.
The subject of immaterialism, as applied to the Great Creator by the Church of England, and as set forth in their creed, which has had such a bearing upon the civilized Christian world in leading to infidelity of the worst form, Elder Pratt discussed, and exposed its absurdities to the conversion of many of the readers of his pamphlet on "Absurdities of Immaterialism," from which the following is briefly extracted:
"As no immaterialist can, from experiment, reason, or any other process whatsoever, glean the least shadow of evidence in favor of the immateriality of any substance, therefore, we shall now on our part show that immaterialism is absurd, and opposed to true philosophy. The immaterialist assumes that God consists of an immaterial substance, indivisible in its nature, 'whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere.' The indivisibility of a substance implies impenetrability; that is, two substances cannot exist in the same space at the same time; hence, if an indivisible substance exists everywhere, as it cannot be penetrated, it will absolutely exclude the existence of all other substances. Such a substance would be a boundless, infinite solid, without pores, incapable of condensation, or expansion, or motion, for there would be no empty space left to move to. Observation teaches us that this is not the case; therefore an infinitely extended, indivisible, immaterial substance is absurd in the highest degree, and opposed to true philosophy. An immaterial substance cannot exist.
"We shall first endeavor to show what is absolutely essential to the existence of all substance. It will be generally admitted that space is essential to existence. Space, being boundless, all substance must exist in space. Space is not the property of substance, but the place of its existence. Infinite space has no qualities or properties of any description excepting divisibility. Some eminent philosophers have supposed extension to be a property of space, but such a supposition is absurd. Extension is space itself, and not a property of space.
"As well might we say that azote is a property of nitrogen, whereas they are only two different names given to the same substance, as to say that extension is a property of space. Infinite space is divisible, but otherwise it cannot possibly be described, for it has no other properties or qualities by which to describe it. It has no boundaries—no figure—no other conceivable properties of any description. It has a variety of names such as space, extension, volume, magnitude, distance, all of which are synonymous terms.
"Duration is also essential to the existence of substance. There can be no such thing as existence without duration. Duration, like infinite space, is divisible, but otherwise it has no properties or qualities of any description. Like space, we can call it by different names, as duration, time, period; but to give it any other kind of description would be absolutely impossible.
"Infinite space can only be distinguished from duration by certain imaginary qualities, which can be assigned to finite portions of it, but which cannot be assigned to duration. We can conceive of cubical, prismatical and spherical portions of space, but we cannot conceive of portions of duration under any kind of shape. Both space and duration are entirely powerless, being immovable, yet both are susceptible of division to infinity. Nothing is the negative of space, of duration, and of matter; it is the zero of all existence. Modern immaterialists freely admit, as we have already shown, that a "disembodied spirit" is "nowhere." "We must no longer allow ourselves to imagine" says the immaterialist, "that it is, or can be, in any place." But that which does not occupy any place or space, has no magnitude, and is not susceptible of division; therefore it must be an unextended point or nothing. Immateriality is a representative of nothing; immaterial substance is only another name for no substance; therefore such a substance does not, and cannot exist.''
These short extracts from Elder Pratt's writings may interest those who were acquainted with his useful life in the ministry. No doubt the English sisters will remember distributing his pamphlets. Many of the learned as well as the uninformed became convinced of the truths they contained.
We will here give some of his prophetic sayings in an editorial in the Millennial Star, as they were awakened by a letter of inquiry from a gentleman: ''Awake O, ye honorable among the nations! Ye who desire righteousness, but know not where to find it! Awake from a deep sleep, and hear the voice of a. humble servant of God; for the day-star has dawned upon a benighted world; but its light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. Come, then, to the light that your path may be illuminated. He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth, nor the dangers which await his footsteps. He that cometh to the light shall be guided in the straight path wherein he shall not stumble. That light which was from the beginning is again made manifest, and the power thereof, those who receive it may have eternal life, and those who receive it not, may have the light which they are in possession of taken from them. The keys of authority and power are once more committed unto the sons of men upon the earth; and they are sent forth by divine revelation to gather out the good and virtuous from among all nations, that they may be taught in all things pertaining to the Kingdom of God, and be prepared for the revelation of the powers of heaven.
"Woe unto the nations in that day that the righteous are gathered out of their midst, for they shall be as Sodom and Gomorrah, and shall speedily be consumed in their wickedness, for their sins cry aloud to the heavens for vengeance.
"But we are aware that this great division between the wicked and the righteous is unlooked for by the slumbering nations. So great are the powers of darkness which now prevail that even many who desire to know the truth, do not, at first, because of the imperfection of their visual powers, clearly discern its bright and effulgent rays."
Milando Pratt.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. August 1891. pg. 392-393.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
Elder Pratt left part of his family in Iowa, when he went on his mission to England. He and his family were like the rest of the Saints—in destitute circumstances, as they had been robbed and plundered of their all. The winter before he left them, their best meal was frozen turnips and dry buckwheat cakes; but he trusted his loved ones to the care of "Him who feedeth the sparrows when they cry." He told one of his wives, that while on his mission he prayed earnestly to the Lord to give him sufficient means to supply his wants and the wants of his family. He said the Lord heard his prayer and blessed him with abundance. He was so destitute of means when he moved from Nauvoo to Council Bluffs, that the brethren furnished him with teams to move them and their little effects. He was greatly blessed in selling his publications while in England, and soon was able to send back means to those he left. In May 1850, after two years absence, he returned to make them a visit. Soon after he arrived he received word from President Young at Salt Lake City that he was released from his foreign mission to move to Salt Lake Valley—his destined home. In six weeks he returned to England and stayed until the spring of 1851. Having filled his three years mission he came back to the Bluffs to prepare an outfit for a thousand miles' travel with ox teams across the plains. He had engaged thirteen young men in England to drive a like number of teams across the plains. He left Council Bluffs in the month of July 1851. The cattle were mostly wild and the drivers inexperienced. They knew but little about driving cattle, and with narrow tracked wagons and rough roads, some of the wagons turned over and their contents had to be picked up. There were no bones broken, but the staves and wagons were broken. This tried Elder Pratt's patience somewhat, but he stopped a few days longer after the first wagon upset, and bought a few yoke of gentle leaders, but after this some of the wagons loaded with staves again turned over and broke them up badly; the fault being in narrow track wagons. As the journeying progressed, there were a great many things picked up which had been thrown out by the road side, from the wagons of the gold seekers, who, without experience, had loaded too heavily for such a journey, and being single handed 'they had to leave what they could not carry.
The journey was long and tedious; many a poor ox laid down to die and his bones, left to bleach in the sun; others were left because they could go no farther until rest and food, found by the way, restored them to strength, and the back companies would bring them on. The sand was so deep in places it seemed almost impossible to pull through it, while the sun was scorching hot in the summer months.
One day there was a narrow escape from death. A buffalo was shot at by one of the company while traveling near a herd of them; a stampede occurred, but the herd passed between the wagons and was soon in the distance. It was forbidden to shoot them so near as.it endangered the lives of the people. There was a stampede of our cattle in the night, while camped on the Sweet-Water. When they took fright the noise sounded like a rushing torrent. It took some time to get them together and some of them could not be found. Elder Pratt's' wife Sarah went on ahead in the carriage. She ascended a hill and was out of sight, when an Indian sprang out of ambush and, with a knife, was going to cut the horses loose as he held them by the bits. Just at this moment Ormus Bates, her brother came to her rescue and the Indian fled. She had her two children with her, Orson and Celestia. Harmel Pratt, their son, was born on the journey August 21, 1851, on the north side of the Platte River, about twelve miles from Fort Laramie.
The company at one time traveled all day without water. The poor cattle suffered greatly without it, as the roads were very dusty. They came to a stream of water near the mountains at the mouth of a ravine. Here Elder Pratt crossed over as he was ahead of the other company. All of a sudden a thunderstorm came on and the stream swelled to such an extent that the rest of the company could not cross it. Some of the sisters had started fires to wash near the stream and the rush of water swept their things away down the river. It soon fell and all came over safely.
The teamsters were truly faithful to their task, walking most of the time, doing their own cooking and washing, some driving the teams, others the loose stock. These young men were all unmarried. After arriving in the valley they married, became prominent citizens and those surviving are now grey haired. A few names might be mentioned: Clements who married a young woman who came in with the family of Elder Pratt; they both died shortly after reaching the Valley; David McKenzie, James Jack, Thomas Ellerbeck, Edward Davis, whose pens still mark the continuance of Church matters, and Thomas Highams, an old and respected citizen of the Twenty-First Ward, this city. William Allred was the carpenter who stood ready at all times to render his assistance.
Arriving on top of the big mountain, Elder Pratt said, "all get out and have a view of the city." They stood there and took a view of this isolated city that seemed to have sprung up out of the elements like magic. Only three years since, he had traversed its barren waste, when there was no human dwelling when the wild man, buffalo, deer, and the elk roamed unmolested. Now to behold a fair city, resting in peace on the mountain side, filled him with thanksgiving to God who had brought him out of the wilderness.
This short outline of Orson Pratt's travels may bring to the mind of others, circumstances of their own experience on that journey He arrived with his family in Great Salt Lake City, as it was then named, on the seventh of October, 1851, having spent four years on a mission abroad, crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice and traveled thousands of miles to preach the everlasting gospel to a dark and benighted world.
Milando Pratt.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
Elder Pratt left part of his family in Iowa, when he went on his mission to England. He and his family were like the rest of the Saints—in destitute circumstances, as they had been robbed and plundered of their all. The winter before he left them, their best meal was frozen turnips and dry buckwheat cakes; but he trusted his loved ones to the care of "Him who feedeth the sparrows when they cry." He told one of his wives, that while on his mission he prayed earnestly to the Lord to give him sufficient means to supply his wants and the wants of his family. He said the Lord heard his prayer and blessed him with abundance. He was so destitute of means when he moved from Nauvoo to Council Bluffs, that the brethren furnished him with teams to move them and their little effects. He was greatly blessed in selling his publications while in England, and soon was able to send back means to those he left. In May 1850, after two years absence, he returned to make them a visit. Soon after he arrived he received word from President Young at Salt Lake City that he was released from his foreign mission to move to Salt Lake Valley—his destined home. In six weeks he returned to England and stayed until the spring of 1851. Having filled his three years mission he came back to the Bluffs to prepare an outfit for a thousand miles' travel with ox teams across the plains. He had engaged thirteen young men in England to drive a like number of teams across the plains. He left Council Bluffs in the month of July 1851. The cattle were mostly wild and the drivers inexperienced. They knew but little about driving cattle, and with narrow tracked wagons and rough roads, some of the wagons turned over and their contents had to be picked up. There were no bones broken, but the staves and wagons were broken. This tried Elder Pratt's patience somewhat, but he stopped a few days longer after the first wagon upset, and bought a few yoke of gentle leaders, but after this some of the wagons loaded with staves again turned over and broke them up badly; the fault being in narrow track wagons. As the journeying progressed, there were a great many things picked up which had been thrown out by the road side, from the wagons of the gold seekers, who, without experience, had loaded too heavily for such a journey, and being single handed 'they had to leave what they could not carry.
The journey was long and tedious; many a poor ox laid down to die and his bones, left to bleach in the sun; others were left because they could go no farther until rest and food, found by the way, restored them to strength, and the back companies would bring them on. The sand was so deep in places it seemed almost impossible to pull through it, while the sun was scorching hot in the summer months.
One day there was a narrow escape from death. A buffalo was shot at by one of the company while traveling near a herd of them; a stampede occurred, but the herd passed between the wagons and was soon in the distance. It was forbidden to shoot them so near as.it endangered the lives of the people. There was a stampede of our cattle in the night, while camped on the Sweet-Water. When they took fright the noise sounded like a rushing torrent. It took some time to get them together and some of them could not be found. Elder Pratt's' wife Sarah went on ahead in the carriage. She ascended a hill and was out of sight, when an Indian sprang out of ambush and, with a knife, was going to cut the horses loose as he held them by the bits. Just at this moment Ormus Bates, her brother came to her rescue and the Indian fled. She had her two children with her, Orson and Celestia. Harmel Pratt, their son, was born on the journey August 21, 1851, on the north side of the Platte River, about twelve miles from Fort Laramie.
The company at one time traveled all day without water. The poor cattle suffered greatly without it, as the roads were very dusty. They came to a stream of water near the mountains at the mouth of a ravine. Here Elder Pratt crossed over as he was ahead of the other company. All of a sudden a thunderstorm came on and the stream swelled to such an extent that the rest of the company could not cross it. Some of the sisters had started fires to wash near the stream and the rush of water swept their things away down the river. It soon fell and all came over safely.
The teamsters were truly faithful to their task, walking most of the time, doing their own cooking and washing, some driving the teams, others the loose stock. These young men were all unmarried. After arriving in the valley they married, became prominent citizens and those surviving are now grey haired. A few names might be mentioned: Clements who married a young woman who came in with the family of Elder Pratt; they both died shortly after reaching the Valley; David McKenzie, James Jack, Thomas Ellerbeck, Edward Davis, whose pens still mark the continuance of Church matters, and Thomas Highams, an old and respected citizen of the Twenty-First Ward, this city. William Allred was the carpenter who stood ready at all times to render his assistance.
Arriving on top of the big mountain, Elder Pratt said, "all get out and have a view of the city." They stood there and took a view of this isolated city that seemed to have sprung up out of the elements like magic. Only three years since, he had traversed its barren waste, when there was no human dwelling when the wild man, buffalo, deer, and the elk roamed unmolested. Now to behold a fair city, resting in peace on the mountain side, filled him with thanksgiving to God who had brought him out of the wilderness.
This short outline of Orson Pratt's travels may bring to the mind of others, circumstances of their own experience on that journey He arrived with his family in Great Salt Lake City, as it was then named, on the seventh of October, 1851, having spent four years on a mission abroad, crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice and traveled thousands of miles to preach the everlasting gospel to a dark and benighted world.
Milando Pratt.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. September 1891. pg. 418-423.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
Having arrived with his family safe and well in the valley, Elder Pratt corralled his wagons on the Temple Block. At that time meetings were held out of doors under a bowery. In about two weeks he moved his family to the Seventh Ward, on a lot he purchased which had a good house and other improvements upon it. The following year, 1852, at the April conference Elder Orson Pratt addressed the Elders on the "responsibility resting upon them to prepare for the morning of the resurrection, and for celestial glory." At this conference it was announced that Professor Orson Pratt would deliver his last lecture on Astronomy. He had previously delivered several of these lectures—twelve in all—which were published in the Deseret News. A great number of the Latter-day Saints were interested in them. Professor Pratt ever seemed anxious to awaken an interest in the higher branches of education, and at one time offered to teach the youths of Zion free of charge, if they would give their time to study. He was teacher for some time at the University of Deseret.
A special conference of the Elders was held at the Tabernacle on the 28th and 29th of August, which was fully attended, and a most animating spirit prevailed, when many Elders were selected and set apart for various missions. Elder Orson Pratt was selected to go to Washington, D. C. This was his first mission from the valley. He was appointed to preside over the Saints in the United States and the British Provinces in North America. He and the brethren left about the 15th of September, journeying by way of South Pass and Missouri river.
Elder Pratt made , Washington, D. C, his headquarters and in January, 1852, he commenced the publication of a periodical which he named The Seer, a title which he assumed for this periodical in commemoration of Joseph Smith, the Seer of the last days, who, as an instrument in the hands of the Lord, laid the foundation of the Kingdom of God, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah to reign with universal dominion over all the earth. The pages of the Seer were mostly occupied with original matter, elucidating the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The doctrine of celestial marriage for all eternity, the views of the Saints in regard to the ancient patriarchal order of matrimony or plurality of wives, as developed in a revelation given through Joseph the Seer were clearly and fully published. The celestial origin and pre-existence of the spirits of men—their first estate or probation in a previous world—the great benefits derived by entering fleshly tabernacles, and keeping the laws of their second estate—and their final redemption and exaltation, as Gods, in their future state, were subjects most clearly set forth by the author. Some of the prophecies relating to the grand and remarkable events of the last days, one of which was the "Revelation on War" that had its commencement of fulfillment some ten years later, in the great War of the Rebellion, were also published with such commentatory lines of earnestness that the author of the Seer could well be classed with the foremost ancient and modern inspired prophets.
In the spring of 1853, Elder Pratt went to England to get some publishing done, as it could be had cheaper there. He published "Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his Progenitors," and republished the Seer while in England and returned in the fall to Washington, where he continued the publication of the Seer. Among the leading subjects contained in this publication by the editor's pen which are very instructive, and we might say, intensely interesting, are articles with the following captions:
The Pre- existence of Man, Figure and Magnitude of Spirits, Power and 'Eternity of the Priesthood, Powers of Nature, Formation of the Earth, New Revelation, Latter-day Zion, Resurrection of the Saints, The Equality and Oneness of the Saints.
We make the following extract from the author's subject on the Resurrection of the Saints: "Among all the blessings which God has promised to fallen man, there are none greater than that of the resurrection of the body to eternal life and happiness. The life that we now enjoy, though mingled with sorrow and trouble, is still desirable, and sought after most eagerly by man. When death stares him in the face, he would be willing to part with thrones and kingdoms, with houses and lands, and with all his possessions, could he redeem himself from the grasp of this awful monster. Many remedies have been sought out and prescribed, not to redeem man from death, but to shield and protect him for a few years longer from this fearful enemy. But no one has been able to discover a remedy that will render man immortal. All are overtaken, sooner or later, by the grim tyrant, and prostrated low in the dust. Generation after generation fall beneath the mighty conqueror! Oh, how dismal must be the thought of a never-ending sleep in the tomb! Death must be bitter indeed, to those who have no knowledge of the resurrection—who lay their bodies down without the least idea of receiving them again; and yet, many hundreds of millions have passed away without the faintest hope of a future resurrection — who suppose that they part with their bodies forever.
"Could man be fully persuaded that his body would rise again from the grave, and that he would live, and move, and act, as he does now, and enjoy the same that he now experiences, he would consider it a blessing far greater than earthly riches or honors; and were he certain that such a blessing could be obtained, there would be no sacrifice too great for him to make in order to receive an immortality in a world that would afford him no greater happiness than the present one. If, then, in a world like this, where troubles meet us on every side, we still enjoy life, and so earnestly cling to it, what would be our joy were we as sure of a resurrection to an eternal life of a most perfect happiness, where no troubles or sorrows could ever come, where death could no more enter! What tidings could be more joyful to the soul than these?
"Now, the inhabitants of this fallen world have been most positively assured by the word of God, that their bodies shall all live again—that they shall be called forth from the dust and be reorganized, and that the same spirits which have once inhabited them, shall animate them again. This redemption of the body is not a partial one—that is, the body is not merely redeemed from the grave to a life of mortality subject to a second dissolution, but it is redeemed to immortality—the spirit being reunited with the body never more to be disunited.
"The resurrection of the body from the dust will be effected by the word and power of God. The Spirit of God which dwells in the elements, will by His command, bring them together, depositing every particle in its proper position, so as to form a perfect tabernacle. The deformities existing in the mortal body, will not appear in our resurrected bodies; but all who are counted worthy to receive a celestial body, will appear in the image and likeness of the glorified body" of Jesus; and his body is in the express image and likeness of his Father's person. Paul in speaking of the resurrection says that Jesus "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." (Philippians iii, 21). Notwithstanding we shall be fashioned like his body, yet there will be a variety of features and sizes by which one will be distinguished from another, the same as in this life. The likeness will be in the general outlines—in the perfection of the organization—in the beautiful adjustment of the several parts —in the perfect symmetry of the whole — and in the purity, immortality and glory with which it is filled and surrounded. In all these respects there will be a perfect likeness. But when sizes are compared, there will be a great variety, from the tabernacles of infants up through every grade to those of gigantic magnitude. Although there will be an endless variety of features, yet all will appear equally glorious and beautiful; the beauty being the result of the perfection and glory of the spirit inhabiting the tabernacle. There will undoubtedly be distinguishing characteristics relating to the age attained previous to the dissolution. This distinction will probably be manifested, in some small degree, in the countenance and in the color of the hair, and in the difference of size between the child and the man of grey hairs. In all the works of God, we behold a resemblance among classes; but a variety among individuals belonging to each class. All the planets of our system resemble each other more or less in form; but in magnitude and in many other respects, there is a great variety. In every species of animals and plants, there are many resemblances in the general outlines, and many specific differences characterizing the individuals of each species. So in the resurrection: there will be several classes of resurrection bodies; some celestial, some terrestrial, some telestial, and some sons of perdition. Each of these classes will differ from the others by prominent and marked distinctions; yet in each, considered by itself, there will be found many resemblances as well as distinctions. There will be some physical peculiarity by which each individual in every class can be identified."
After arguing this subject from a scientific standpoint on the question, "Will the same identical materials composing the mortal body be reorganized in the resurrection body?" and showing most conclusively that there will be a sufficient quantity of those materials brought forth to form a perfect immortal tabernacle for the spirits, Apostle Orson Pratt continues the subject in the following strain of sublime thought:
"The resurrection is a gift bestowed upon all mankind. Because of the fall the human race forfeited their bodies and lost them; but the Son of God having given his body to the shafts of death, and suffered in man's behalf, wrought out a full and perfect redemption for the bodies of all the human family; not a redemption which immediately restores man to immortality, but a redemption which grapples with the monster death, after he has overpowered his victim and laid him low in the grave. Justice armed death with eternal powers; it authorized him to destroy all nations and generations, and plunge them into the dismal gulf, and to set an eternal seal upon them; it gave him power to bind them down with everlasting chains which no man could loose; the huge gates were closed; the bolts, and bars, and locks, were firmly fastened; a world of fallen beings was enclosed in the eternal prison of the grave ; all nature wept, and eternity was clothed in mourning, while the greedy monster death, having satiated his capacious maw, sat enthroned upon the funeral pile exulting in the eternal ruin of a once beautiful world!
But hark! A voice is heard on high of one mighty and strong! It is the voice of one who pleads! Ah, see! He stands before the majestic throne, where justice sits ! He weeps, but not for him self; it is for fallen man ! Listen ! He speaks of mercy for a ruined world ! What compassion swells his bosom! What lovely words pour forth in melting strains of mercy ! Justice is moved to tears, but still holds fast the flaming law, and with sword unsheathed exclaims, "How can I show mercy! Must not the penalties of my law be inflicted, and the honor of my throne be maintained?" The merciful—the kind — the Holy One, with bowels yearning over the miseries of a fallen world, replies: "On me, O Justice, let all thy vengeance fall! but spare these my brethren !" Mercy prevailed—the offer was accepted —and the Only Begotten of the Father left the peaceful heavenly mansions of glory, to suffer, to die, to enter the sol', aides of the grave, to unbar the gates of death, and break the everlasting chains, and say to the sleeping nations, "live."
In the spring of 1854, Elder Pratt left Washington, D. C, for Utah. At the April conference he and Orson Spencer were called to go on a mission to Cincinnati to establish a gathering place for the Saints. He returned to Salt Lake City August 27th, accompanied by H. S. Eldredge, F. Kesler and George Halliday.
On the 11th day of November, 1850, Professor Pratt made an astronomical discovery of a law governing planetary rotation. Even if we had time and space to devote to the insertion of extracts from his able pen upon his discovery of this law, so abstruse a subject, to the generality of readers, may not be of much interest, any further than as they take an interest in the progress of science and general education.
Professor Pratt was a self-educated man, and like many of his brethren, he had to struggle on through poverty, sustain his family, preach the Gospel, and attend to the varied duties of his calling in the Priesthood. But amidst all this, he was a most devoted student of the sciences of mathematics and astronomy. The discovery of this law, together with many other mathematical problems and discoveries obtaining in the solar system, which he has so ably set forth, from time to time, in his lectures and writings, will rank him with such men as Kepler, La Place, Newton and many others by whom have been discovered some of the general laws which govern the planetary worlds.
It is related that when Professor Proctor the world-renowned astronomer was lecturing in this city, he took occasion to refer to Professor Pratt, and among his remarks he stated that, in his opinion, there were only four real mathematicians in the world and Professor Orson Pratt was one of that number.
On the 11th of September, 1855, Professor Pratt and Jessie W. Fox started for Green river in order to survey and determine the northern boundary line of Utah Territory, at a point where it crosses the river.
At the general conference held April 6th, 1856, Elder Pratt was appointed to the presidency of the British Mission. He left Salt Lake City on the 22nd of April, and arrived in Liverpool, England, July 13th with five other elders. While in England he edited the Millennial Star, published many pamphlets and attended to various duties as president of the mission. He left Liverpool in October, 1857, and returned by way of California, while the army was en route to Utah, arriving home about the 20th of January, 1858. The following spring he moved his family south to Fillmore, and returned to Salt Lake City the following summer. On September 23rd, 1860, he was called on a mission to the United States, and left the valley for the same October 1st. He returned in the fall of 1861. In 1862 he moved a portion of his family to St. George in the southern part of the Territory, where he presided for about two years.
On the 24th of April, 1864, he was set apart for a mission to Austria. He with Elder William Riter, went to that land, but in consequence of the stringent laws was unable to open the door of the kingdom of that nation, but bore his testimony to the authorities and left, going over to England, where he visited the conferences and labored assiduously.
In May, 1866, while in England, he published an edition of his mathematical work entitled Pratt's Cubic and Biquadratic Equations. He returned home August 4th, 1867. In the summer of 1869, he went to New York City and transcribed and published the Book of Mormon in phonetic characters called the Deseret Alphabet, and returned in the fall of that year.
In August, 1870, he held the famous three day's discussion with Dr. J. P. Newman on the subject of "Does the Bible Sanction Polygamy?" totally routing that debater, for which he never forgave the Mormons.
At the adjourned general conference in 1874, he was appointed and sustained as historian and general church recorder, which position he retained till his decease. He superintended the compilation of over thirty thousand foolscap pages of documental history of the Church.
On the 18th of July, 1877, he once more left his home to cross the ocean to England, this time to transcribe and publish an edition of the Book of Mormon in the Pitman phonetic characters. He arrived in England August 9th, 1877. In consequence of the death of President Brigham Young he was soon called home without accomplishing his mission. Leaving England on the 12th of September he arrived home on the 27th of the same month.
On the 3rd of September, 1878, he went East with Apostle Joseph F. Smith, visiting David Whitmer in Richmond, Missouri, the Hill Cumorah and other places figuring in the history of the Church, and returned on the 3rd of October. On the 3rd of December, 1878, he started again for England to stereotype the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, which he arranged in verses, with foot notes and references. He also published his astronomical work — Key to the Universe, or a New Theory of its Mechanism, founded upon a constant propulsion and resistance. We will also note that it was while upon this mission Professor Pratt made the important discovery in regard to the chronology and symbolism of the great prophetic pyramid of Egypt, as portrayed in its grand gallery's great step. His discovery demonstrates that the date of the great event of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is symbolized in the grand gallery's chronological floor line. This discovery was made to him, as if by inspiration, in the night time, while in London, when meditating on the subject, after he had been reading some works on the Pyramid. He was tempted, then and there, to arise in the night, make the necessary calculations and satisfy his mind; but he concluded to delay till morning. Judge of his surprise and pleasure, when making the line from the upper frontal edge of the step perpendicular with the inclined floor of the gallery, and continuing the measurement of the gallery to that point, he found it demonstrated by plain figures, that it reached the Pyramid date of April 6th, 1830. That is, the length of the floor line of the Grand Gallery from the north wall to the base of the square with the upper frontal edge of the Grand Step, being one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine, two thousand six hundred and twenty five ten thousandths Pyramid inches, or one thousand eight hundred and twenty- nine years completed, and two thousand six hundred and twenty- five ten thousandths of the year A. D. 1830; corresponding to nine o'clock p. m. Pyramid time, or about two o'clock p. m. at Fayette, Seneca County, New York; the exact day on which the Church and Kingdom of God was organized by the revelation and commandment of the Most High.
While upon this mission Elder Pratt worked for weeks at a stretch not less than eighteen hours out of the twenty-four. And, in fact, while sitting so closely confined at his desk in Liverpool, he began to show symptoms of the complaint which finally resulted in carrying him off. From this important and laborious mission he returned September 2nd, 1879.
At home Elder Pratt visited a number of conferences, attended the legislature, acting in his usual capacity as Speaker of the House. He was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly during its first session, and at each successive session when he was in the Territory, and seven times was chosen speaker of the House. From this time on his health was poor, much of the time being unable to leave his room. The disease with which he was attacked was diabetes from which he suffered severely. However, he recovered in a great measure from that disease, but was much emaciated, and though able to be out and meet with his brethren occasionally, he was still feeble.
On Sunday, September 18th, 1881, he addressed the congregation in the Tabernacle in a clear and forcible manner, speaking about twenty minutes. His remarks were published in the Deseret Evening News of Monday, the 26th. He then expressed a desire to live that he might again lift up his voice as a missionary to the nations of the earth. Next day he was seventy years old and felt well. He afterwards attended some business meetings in relation to the Historian's Office, and the exertion of mind told heavily upon him. He was seized with vomiting and was again prostrated, and gradually sank, with brief and fitful times of reviving, until midnight on Sunday, when he visibly rallied. Members of his family in the city were summoned, who gathered around his bed and gazed with mournful sadness upon his venerable countenance before he sank into his last gentle slumber. At the very minute of his decease, Apostle C. C. Rich, who had been sick for a long time, was sending this dispatch to the deceased's son, Milando Pratt:
"Paris, Idaho, October 3rd, 1881, 8:35 a. m.—How is your father? I am anxious to hear.
C. C. Rich."
The news of Apostle Pratt's decease, was mournfully received. Telegrams were forwarded to every part of the Territory with the sad tidings, and expressions of sorrow were heard on every hand. No man in the Church was better known or more widely respected. His refined and intelligent countenance, silvery hair and beard, dignified manner and powerful public address, were familiar to all, and he left an impression upon the Church and the world that will be felt in time and eternity.
Milando Pratt.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
Having arrived with his family safe and well in the valley, Elder Pratt corralled his wagons on the Temple Block. At that time meetings were held out of doors under a bowery. In about two weeks he moved his family to the Seventh Ward, on a lot he purchased which had a good house and other improvements upon it. The following year, 1852, at the April conference Elder Orson Pratt addressed the Elders on the "responsibility resting upon them to prepare for the morning of the resurrection, and for celestial glory." At this conference it was announced that Professor Orson Pratt would deliver his last lecture on Astronomy. He had previously delivered several of these lectures—twelve in all—which were published in the Deseret News. A great number of the Latter-day Saints were interested in them. Professor Pratt ever seemed anxious to awaken an interest in the higher branches of education, and at one time offered to teach the youths of Zion free of charge, if they would give their time to study. He was teacher for some time at the University of Deseret.
A special conference of the Elders was held at the Tabernacle on the 28th and 29th of August, which was fully attended, and a most animating spirit prevailed, when many Elders were selected and set apart for various missions. Elder Orson Pratt was selected to go to Washington, D. C. This was his first mission from the valley. He was appointed to preside over the Saints in the United States and the British Provinces in North America. He and the brethren left about the 15th of September, journeying by way of South Pass and Missouri river.
Elder Pratt made , Washington, D. C, his headquarters and in January, 1852, he commenced the publication of a periodical which he named The Seer, a title which he assumed for this periodical in commemoration of Joseph Smith, the Seer of the last days, who, as an instrument in the hands of the Lord, laid the foundation of the Kingdom of God, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah to reign with universal dominion over all the earth. The pages of the Seer were mostly occupied with original matter, elucidating the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The doctrine of celestial marriage for all eternity, the views of the Saints in regard to the ancient patriarchal order of matrimony or plurality of wives, as developed in a revelation given through Joseph the Seer were clearly and fully published. The celestial origin and pre-existence of the spirits of men—their first estate or probation in a previous world—the great benefits derived by entering fleshly tabernacles, and keeping the laws of their second estate—and their final redemption and exaltation, as Gods, in their future state, were subjects most clearly set forth by the author. Some of the prophecies relating to the grand and remarkable events of the last days, one of which was the "Revelation on War" that had its commencement of fulfillment some ten years later, in the great War of the Rebellion, were also published with such commentatory lines of earnestness that the author of the Seer could well be classed with the foremost ancient and modern inspired prophets.
In the spring of 1853, Elder Pratt went to England to get some publishing done, as it could be had cheaper there. He published "Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his Progenitors," and republished the Seer while in England and returned in the fall to Washington, where he continued the publication of the Seer. Among the leading subjects contained in this publication by the editor's pen which are very instructive, and we might say, intensely interesting, are articles with the following captions:
The Pre- existence of Man, Figure and Magnitude of Spirits, Power and 'Eternity of the Priesthood, Powers of Nature, Formation of the Earth, New Revelation, Latter-day Zion, Resurrection of the Saints, The Equality and Oneness of the Saints.
We make the following extract from the author's subject on the Resurrection of the Saints: "Among all the blessings which God has promised to fallen man, there are none greater than that of the resurrection of the body to eternal life and happiness. The life that we now enjoy, though mingled with sorrow and trouble, is still desirable, and sought after most eagerly by man. When death stares him in the face, he would be willing to part with thrones and kingdoms, with houses and lands, and with all his possessions, could he redeem himself from the grasp of this awful monster. Many remedies have been sought out and prescribed, not to redeem man from death, but to shield and protect him for a few years longer from this fearful enemy. But no one has been able to discover a remedy that will render man immortal. All are overtaken, sooner or later, by the grim tyrant, and prostrated low in the dust. Generation after generation fall beneath the mighty conqueror! Oh, how dismal must be the thought of a never-ending sleep in the tomb! Death must be bitter indeed, to those who have no knowledge of the resurrection—who lay their bodies down without the least idea of receiving them again; and yet, many hundreds of millions have passed away without the faintest hope of a future resurrection — who suppose that they part with their bodies forever.
"Could man be fully persuaded that his body would rise again from the grave, and that he would live, and move, and act, as he does now, and enjoy the same that he now experiences, he would consider it a blessing far greater than earthly riches or honors; and were he certain that such a blessing could be obtained, there would be no sacrifice too great for him to make in order to receive an immortality in a world that would afford him no greater happiness than the present one. If, then, in a world like this, where troubles meet us on every side, we still enjoy life, and so earnestly cling to it, what would be our joy were we as sure of a resurrection to an eternal life of a most perfect happiness, where no troubles or sorrows could ever come, where death could no more enter! What tidings could be more joyful to the soul than these?
"Now, the inhabitants of this fallen world have been most positively assured by the word of God, that their bodies shall all live again—that they shall be called forth from the dust and be reorganized, and that the same spirits which have once inhabited them, shall animate them again. This redemption of the body is not a partial one—that is, the body is not merely redeemed from the grave to a life of mortality subject to a second dissolution, but it is redeemed to immortality—the spirit being reunited with the body never more to be disunited.
"The resurrection of the body from the dust will be effected by the word and power of God. The Spirit of God which dwells in the elements, will by His command, bring them together, depositing every particle in its proper position, so as to form a perfect tabernacle. The deformities existing in the mortal body, will not appear in our resurrected bodies; but all who are counted worthy to receive a celestial body, will appear in the image and likeness of the glorified body" of Jesus; and his body is in the express image and likeness of his Father's person. Paul in speaking of the resurrection says that Jesus "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." (Philippians iii, 21). Notwithstanding we shall be fashioned like his body, yet there will be a variety of features and sizes by which one will be distinguished from another, the same as in this life. The likeness will be in the general outlines—in the perfection of the organization—in the beautiful adjustment of the several parts —in the perfect symmetry of the whole — and in the purity, immortality and glory with which it is filled and surrounded. In all these respects there will be a perfect likeness. But when sizes are compared, there will be a great variety, from the tabernacles of infants up through every grade to those of gigantic magnitude. Although there will be an endless variety of features, yet all will appear equally glorious and beautiful; the beauty being the result of the perfection and glory of the spirit inhabiting the tabernacle. There will undoubtedly be distinguishing characteristics relating to the age attained previous to the dissolution. This distinction will probably be manifested, in some small degree, in the countenance and in the color of the hair, and in the difference of size between the child and the man of grey hairs. In all the works of God, we behold a resemblance among classes; but a variety among individuals belonging to each class. All the planets of our system resemble each other more or less in form; but in magnitude and in many other respects, there is a great variety. In every species of animals and plants, there are many resemblances in the general outlines, and many specific differences characterizing the individuals of each species. So in the resurrection: there will be several classes of resurrection bodies; some celestial, some terrestrial, some telestial, and some sons of perdition. Each of these classes will differ from the others by prominent and marked distinctions; yet in each, considered by itself, there will be found many resemblances as well as distinctions. There will be some physical peculiarity by which each individual in every class can be identified."
After arguing this subject from a scientific standpoint on the question, "Will the same identical materials composing the mortal body be reorganized in the resurrection body?" and showing most conclusively that there will be a sufficient quantity of those materials brought forth to form a perfect immortal tabernacle for the spirits, Apostle Orson Pratt continues the subject in the following strain of sublime thought:
"The resurrection is a gift bestowed upon all mankind. Because of the fall the human race forfeited their bodies and lost them; but the Son of God having given his body to the shafts of death, and suffered in man's behalf, wrought out a full and perfect redemption for the bodies of all the human family; not a redemption which immediately restores man to immortality, but a redemption which grapples with the monster death, after he has overpowered his victim and laid him low in the grave. Justice armed death with eternal powers; it authorized him to destroy all nations and generations, and plunge them into the dismal gulf, and to set an eternal seal upon them; it gave him power to bind them down with everlasting chains which no man could loose; the huge gates were closed; the bolts, and bars, and locks, were firmly fastened; a world of fallen beings was enclosed in the eternal prison of the grave ; all nature wept, and eternity was clothed in mourning, while the greedy monster death, having satiated his capacious maw, sat enthroned upon the funeral pile exulting in the eternal ruin of a once beautiful world!
But hark! A voice is heard on high of one mighty and strong! It is the voice of one who pleads! Ah, see! He stands before the majestic throne, where justice sits ! He weeps, but not for him self; it is for fallen man ! Listen ! He speaks of mercy for a ruined world ! What compassion swells his bosom! What lovely words pour forth in melting strains of mercy ! Justice is moved to tears, but still holds fast the flaming law, and with sword unsheathed exclaims, "How can I show mercy! Must not the penalties of my law be inflicted, and the honor of my throne be maintained?" The merciful—the kind — the Holy One, with bowels yearning over the miseries of a fallen world, replies: "On me, O Justice, let all thy vengeance fall! but spare these my brethren !" Mercy prevailed—the offer was accepted —and the Only Begotten of the Father left the peaceful heavenly mansions of glory, to suffer, to die, to enter the sol', aides of the grave, to unbar the gates of death, and break the everlasting chains, and say to the sleeping nations, "live."
In the spring of 1854, Elder Pratt left Washington, D. C, for Utah. At the April conference he and Orson Spencer were called to go on a mission to Cincinnati to establish a gathering place for the Saints. He returned to Salt Lake City August 27th, accompanied by H. S. Eldredge, F. Kesler and George Halliday.
On the 11th day of November, 1850, Professor Pratt made an astronomical discovery of a law governing planetary rotation. Even if we had time and space to devote to the insertion of extracts from his able pen upon his discovery of this law, so abstruse a subject, to the generality of readers, may not be of much interest, any further than as they take an interest in the progress of science and general education.
Professor Pratt was a self-educated man, and like many of his brethren, he had to struggle on through poverty, sustain his family, preach the Gospel, and attend to the varied duties of his calling in the Priesthood. But amidst all this, he was a most devoted student of the sciences of mathematics and astronomy. The discovery of this law, together with many other mathematical problems and discoveries obtaining in the solar system, which he has so ably set forth, from time to time, in his lectures and writings, will rank him with such men as Kepler, La Place, Newton and many others by whom have been discovered some of the general laws which govern the planetary worlds.
It is related that when Professor Proctor the world-renowned astronomer was lecturing in this city, he took occasion to refer to Professor Pratt, and among his remarks he stated that, in his opinion, there were only four real mathematicians in the world and Professor Orson Pratt was one of that number.
On the 11th of September, 1855, Professor Pratt and Jessie W. Fox started for Green river in order to survey and determine the northern boundary line of Utah Territory, at a point where it crosses the river.
At the general conference held April 6th, 1856, Elder Pratt was appointed to the presidency of the British Mission. He left Salt Lake City on the 22nd of April, and arrived in Liverpool, England, July 13th with five other elders. While in England he edited the Millennial Star, published many pamphlets and attended to various duties as president of the mission. He left Liverpool in October, 1857, and returned by way of California, while the army was en route to Utah, arriving home about the 20th of January, 1858. The following spring he moved his family south to Fillmore, and returned to Salt Lake City the following summer. On September 23rd, 1860, he was called on a mission to the United States, and left the valley for the same October 1st. He returned in the fall of 1861. In 1862 he moved a portion of his family to St. George in the southern part of the Territory, where he presided for about two years.
On the 24th of April, 1864, he was set apart for a mission to Austria. He with Elder William Riter, went to that land, but in consequence of the stringent laws was unable to open the door of the kingdom of that nation, but bore his testimony to the authorities and left, going over to England, where he visited the conferences and labored assiduously.
In May, 1866, while in England, he published an edition of his mathematical work entitled Pratt's Cubic and Biquadratic Equations. He returned home August 4th, 1867. In the summer of 1869, he went to New York City and transcribed and published the Book of Mormon in phonetic characters called the Deseret Alphabet, and returned in the fall of that year.
In August, 1870, he held the famous three day's discussion with Dr. J. P. Newman on the subject of "Does the Bible Sanction Polygamy?" totally routing that debater, for which he never forgave the Mormons.
At the adjourned general conference in 1874, he was appointed and sustained as historian and general church recorder, which position he retained till his decease. He superintended the compilation of over thirty thousand foolscap pages of documental history of the Church.
On the 18th of July, 1877, he once more left his home to cross the ocean to England, this time to transcribe and publish an edition of the Book of Mormon in the Pitman phonetic characters. He arrived in England August 9th, 1877. In consequence of the death of President Brigham Young he was soon called home without accomplishing his mission. Leaving England on the 12th of September he arrived home on the 27th of the same month.
On the 3rd of September, 1878, he went East with Apostle Joseph F. Smith, visiting David Whitmer in Richmond, Missouri, the Hill Cumorah and other places figuring in the history of the Church, and returned on the 3rd of October. On the 3rd of December, 1878, he started again for England to stereotype the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, which he arranged in verses, with foot notes and references. He also published his astronomical work — Key to the Universe, or a New Theory of its Mechanism, founded upon a constant propulsion and resistance. We will also note that it was while upon this mission Professor Pratt made the important discovery in regard to the chronology and symbolism of the great prophetic pyramid of Egypt, as portrayed in its grand gallery's great step. His discovery demonstrates that the date of the great event of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is symbolized in the grand gallery's chronological floor line. This discovery was made to him, as if by inspiration, in the night time, while in London, when meditating on the subject, after he had been reading some works on the Pyramid. He was tempted, then and there, to arise in the night, make the necessary calculations and satisfy his mind; but he concluded to delay till morning. Judge of his surprise and pleasure, when making the line from the upper frontal edge of the step perpendicular with the inclined floor of the gallery, and continuing the measurement of the gallery to that point, he found it demonstrated by plain figures, that it reached the Pyramid date of April 6th, 1830. That is, the length of the floor line of the Grand Gallery from the north wall to the base of the square with the upper frontal edge of the Grand Step, being one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine, two thousand six hundred and twenty five ten thousandths Pyramid inches, or one thousand eight hundred and twenty- nine years completed, and two thousand six hundred and twenty- five ten thousandths of the year A. D. 1830; corresponding to nine o'clock p. m. Pyramid time, or about two o'clock p. m. at Fayette, Seneca County, New York; the exact day on which the Church and Kingdom of God was organized by the revelation and commandment of the Most High.
While upon this mission Elder Pratt worked for weeks at a stretch not less than eighteen hours out of the twenty-four. And, in fact, while sitting so closely confined at his desk in Liverpool, he began to show symptoms of the complaint which finally resulted in carrying him off. From this important and laborious mission he returned September 2nd, 1879.
At home Elder Pratt visited a number of conferences, attended the legislature, acting in his usual capacity as Speaker of the House. He was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly during its first session, and at each successive session when he was in the Territory, and seven times was chosen speaker of the House. From this time on his health was poor, much of the time being unable to leave his room. The disease with which he was attacked was diabetes from which he suffered severely. However, he recovered in a great measure from that disease, but was much emaciated, and though able to be out and meet with his brethren occasionally, he was still feeble.
On Sunday, September 18th, 1881, he addressed the congregation in the Tabernacle in a clear and forcible manner, speaking about twenty minutes. His remarks were published in the Deseret Evening News of Monday, the 26th. He then expressed a desire to live that he might again lift up his voice as a missionary to the nations of the earth. Next day he was seventy years old and felt well. He afterwards attended some business meetings in relation to the Historian's Office, and the exertion of mind told heavily upon him. He was seized with vomiting and was again prostrated, and gradually sank, with brief and fitful times of reviving, until midnight on Sunday, when he visibly rallied. Members of his family in the city were summoned, who gathered around his bed and gazed with mournful sadness upon his venerable countenance before he sank into his last gentle slumber. At the very minute of his decease, Apostle C. C. Rich, who had been sick for a long time, was sending this dispatch to the deceased's son, Milando Pratt:
"Paris, Idaho, October 3rd, 1881, 8:35 a. m.—How is your father? I am anxious to hear.
C. C. Rich."
The news of Apostle Pratt's decease, was mournfully received. Telegrams were forwarded to every part of the Territory with the sad tidings, and expressions of sorrow were heard on every hand. No man in the Church was better known or more widely respected. His refined and intelligent countenance, silvery hair and beard, dignified manner and powerful public address, were familiar to all, and he left an impression upon the Church and the world that will be felt in time and eternity.
Milando Pratt.
Pratt, Milando. "Life and Labors of Orson Pratt." Contributor. October 1891. pg. 460-465.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
The funeral services of Apostle Orson Pratt were solemnized in the large Tabernacle at the convening of the Fifty first Semi-Annual Conference, on Thursday morning, October 6th, 1881, the congregation being exceedingly large. The casket containing the remains was borne into the Tabernacle by several of the Apostles. It was beautifully decorated with flowers and placed in an elevated position above the Bishop's stand, which was also decorated with bouquets and floral emblems. The stands were heavily draped in mourning.
The opening exercises consisted of beautiful singing by the choir and prayer by Apostle Franklin D. Richards. President John Taylor in opening the proceedings said: * * * "We are placed to-day under rather peculiar circumstances; while we attend to our conference, we at the same time are called to perform the obsequies connected with the death of our beloved Brother and Apostle, Orson Pratt. This is rather a peculiar phase to be entertained in a conference capacity, yet he, though dead, lives, and while he lives in the heavens, he lives also in the hearts of the Saints and of the Holy Priesthood, and we could not have a more fitting opportunity to attend to the obsequies of our beloved brother." After a few more remarks concerning another occurrence connected with the death of Elder Feramorz L. Young, son of President Brigham Young, who in returning from a mission to Mexico, in company with Moses Thatcher, one of the Twelve, died and was buried at sea between Havana and New York, and whose memorial services were designed to be held immediately following Brother Pratt's, Apostle Wilford Woodruff" arose and gave a few instructions about the order agreed upon in relation to the public viewing the remains.
The conference was adjourned until one o'clock p. m. The choir sang the anthem:
"The Lord will comfort Zion."
Benediction by President Joseph F. Smith.
The casket was then lowered, and the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles, the Presidency of the Stake and other authorities took a farewell look at the countenance of their venerable fellow laborer, and the vast assemblage filed past in double columns, the eyes of many being filled with tears as they gazed upon the face of the man whose voice had been lifted up both long and loud for so many years in Israel and among the nations, proclaiming the glad tidings of eternal salvation.
During the intermission some seven or eight thousand people viewed the remains. At one o'clock, the casket was again elevated and then, the Tabernacle being filled in every part, followed the obsequies of Apostle Pratt. The following is only a brief , synopsis of the remarks of the respective speakers:
President Wilford Woodruff said if he were to express his desire to the Lord it would be, O Lord, give us grace that we may be able to accomplish the work required of us. But oh, the chains that bind this immortal spirit ? Sometimes he felt, oh that he could break the bands of mortality and open his eyes in the spirit world to receive that which Orson Pratt is now enjoying. But we must be patient and be willing to abide our time. It would be impossible to give the history of that great man, or to depict the glory that awaits him. It would take the trump of the sixth angel to do that. He had been associated with Brother Pratt many years; the first testimony he every heard from him was in a house in Kirtland, in April, 1834. He went with him to Missouri, in Zion's Camp. In traveling a thousand miles with the Prophet, those who were in that company received an experience which they can never forget. Men were reduced to mere skeletons with the cholera, and many died. Brother Pratt while suffering from its effects, manifested that indomitable will which has since been many times exhibited. He struggled with death and overcame by faith in God. Brother Pratt had lived longer in this Church, traveled more miles and preached more sermons than any man in it. He had baptized thousands, and fulfilled the revelation given to him through the Prophet Joseph Smith, November 4th, 1830. His garments were clear from the blood of this generation. He had studied and written more upon the Gospel and upon science than any man in the Church. He had now gone home. It was all right. This event the speaker had expected for some months. Before he left on his late visit to St. George he had laid his hands upon Brother Pratt and blessed him. This was recorded in his journal which the historian could read after the speaker's death. "If Brother Pratt could speak to this assembly after meeting with the Prophet Joseph and his brethren in the spirit world, he would say to the Apostles, the Seventies, the High Priests, the Elders, the Lesser Priesthood and the Saints, 'can you afford to spend one hour in neglect of this great work, upon the things of this world?' The spirit of Brother Pratt is alive to day and will live as long as our Heavenly Father lives. His testimony is closed, his voice is hushed in death, but it will not be a great while for some of us, before we hear it in the spirit world. Let the living work while the day lasts. Brother Pratt makes the ninth Apostle that had left us who came through Emigration Canon in 1847. This enjoined us to be also ready. * * * Sleep on Brother Orson, then with the Quorum thou shalt meet in bliss and spend eternal day."
Apostle Lorenzo Snow said, could Brother Pratt have the privilege to communicate with us he would say, "Mourn not for me, I have passed through the fiery ordeal; I have, through the blessing of God, obtained the victory, and there is secured to me the privilege of receiving a body glorified. That body through which I have ministered shall be made glorious. I have been able to pass through affliction and temptation and obtained the victory."
Apostle F. D. Richards felt that we had assembled under very peculiar circumstances. We had not done with mourning for the loss of the President of the United States, before we were called to mourn the loss of the presence and services of an Apostle of the Lord. * * * Brother Pratt's life had been distinguished by the labors of over half a century in this cause. He had received his Priesthood from the hands of those who obtained it direct from Peter, James and John, going forth preaching and writing under the spirit of inspiration in his youthful days. The speaker had labored much with him, and testified that if any man had a right to the title of "meek," it was Brother Orson Pratt ; and while his nature was so firm that it amounted almost to obstinacy, yet he always yielded to that which was declared by authority. Brother Pratt was a studious, assiduous worker, preparing himself by acquiring a thorough education, to meet all that might rise against him, seeking by inspiration to learn all that could be known. The speaker referred to the testimony of Professor Proctor that Brother Pratt's works on astronomy were entitled to the admiration and respect of the scientific world. When this Church was in poverty, in want, he labored and toiled continually in its interests, as well as when he was placed in a condition of greater comfort. In speaking of the life's labors of such a man it was difficult to tell where to begin and where to end. He had, however, finished his work, fought the fight, and kept the faith, and secured his crown. He was now where his powers were extended, where, doubtless, he could see as he was seen, and know as he was known. The speaker had sat at his feet, being pleased to learn of him. He was glad for him, for he was now resting from his labors, and his works would follow him in his generations. He had earned the power to bless all of his posterity who would be obedient. "O that God would help us all that our end might be like his, and may God comfort the bereaved, and make them to feel that the Judge of all the earth has done right."
President John Taylor said it would be impossible during the limited time allotted to this meeting to do justice to the life and labors of Orson Pratt. That must be left to history. * * * Do we feel sorrowful when a good man goes back to God who gave him life ? No. Not if we understand the truth. The Scripture says, "He that hath eternal life is rich." There lies a rich man. He has fought the good fight and he is all right. Brother Pratt was foreordained to hold the Priesthood which was given to him and he came at the right time. Would I wish to retain for a momenta man whose services were required behind the veil ? No, I would not. There is a work to be done there a thousand times as great as here, and what have I to say against his departure ? Nothing whatever. The Priesthood ministers in time and in eternity. * * * Brother Pratt had gone to labor behind the veil. He had gone to join his Quorum and we should not be sorrowful. Let us try to imitate the examples of Brother Orson wherein they were good. The choir sang:
"Mourn not the dead who peaceful lay
Their wearied bodies down."
Benediction by Counselor D. H. Wells. The vast assembly remained seated while the families of the bereaved and the leading authorities of the Church withdrew to attend to the interment.
The remains of the departed Apostle were then conveyed to their resting place, there to sleep until called forth by the trump of the resurrection. A carriage containing members of the Twelve preceded the hearse in the procession; the First Presidency of the Church and Bishop Hunter occupied the carriage which was fifteenth from the head. Then followed an exceedingly large cortege, the whole comprised of fifty-nine carriages filled with mourners. The cortege moved in excellent order and the streets were lined with crowds of spectators as the procession passed to the cemetery, where the remains were deposited to rest in peace until the voice of the Redeemer shall call them forth to be quickened after the power of an endless life.
Just before Apostle Orson Pratt's death, and while lying upon his death-bed, he told President Joseph F. Smith that he wished the following epitaph placed upon his grave-stone:
"My body sleeps but a moment; but my testimony lives and shall endure forever."
These were his exact words as President Joseph F. Smith took them down at the moment in a memorandum book.
At the next Legislature succeeding his death the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:
"Whereas, in the dispensation of Divine Providence, the late Speaker of this House, the Honorable Orson Pratt, has been called to a higher sphere, having departed this life on the third of October, 1881; and
"Whereas, our departed friend and associate was worthy of our highest regard and the general esteem and affection in which he was held by the public at large, as well as by his co-laborers and intimate friends; and
"Whereas, it is our duty and privilege to express, in some public manner, our appreciation of his many good qualities and efficient public services;
"Therefore, Be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah regards the life and labors of the Honorable Orson Pratt with profound admiration, and his character with deep respect. Gifted with remarkable powers, possessing a vigorous intellect and, until his later years, with great physical strength, his highly cultivated powers of mind and body were fully and freely given for the benefit of his fellows. As an astronomer he shone with stars of the first magnitude. As a mathematician he stood in the foremost rank. As a theologian he had few equals. As a writer he was forcible, logical, perspicuous, and convincing. As a public speaker he was bold, original, masterly and eloquent. As a legislator he was cautious, discreet, liberal, and progressive. As a gentleman he was courteous, sedate, affable and considerate. His career was most remarkable, showing what may be achieved by self culture and perseverance, in the face of the greatest obstacles. In his boyhood he devoted himself to the good of his race, and he never ceased his exertions until cut down by the scythe of the universal reaper. He was a successful explorer, a hardy pioneer, and one of the very first colonists of this arid mountain region.
''He was a member of this Assembly at its first session, was returned to every succeeding session when not engaged abroad, and during seven sessions acted as Speaker of the House, being its final authority on all questions of rule and order, and no decision that he rendered was ever appealed from. Strictly temperate in his habits, honorable in his dealings, firm in his convictions, courtly in his demeanor, choice in his language, and venerable in his appearance, he commanded respect from all who were favored with his acquaintance.
"We recognize his worth, we deplore his absence, we venerate his memory. And while deeply condoling with his bereaved family and the Territory of Utah in the great loss sustained through his departure, we rejoice in the incalculable good that has accrued from his noble works, and the benefits that will be derived from his library legacies and his illustrious example. He rests from his toil; he sleeps with the just; and no historic title, whether of plumed warrior, or learned sage, or crowned king, will shine more brightly in the eyes of Utah's people than the great and honored name of Orson Pratt.
"And be it further Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes, and that five copies be engrossed and presented to the family of the esteemed deceased."
Before his death the late Apostle Orson Pratt was very fastidious about having family reunions, and one was contemplated and arranged to take place immediately following the October Conference, in the year in which he died, and so anxious was he about its taking place that he did not want it deferred should he himself be unable to attend, or should he pass away. But he died on the third of October, 1881, therefore the family did not feel like holding the reunion so soon after his demise, and it was postponed. At one of these family reunions, sometime after Brother Pratt's demise, at which there were about two hundred members of the family and relatives assembled on his anniversary birthday, in answer to an invitation sent out, among others the following tribute was received and read during the interesting proceedings of that occasion :
To the Committee on Invitation:
Dear Brethren:—I hereby acknowledge the receipt of an invitation to attend the commemoration of the birthday of Orson Pratt (deceased) by his numerous family and friends, to take place on the 19th instant. I very much regret being unable to be present on that occasion, previous arrangements having been made to do vicarious work for the dead of my father's house, in Logan Temple. It would have gratified me very much to have participated with you in the celebration of the natal day of so great and good a man as Orson Pratt—a man who did honor to the names of husband, father and apostle. He was a profound student of nature. He attained the dazzling height in the realms of mathematics to which but few men ascend in one generation. He was no less profound in his acquirements of divine knowledge, as his many works abundantly attest. His logical acumen, and unusual mental powers, were brought to bear in lucid reasoning to portray and establish the faith and doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in so masterly a manner, that many thousands of the disciples of that faith owe their conversion to the truth to his earnest and extensive labors at home and abroad. By divine inspiration, he has left an impression upon this generation that will not be effaced. He has left behind him choice memories, that will live in the recollections of a host of veterans in the great cause of humanity, and a name and fame that will survive the loftiest monuments of the world.
Yours fraternally,
Geo. G. Bywater.
Orson Pratt was the last of the original council of the Twelve Apostles of this Church. He crossed the ocean sixteen times on missions of salvation. Although his family was small in comparison to some of the ancient patriarchs; yet he was the father of sixteen sons and six teen daughters, and left at his demise forty-three grandchildren. "He was one of the most remarkable men of the age. Probably there have not been many to surpass him in some respects among the sons of men. He was one of those peculiar spirits not liable to be too highly appreciated among their more practical fellow-men. He was a kind of world within himself, and was frequently oblivious to his grosser surroundings in this. Most of the time he dwelt in the world of thought, and being in mental pursuit of the profound, he was liable to be looked upon as a child comparatively in the material matters pertaining to every day life. His spirit did not delight in nibbling little bunches of grass in a limited pasture, nor slaking his thirst at a diminutive spring. He was in his element when he could drink copiously of the waters of the ocean of truth and appease his hunger upon the manna of eternity. Men of that stamp are not appreciated by those who hug closely the earth and have to twist their necks in order to catch a glimpse of those who have climbed to the summit of a majestic mountain.
"In relation to persistency, perseverance and power of mental concentration, Brother Pratt was a marvel. To these qualities, combined with his simple faith in God, he doubtless largely owed his success as a theologian, mathematician and astronomer, being in the latter science a discoverer. When engaged upon any problem of importance it was not uncommon for him to work for weeks at a stretch, not less than eighteen hours out of the twenty-four. We have known him to do this. Even in directions where his ability was not especially conspicuous, by perseverance he would master the theory of any subject, as for instance in the matter of languages.
"It might be supposed from the quantity of Professor Pratt's writings occasionally produced within a brief time, that he was a rapid penman. This was not the case, however, as in that particular, as in everything else, he was deliberate and measured. The secret of his being able to do so much within a limited period was that he kept at it, going along at a regular and steady pace, with no breaks to speak of. Men of that character will do immensely more work than the class who operate on the high pressure of lightning process, by spurts. Their work is also generally more thoroughly and carefully done.
''Brother Pratt was more or less methodical in his proceedings. While upon his last mission to Great Britain and engaged in preparing the foot-notes, or references, for the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, and getting his last astronomical work—"The Key to the Universe"—ready for the press, he had a habit of going out daily for exercise. He invariably walked along the same streets in Liverpool, never changing his route, and it almost appeared as if his feet were planted on the same spots each time upon the flagged sidewalks.
"At that time he was greatly exercised in his mind respecting the subject of the redemption of Zion, and he prayed much concerning her deliverance. He repeatedly asked the Lord whether he would live to behold it. He told the writer that the Lord would not give him any satisfaction upon that point, and he doubted whether he would live to see what he desired. While then in Liverpool he began to show symptoms of the complaint which carried him off.
"It is seldom that great men how greatness in all directions. Perhaps all the qualities never appear in anything like even combination in one person. But it is by those who have great specialties as a rule that the great works upon the earth are performed, the peculiar faculties in which one may be deficient being found in another. Thus is the divine economy accomplished by the operation of the infinite variety existing among the sons of men.
"In the case of Brother Pratt the mental advantage of the possession of a sound body was exhibited. He was but little over medium height and of sinewy build. He was capable of much physical activity and endurance, and had strength far above that which is ordinary. Notwithstanding that he usually showed re serve, he occasionally threw it off, and was not always averse to a little sport with the boys. A favorite pastime with some of the muscular brethren used to be in the form of trials of strength by two seating themselves on the ground, each planting his feet against those of the other; both then seized a stout stick and pulled. The one who pulled the other up was the victor. On rare occasions Brother Pratt would take a hand at this game. If there was any one who ever pulled him up we never learned of it.
"His voice, as those who have so often heard it in the Tabernacle know, was remarkably powerful and resonant. There are few, however, who were really aware of its full compass. On one occasion he was in Liverpool preaching in the open air. A man in the crowd he was addressing placed himself in front of and a few feet from Elder Pratt, and began denouncing him. The Apostle, who had a determined will, never deigned to look at the fellow, raised his voice, and drowned that of the disturber. The latter then indulged in louder shouting, Elder Pratt raising his voice proportionately, and proceeding with his discourse until the fellow became exhausted and gave up the contest.
"The late Apostle was not ordinarily communicative in conversation and did not appear to be at home in desultory talk. He could, however, be induced to converse with animation, and was intensely interesting, when a friend knew how to lead him on. The process was for the other party to fix on some profitable topic in line with one of the Elder's peculiar themes. This method generally caused him to fasten his mind upon the subject, and a rich flow of glowing thoughts was the result.
"Orson Pratt was truly an Apostle of the Lord. Full of integrity, firm as a rock to his convictions, true to his brethren and to his, God, earnest and zealous in defense and proclamation of the truth, ever ready to bear testimony to the Latter-day Work, he had a mind stored with Scripture, ancient and modern, was an eloquent speaker, a powerful minister, a logical and convincing writer, an honest man and a great soul who reached out after eternal things, grasped them with the gift of inspiration, and brought them down to the level and comprehension of the common mind- Thousands have been brought into the Church through his preaching in many lands, thousands more by his writings. He set but little store on the wealth of this world, but he has laid up treasures in heaven which will make him eternally rich."
Milando Pratt.
LIFE AND LABORS OF ORSON PRATT.
The funeral services of Apostle Orson Pratt were solemnized in the large Tabernacle at the convening of the Fifty first Semi-Annual Conference, on Thursday morning, October 6th, 1881, the congregation being exceedingly large. The casket containing the remains was borne into the Tabernacle by several of the Apostles. It was beautifully decorated with flowers and placed in an elevated position above the Bishop's stand, which was also decorated with bouquets and floral emblems. The stands were heavily draped in mourning.
The opening exercises consisted of beautiful singing by the choir and prayer by Apostle Franklin D. Richards. President John Taylor in opening the proceedings said: * * * "We are placed to-day under rather peculiar circumstances; while we attend to our conference, we at the same time are called to perform the obsequies connected with the death of our beloved Brother and Apostle, Orson Pratt. This is rather a peculiar phase to be entertained in a conference capacity, yet he, though dead, lives, and while he lives in the heavens, he lives also in the hearts of the Saints and of the Holy Priesthood, and we could not have a more fitting opportunity to attend to the obsequies of our beloved brother." After a few more remarks concerning another occurrence connected with the death of Elder Feramorz L. Young, son of President Brigham Young, who in returning from a mission to Mexico, in company with Moses Thatcher, one of the Twelve, died and was buried at sea between Havana and New York, and whose memorial services were designed to be held immediately following Brother Pratt's, Apostle Wilford Woodruff" arose and gave a few instructions about the order agreed upon in relation to the public viewing the remains.
The conference was adjourned until one o'clock p. m. The choir sang the anthem:
"The Lord will comfort Zion."
Benediction by President Joseph F. Smith.
The casket was then lowered, and the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles, the Presidency of the Stake and other authorities took a farewell look at the countenance of their venerable fellow laborer, and the vast assemblage filed past in double columns, the eyes of many being filled with tears as they gazed upon the face of the man whose voice had been lifted up both long and loud for so many years in Israel and among the nations, proclaiming the glad tidings of eternal salvation.
During the intermission some seven or eight thousand people viewed the remains. At one o'clock, the casket was again elevated and then, the Tabernacle being filled in every part, followed the obsequies of Apostle Pratt. The following is only a brief , synopsis of the remarks of the respective speakers:
President Wilford Woodruff said if he were to express his desire to the Lord it would be, O Lord, give us grace that we may be able to accomplish the work required of us. But oh, the chains that bind this immortal spirit ? Sometimes he felt, oh that he could break the bands of mortality and open his eyes in the spirit world to receive that which Orson Pratt is now enjoying. But we must be patient and be willing to abide our time. It would be impossible to give the history of that great man, or to depict the glory that awaits him. It would take the trump of the sixth angel to do that. He had been associated with Brother Pratt many years; the first testimony he every heard from him was in a house in Kirtland, in April, 1834. He went with him to Missouri, in Zion's Camp. In traveling a thousand miles with the Prophet, those who were in that company received an experience which they can never forget. Men were reduced to mere skeletons with the cholera, and many died. Brother Pratt while suffering from its effects, manifested that indomitable will which has since been many times exhibited. He struggled with death and overcame by faith in God. Brother Pratt had lived longer in this Church, traveled more miles and preached more sermons than any man in it. He had baptized thousands, and fulfilled the revelation given to him through the Prophet Joseph Smith, November 4th, 1830. His garments were clear from the blood of this generation. He had studied and written more upon the Gospel and upon science than any man in the Church. He had now gone home. It was all right. This event the speaker had expected for some months. Before he left on his late visit to St. George he had laid his hands upon Brother Pratt and blessed him. This was recorded in his journal which the historian could read after the speaker's death. "If Brother Pratt could speak to this assembly after meeting with the Prophet Joseph and his brethren in the spirit world, he would say to the Apostles, the Seventies, the High Priests, the Elders, the Lesser Priesthood and the Saints, 'can you afford to spend one hour in neglect of this great work, upon the things of this world?' The spirit of Brother Pratt is alive to day and will live as long as our Heavenly Father lives. His testimony is closed, his voice is hushed in death, but it will not be a great while for some of us, before we hear it in the spirit world. Let the living work while the day lasts. Brother Pratt makes the ninth Apostle that had left us who came through Emigration Canon in 1847. This enjoined us to be also ready. * * * Sleep on Brother Orson, then with the Quorum thou shalt meet in bliss and spend eternal day."
Apostle Lorenzo Snow said, could Brother Pratt have the privilege to communicate with us he would say, "Mourn not for me, I have passed through the fiery ordeal; I have, through the blessing of God, obtained the victory, and there is secured to me the privilege of receiving a body glorified. That body through which I have ministered shall be made glorious. I have been able to pass through affliction and temptation and obtained the victory."
Apostle F. D. Richards felt that we had assembled under very peculiar circumstances. We had not done with mourning for the loss of the President of the United States, before we were called to mourn the loss of the presence and services of an Apostle of the Lord. * * * Brother Pratt's life had been distinguished by the labors of over half a century in this cause. He had received his Priesthood from the hands of those who obtained it direct from Peter, James and John, going forth preaching and writing under the spirit of inspiration in his youthful days. The speaker had labored much with him, and testified that if any man had a right to the title of "meek," it was Brother Orson Pratt ; and while his nature was so firm that it amounted almost to obstinacy, yet he always yielded to that which was declared by authority. Brother Pratt was a studious, assiduous worker, preparing himself by acquiring a thorough education, to meet all that might rise against him, seeking by inspiration to learn all that could be known. The speaker referred to the testimony of Professor Proctor that Brother Pratt's works on astronomy were entitled to the admiration and respect of the scientific world. When this Church was in poverty, in want, he labored and toiled continually in its interests, as well as when he was placed in a condition of greater comfort. In speaking of the life's labors of such a man it was difficult to tell where to begin and where to end. He had, however, finished his work, fought the fight, and kept the faith, and secured his crown. He was now where his powers were extended, where, doubtless, he could see as he was seen, and know as he was known. The speaker had sat at his feet, being pleased to learn of him. He was glad for him, for he was now resting from his labors, and his works would follow him in his generations. He had earned the power to bless all of his posterity who would be obedient. "O that God would help us all that our end might be like his, and may God comfort the bereaved, and make them to feel that the Judge of all the earth has done right."
President John Taylor said it would be impossible during the limited time allotted to this meeting to do justice to the life and labors of Orson Pratt. That must be left to history. * * * Do we feel sorrowful when a good man goes back to God who gave him life ? No. Not if we understand the truth. The Scripture says, "He that hath eternal life is rich." There lies a rich man. He has fought the good fight and he is all right. Brother Pratt was foreordained to hold the Priesthood which was given to him and he came at the right time. Would I wish to retain for a momenta man whose services were required behind the veil ? No, I would not. There is a work to be done there a thousand times as great as here, and what have I to say against his departure ? Nothing whatever. The Priesthood ministers in time and in eternity. * * * Brother Pratt had gone to labor behind the veil. He had gone to join his Quorum and we should not be sorrowful. Let us try to imitate the examples of Brother Orson wherein they were good. The choir sang:
"Mourn not the dead who peaceful lay
Their wearied bodies down."
Benediction by Counselor D. H. Wells. The vast assembly remained seated while the families of the bereaved and the leading authorities of the Church withdrew to attend to the interment.
The remains of the departed Apostle were then conveyed to their resting place, there to sleep until called forth by the trump of the resurrection. A carriage containing members of the Twelve preceded the hearse in the procession; the First Presidency of the Church and Bishop Hunter occupied the carriage which was fifteenth from the head. Then followed an exceedingly large cortege, the whole comprised of fifty-nine carriages filled with mourners. The cortege moved in excellent order and the streets were lined with crowds of spectators as the procession passed to the cemetery, where the remains were deposited to rest in peace until the voice of the Redeemer shall call them forth to be quickened after the power of an endless life.
Just before Apostle Orson Pratt's death, and while lying upon his death-bed, he told President Joseph F. Smith that he wished the following epitaph placed upon his grave-stone:
"My body sleeps but a moment; but my testimony lives and shall endure forever."
These were his exact words as President Joseph F. Smith took them down at the moment in a memorandum book.
At the next Legislature succeeding his death the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:
"Whereas, in the dispensation of Divine Providence, the late Speaker of this House, the Honorable Orson Pratt, has been called to a higher sphere, having departed this life on the third of October, 1881; and
"Whereas, our departed friend and associate was worthy of our highest regard and the general esteem and affection in which he was held by the public at large, as well as by his co-laborers and intimate friends; and
"Whereas, it is our duty and privilege to express, in some public manner, our appreciation of his many good qualities and efficient public services;
"Therefore, Be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah regards the life and labors of the Honorable Orson Pratt with profound admiration, and his character with deep respect. Gifted with remarkable powers, possessing a vigorous intellect and, until his later years, with great physical strength, his highly cultivated powers of mind and body were fully and freely given for the benefit of his fellows. As an astronomer he shone with stars of the first magnitude. As a mathematician he stood in the foremost rank. As a theologian he had few equals. As a writer he was forcible, logical, perspicuous, and convincing. As a public speaker he was bold, original, masterly and eloquent. As a legislator he was cautious, discreet, liberal, and progressive. As a gentleman he was courteous, sedate, affable and considerate. His career was most remarkable, showing what may be achieved by self culture and perseverance, in the face of the greatest obstacles. In his boyhood he devoted himself to the good of his race, and he never ceased his exertions until cut down by the scythe of the universal reaper. He was a successful explorer, a hardy pioneer, and one of the very first colonists of this arid mountain region.
''He was a member of this Assembly at its first session, was returned to every succeeding session when not engaged abroad, and during seven sessions acted as Speaker of the House, being its final authority on all questions of rule and order, and no decision that he rendered was ever appealed from. Strictly temperate in his habits, honorable in his dealings, firm in his convictions, courtly in his demeanor, choice in his language, and venerable in his appearance, he commanded respect from all who were favored with his acquaintance.
"We recognize his worth, we deplore his absence, we venerate his memory. And while deeply condoling with his bereaved family and the Territory of Utah in the great loss sustained through his departure, we rejoice in the incalculable good that has accrued from his noble works, and the benefits that will be derived from his library legacies and his illustrious example. He rests from his toil; he sleeps with the just; and no historic title, whether of plumed warrior, or learned sage, or crowned king, will shine more brightly in the eyes of Utah's people than the great and honored name of Orson Pratt.
"And be it further Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the minutes, and that five copies be engrossed and presented to the family of the esteemed deceased."
Before his death the late Apostle Orson Pratt was very fastidious about having family reunions, and one was contemplated and arranged to take place immediately following the October Conference, in the year in which he died, and so anxious was he about its taking place that he did not want it deferred should he himself be unable to attend, or should he pass away. But he died on the third of October, 1881, therefore the family did not feel like holding the reunion so soon after his demise, and it was postponed. At one of these family reunions, sometime after Brother Pratt's demise, at which there were about two hundred members of the family and relatives assembled on his anniversary birthday, in answer to an invitation sent out, among others the following tribute was received and read during the interesting proceedings of that occasion :
To the Committee on Invitation:
Dear Brethren:—I hereby acknowledge the receipt of an invitation to attend the commemoration of the birthday of Orson Pratt (deceased) by his numerous family and friends, to take place on the 19th instant. I very much regret being unable to be present on that occasion, previous arrangements having been made to do vicarious work for the dead of my father's house, in Logan Temple. It would have gratified me very much to have participated with you in the celebration of the natal day of so great and good a man as Orson Pratt—a man who did honor to the names of husband, father and apostle. He was a profound student of nature. He attained the dazzling height in the realms of mathematics to which but few men ascend in one generation. He was no less profound in his acquirements of divine knowledge, as his many works abundantly attest. His logical acumen, and unusual mental powers, were brought to bear in lucid reasoning to portray and establish the faith and doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in so masterly a manner, that many thousands of the disciples of that faith owe their conversion to the truth to his earnest and extensive labors at home and abroad. By divine inspiration, he has left an impression upon this generation that will not be effaced. He has left behind him choice memories, that will live in the recollections of a host of veterans in the great cause of humanity, and a name and fame that will survive the loftiest monuments of the world.
Yours fraternally,
Geo. G. Bywater.
Orson Pratt was the last of the original council of the Twelve Apostles of this Church. He crossed the ocean sixteen times on missions of salvation. Although his family was small in comparison to some of the ancient patriarchs; yet he was the father of sixteen sons and six teen daughters, and left at his demise forty-three grandchildren. "He was one of the most remarkable men of the age. Probably there have not been many to surpass him in some respects among the sons of men. He was one of those peculiar spirits not liable to be too highly appreciated among their more practical fellow-men. He was a kind of world within himself, and was frequently oblivious to his grosser surroundings in this. Most of the time he dwelt in the world of thought, and being in mental pursuit of the profound, he was liable to be looked upon as a child comparatively in the material matters pertaining to every day life. His spirit did not delight in nibbling little bunches of grass in a limited pasture, nor slaking his thirst at a diminutive spring. He was in his element when he could drink copiously of the waters of the ocean of truth and appease his hunger upon the manna of eternity. Men of that stamp are not appreciated by those who hug closely the earth and have to twist their necks in order to catch a glimpse of those who have climbed to the summit of a majestic mountain.
"In relation to persistency, perseverance and power of mental concentration, Brother Pratt was a marvel. To these qualities, combined with his simple faith in God, he doubtless largely owed his success as a theologian, mathematician and astronomer, being in the latter science a discoverer. When engaged upon any problem of importance it was not uncommon for him to work for weeks at a stretch, not less than eighteen hours out of the twenty-four. We have known him to do this. Even in directions where his ability was not especially conspicuous, by perseverance he would master the theory of any subject, as for instance in the matter of languages.
"It might be supposed from the quantity of Professor Pratt's writings occasionally produced within a brief time, that he was a rapid penman. This was not the case, however, as in that particular, as in everything else, he was deliberate and measured. The secret of his being able to do so much within a limited period was that he kept at it, going along at a regular and steady pace, with no breaks to speak of. Men of that character will do immensely more work than the class who operate on the high pressure of lightning process, by spurts. Their work is also generally more thoroughly and carefully done.
''Brother Pratt was more or less methodical in his proceedings. While upon his last mission to Great Britain and engaged in preparing the foot-notes, or references, for the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, and getting his last astronomical work—"The Key to the Universe"—ready for the press, he had a habit of going out daily for exercise. He invariably walked along the same streets in Liverpool, never changing his route, and it almost appeared as if his feet were planted on the same spots each time upon the flagged sidewalks.
"At that time he was greatly exercised in his mind respecting the subject of the redemption of Zion, and he prayed much concerning her deliverance. He repeatedly asked the Lord whether he would live to behold it. He told the writer that the Lord would not give him any satisfaction upon that point, and he doubted whether he would live to see what he desired. While then in Liverpool he began to show symptoms of the complaint which carried him off.
"It is seldom that great men how greatness in all directions. Perhaps all the qualities never appear in anything like even combination in one person. But it is by those who have great specialties as a rule that the great works upon the earth are performed, the peculiar faculties in which one may be deficient being found in another. Thus is the divine economy accomplished by the operation of the infinite variety existing among the sons of men.
"In the case of Brother Pratt the mental advantage of the possession of a sound body was exhibited. He was but little over medium height and of sinewy build. He was capable of much physical activity and endurance, and had strength far above that which is ordinary. Notwithstanding that he usually showed re serve, he occasionally threw it off, and was not always averse to a little sport with the boys. A favorite pastime with some of the muscular brethren used to be in the form of trials of strength by two seating themselves on the ground, each planting his feet against those of the other; both then seized a stout stick and pulled. The one who pulled the other up was the victor. On rare occasions Brother Pratt would take a hand at this game. If there was any one who ever pulled him up we never learned of it.
"His voice, as those who have so often heard it in the Tabernacle know, was remarkably powerful and resonant. There are few, however, who were really aware of its full compass. On one occasion he was in Liverpool preaching in the open air. A man in the crowd he was addressing placed himself in front of and a few feet from Elder Pratt, and began denouncing him. The Apostle, who had a determined will, never deigned to look at the fellow, raised his voice, and drowned that of the disturber. The latter then indulged in louder shouting, Elder Pratt raising his voice proportionately, and proceeding with his discourse until the fellow became exhausted and gave up the contest.
"The late Apostle was not ordinarily communicative in conversation and did not appear to be at home in desultory talk. He could, however, be induced to converse with animation, and was intensely interesting, when a friend knew how to lead him on. The process was for the other party to fix on some profitable topic in line with one of the Elder's peculiar themes. This method generally caused him to fasten his mind upon the subject, and a rich flow of glowing thoughts was the result.
"Orson Pratt was truly an Apostle of the Lord. Full of integrity, firm as a rock to his convictions, true to his brethren and to his, God, earnest and zealous in defense and proclamation of the truth, ever ready to bear testimony to the Latter-day Work, he had a mind stored with Scripture, ancient and modern, was an eloquent speaker, a powerful minister, a logical and convincing writer, an honest man and a great soul who reached out after eternal things, grasped them with the gift of inspiration, and brought them down to the level and comprehension of the common mind- Thousands have been brought into the Church through his preaching in many lands, thousands more by his writings. He set but little store on the wealth of this world, but he has laid up treasures in heaven which will make him eternally rich."
Milando Pratt.
Nicholson, John. "Recollections of Orson Pratt, An Interesting and Unique Personality." Young Woman's Journal. January 1899. pg. 19-22.
RECOLLECTIONS OF ORSON PRATT.
AN INTERESTING AND UNIQUE PERSONALITY.
John Nicholson
Orson Pratt will always stand as a conspicuous figure in the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was not only a man of masterly intellect, but a remarkably strong character. He differed from his brother Parley— the latter was a poet as well as a philosopher. There was very little poetry about Orson. He was, however, a great thinker and investigator. But I do not design to write of the products of his massive intellect. They tell their own tale, so far as they remain. The peculiarities of great men who have performed well their part on the mortal stage are matters of interest as well as their attainments and achievements. It gives us delight to learn that they were human, and the knowledge of this fact draws them closer to the hearts of more ordinary mortals.
I first met Elder Pratt in London, in the summer of 1865. He had a striking appearance—slightly over medium height, a square muscular figure, indicating unusual physical strength and activity; a complexion somewhat fair, features of medium proportions, small greyish blue eyes, which almost invariably had the appearance of gazing at some distant object, indicating mental contemplation of subjects which had no relation to his immediate environments. He had a long flowing white beard.
When giving attention to objects in close proximity to himself he usually concluded his scrutiny with striking dispatch. I soon made the discovery of this characteristic, as I undertook, in his company, to survey the artistic productions in the immense picture galleries of Sydenham Palace. Those who have entered upon such an undertaking know that a very long tract of ground has to be traversed in order to accomplish such a feat. He would hover for a few seconds over some picture that seemed to strike his fancy and then stride along for a considerable distance at a pace which tested my ability to keep from parting company with him, yet I have never been rated as a sluggish pedestrian. While forging along he kept glancing furtively at the splendid array of art specimens, until his attention was again and again momentarily arrested. The rapidity of our travel combined with my frequent efforts to obtain even a transitory view of the numerous magnificent masterpieces of the most renowned artists of the age nearly made my head swim. I finally gave up trying and devoted my efforts almost solely to an endeavor to prevent my illustrious companion from escaping beyond my reach.
If, in place of the array of gorgeous paintings, there had been a mathematical problem sketched upon a blackboard, I believe it would have held his riveted attention for an entire day, had it been necessary for him to devote that length of time to reach its solution.
The acquaintance formed in London was shortly afterwards renewed in the Birmingham conference, of which I was in charge during that year. He remained there nearly two months, previous to hi s departure for Austria, accompanied by Elder William W. Riter, to endeavor to open a door for the Gospel in that priest-ridden country. I made many preaching appointments for him in Birmingham and surrounding districts, all of which he filled. The people turned out in large numbers to hear him. At that time he was preparing an elaborate mathematical pamphlet, entitled, “A Simpler Method of Abstracting the Cube Root.” When his time was not broken into by appointments, he would begin his studies at 6 a. m. and, barring interruptions to fill appointments, would continue in a condition of mental absorption until midnight, and occasionally even beyond that hour.
He occupied an upstairs room, and when he was reminded that it was time for him to depart for some place where he was expected to preach, he would lift his head, gaze at the intruder with much gravity of expression and say, “All right; I will be ready in a few minutes,” and then apparently at once relapse into his former condition of obliviousness as to anything on this earth or elsewhere, except the formidable columns of figures upon which his mind was centered.
The next step on the part of the obtruder was to take his hat and overcoat to him and say, “Now Brother Pratt, we must go. Please let me help you put on your coat.” He would at once comply and away we would go to fill an appointment.
He was an impressive and logical speaker and never at a loss for subjective matter. His voice was clear and resonant, and could be heard distinctly in every part of the largest auditorium, including the Tabernacle, in Salt Lake City. He indulged in no oratorical flights, but invariably held the interest of his hearers. As a rule, his utterance was deliberate, but when he warmed to his theme, the effect was like the momentum of a mountain current.
The intensity of his power of mental concentration has already been referred to. The pictorial impressions upon his mind were evidently indelible, and were thus exhibited until near the close of his career, when his strength was sapped by a physical ailment. As evidence of his retentive capacity. I have heard him preach an elaborate discourse, occupying an hour and a half, and at some future time deliver it again without, so far as I could recollect, the omission of a single detail. Yet the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon him equally on each occasion. There was of course no immediate preparation, farther than what had been evolved from his mind by writing in previous years.
I got very close to him, and soon discovered that there was a warm social side to his character. Besides public appointments there were others, more numerous, of a private nature, in which his humanity was wont to shine—visiting the Saints in their homes. When in the midst of the family circle, enjoying the hospitality of some kind host and hostess, I discovered the way to bring out the sociable side of his personality—.by asking him questions. The Saints would also have recourse to this process. The result was an enjoyment that can only be afforded by listening to a noble and intelligent veteran servant of God relate interesting incidents of his personal experience and give clear expositions of the doctrines and principles of the Gospel of Christ.
Like all great men whom I have met, he was the embodiment of simplicity, and even he was an exemplification of the fact that “A little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the wisest men.” He could indulge occasionally in a hearty laugh. For instance, at the house of one of the brethren in Birmingham, while dinner was in progress, there was a somewhat general telling of humorous anecdotes. I told one I had heard about an old man whose occupation was cutting epitaphs on tombstones. He had one to execute which had the following inscription: “He lived a life of righteousness and hereafter there is laid up for him a crown.” He miscalculated the spacing and therefore had not room enough for the last word, so, in place of it he put *s; “Hereafter there is laid up for him five shillings” —a crown in English money.
There seemed nothing particularly funny about this, but its ludicrousness struck Brother Pratt in such a way that he not only laughed somewhat immoderately to begin with, but several times afterwards, on the same occasion. When everybody else had probably ceased to think of the old stonecutter, he would find vent in an explosion of laughter. This delighted all who were present and they joined him every time he thus shook himself up.
His visit afforded me much profit and great pleasure and enabled me to give him a warm place in my a lections, which, although he has departed, he still holds, and I can at any time call up, before my “mind's eye,” his interesting figure.
Our next association was in 1879. I was then engaged in the literary and publishing department of the Millennial Star office, under the presidency of Elder William Budge. Elder Pratt arrived in Liverpool in January of that year, for the purpose of publishing the Book of Mormon and Book of Doctrine and Covenants with footnotes, which he accomplished.
He was accompanied on the journey from Utah by Elder B. S. Young. On the morning succeeding their arrival the brethren entered the office just as the first daily mail was delivered. Elder Pratt approached the desk and picked up several letters successively, and read the address on each. All were directed to Elder Young. Turning to those present he enquired, in his measured way: “Who is this B. S. Young?” Someone said, in reply: “That is the brother who accompanied you from Salt Lake City and arrived with you yesterday.” “Well, so it is,” said he, “really I had forgotten.”
Many incidents could be related regarding his absent-mindedness, so common among deep and incessant thinkers. One of his sons told me that one morning his father found great difficulty in putting on his necktie. After fumbling in an ineffectual attempt to do so for some time he took what he imagined was the proper article away from his neck to gaze at it and discovered that he had been vainly endeavoring to adjust his spectacles on his throat.
Another of his sons informed me that one day he met his father on East Temple street, this city. He approached him and enquired about his health. The response was: “I am well, thank you, but really you have the advantage of me. What is your name.” When the identity of the young man was disclosed to him he felt somewhat annoyed and offered a polite apology, which he was assured was unnecessary.
A considerable portion of Elder Pratt's time, at Liverpool in 1879, was devoted to the preparation and publication of a work entitled, “The Key to the Universe,” in which he introduced the principle of propulsion and resistance, by the operation of which. I understood, he held that the planets were maintained in their spheres. It was, of course, mathematical in its character, and necessitated the introduction of immense arrays of figures. This man of masterly power in the solution of vast and intricate problems, did not seem to have cultivated the ability to weigh the mental caliber and culture of his fellowmen. He evidently, as illustrated in mv own case at least, was liable to credit them somewhat extravagantly.
He invited President Budge, Charles W. Nibley, Joseph Bull and myself to listen to a reading of the MSS. of that learned work. A number of hours were thus consumed, but, speaking for myself, the sum total of the information I gleaned was the same at the close as at the beginning of the interview. He seemed to select one of the quartette of auditors at whom to direct his special attention when reaching an unusually potential climax in his treatise. This partial devotion to this particular one of the party only ceased when he discovered that the object of his marked solicitude had gone fast asleep, with his face turned ceilingward.
While engaged in the preparation of this book, and the footnotes for the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the malady which finally carried him off was developed. Beyond attending meetings on Sundays, almost his only recreation was to leave the office every afternoon and walk to St. James' church, about a mile distant, then return and resume his work.
He informed me of many interesting matters associated with himself. One of these was that, on a special occasion, while the Prophet Joseph had his hands upon his head, blessing him, the Prophet spoke in tongues and named a number of worlds he should visit and, as a messenger of the Most High, minister to their inhabitants.
This article is already drawn out to considerable length, yet enough incidents might be related, exhibiting the personality of this great man, to fill a volume. I found him uniformly kind and considerate. The fact that, figuratively speaking, he spent a comparatively brief portion of his mortal span on this solid earth, and wandered among the worlds on high, made him all the more interesting to me. God bless his memory.
RECOLLECTIONS OF ORSON PRATT.
AN INTERESTING AND UNIQUE PERSONALITY.
John Nicholson
Orson Pratt will always stand as a conspicuous figure in the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was not only a man of masterly intellect, but a remarkably strong character. He differed from his brother Parley— the latter was a poet as well as a philosopher. There was very little poetry about Orson. He was, however, a great thinker and investigator. But I do not design to write of the products of his massive intellect. They tell their own tale, so far as they remain. The peculiarities of great men who have performed well their part on the mortal stage are matters of interest as well as their attainments and achievements. It gives us delight to learn that they were human, and the knowledge of this fact draws them closer to the hearts of more ordinary mortals.
I first met Elder Pratt in London, in the summer of 1865. He had a striking appearance—slightly over medium height, a square muscular figure, indicating unusual physical strength and activity; a complexion somewhat fair, features of medium proportions, small greyish blue eyes, which almost invariably had the appearance of gazing at some distant object, indicating mental contemplation of subjects which had no relation to his immediate environments. He had a long flowing white beard.
When giving attention to objects in close proximity to himself he usually concluded his scrutiny with striking dispatch. I soon made the discovery of this characteristic, as I undertook, in his company, to survey the artistic productions in the immense picture galleries of Sydenham Palace. Those who have entered upon such an undertaking know that a very long tract of ground has to be traversed in order to accomplish such a feat. He would hover for a few seconds over some picture that seemed to strike his fancy and then stride along for a considerable distance at a pace which tested my ability to keep from parting company with him, yet I have never been rated as a sluggish pedestrian. While forging along he kept glancing furtively at the splendid array of art specimens, until his attention was again and again momentarily arrested. The rapidity of our travel combined with my frequent efforts to obtain even a transitory view of the numerous magnificent masterpieces of the most renowned artists of the age nearly made my head swim. I finally gave up trying and devoted my efforts almost solely to an endeavor to prevent my illustrious companion from escaping beyond my reach.
If, in place of the array of gorgeous paintings, there had been a mathematical problem sketched upon a blackboard, I believe it would have held his riveted attention for an entire day, had it been necessary for him to devote that length of time to reach its solution.
The acquaintance formed in London was shortly afterwards renewed in the Birmingham conference, of which I was in charge during that year. He remained there nearly two months, previous to hi s departure for Austria, accompanied by Elder William W. Riter, to endeavor to open a door for the Gospel in that priest-ridden country. I made many preaching appointments for him in Birmingham and surrounding districts, all of which he filled. The people turned out in large numbers to hear him. At that time he was preparing an elaborate mathematical pamphlet, entitled, “A Simpler Method of Abstracting the Cube Root.” When his time was not broken into by appointments, he would begin his studies at 6 a. m. and, barring interruptions to fill appointments, would continue in a condition of mental absorption until midnight, and occasionally even beyond that hour.
He occupied an upstairs room, and when he was reminded that it was time for him to depart for some place where he was expected to preach, he would lift his head, gaze at the intruder with much gravity of expression and say, “All right; I will be ready in a few minutes,” and then apparently at once relapse into his former condition of obliviousness as to anything on this earth or elsewhere, except the formidable columns of figures upon which his mind was centered.
The next step on the part of the obtruder was to take his hat and overcoat to him and say, “Now Brother Pratt, we must go. Please let me help you put on your coat.” He would at once comply and away we would go to fill an appointment.
He was an impressive and logical speaker and never at a loss for subjective matter. His voice was clear and resonant, and could be heard distinctly in every part of the largest auditorium, including the Tabernacle, in Salt Lake City. He indulged in no oratorical flights, but invariably held the interest of his hearers. As a rule, his utterance was deliberate, but when he warmed to his theme, the effect was like the momentum of a mountain current.
The intensity of his power of mental concentration has already been referred to. The pictorial impressions upon his mind were evidently indelible, and were thus exhibited until near the close of his career, when his strength was sapped by a physical ailment. As evidence of his retentive capacity. I have heard him preach an elaborate discourse, occupying an hour and a half, and at some future time deliver it again without, so far as I could recollect, the omission of a single detail. Yet the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon him equally on each occasion. There was of course no immediate preparation, farther than what had been evolved from his mind by writing in previous years.
I got very close to him, and soon discovered that there was a warm social side to his character. Besides public appointments there were others, more numerous, of a private nature, in which his humanity was wont to shine—visiting the Saints in their homes. When in the midst of the family circle, enjoying the hospitality of some kind host and hostess, I discovered the way to bring out the sociable side of his personality—.by asking him questions. The Saints would also have recourse to this process. The result was an enjoyment that can only be afforded by listening to a noble and intelligent veteran servant of God relate interesting incidents of his personal experience and give clear expositions of the doctrines and principles of the Gospel of Christ.
Like all great men whom I have met, he was the embodiment of simplicity, and even he was an exemplification of the fact that “A little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the wisest men.” He could indulge occasionally in a hearty laugh. For instance, at the house of one of the brethren in Birmingham, while dinner was in progress, there was a somewhat general telling of humorous anecdotes. I told one I had heard about an old man whose occupation was cutting epitaphs on tombstones. He had one to execute which had the following inscription: “He lived a life of righteousness and hereafter there is laid up for him a crown.” He miscalculated the spacing and therefore had not room enough for the last word, so, in place of it he put *s; “Hereafter there is laid up for him five shillings” —a crown in English money.
There seemed nothing particularly funny about this, but its ludicrousness struck Brother Pratt in such a way that he not only laughed somewhat immoderately to begin with, but several times afterwards, on the same occasion. When everybody else had probably ceased to think of the old stonecutter, he would find vent in an explosion of laughter. This delighted all who were present and they joined him every time he thus shook himself up.
His visit afforded me much profit and great pleasure and enabled me to give him a warm place in my a lections, which, although he has departed, he still holds, and I can at any time call up, before my “mind's eye,” his interesting figure.
Our next association was in 1879. I was then engaged in the literary and publishing department of the Millennial Star office, under the presidency of Elder William Budge. Elder Pratt arrived in Liverpool in January of that year, for the purpose of publishing the Book of Mormon and Book of Doctrine and Covenants with footnotes, which he accomplished.
He was accompanied on the journey from Utah by Elder B. S. Young. On the morning succeeding their arrival the brethren entered the office just as the first daily mail was delivered. Elder Pratt approached the desk and picked up several letters successively, and read the address on each. All were directed to Elder Young. Turning to those present he enquired, in his measured way: “Who is this B. S. Young?” Someone said, in reply: “That is the brother who accompanied you from Salt Lake City and arrived with you yesterday.” “Well, so it is,” said he, “really I had forgotten.”
Many incidents could be related regarding his absent-mindedness, so common among deep and incessant thinkers. One of his sons told me that one morning his father found great difficulty in putting on his necktie. After fumbling in an ineffectual attempt to do so for some time he took what he imagined was the proper article away from his neck to gaze at it and discovered that he had been vainly endeavoring to adjust his spectacles on his throat.
Another of his sons informed me that one day he met his father on East Temple street, this city. He approached him and enquired about his health. The response was: “I am well, thank you, but really you have the advantage of me. What is your name.” When the identity of the young man was disclosed to him he felt somewhat annoyed and offered a polite apology, which he was assured was unnecessary.
A considerable portion of Elder Pratt's time, at Liverpool in 1879, was devoted to the preparation and publication of a work entitled, “The Key to the Universe,” in which he introduced the principle of propulsion and resistance, by the operation of which. I understood, he held that the planets were maintained in their spheres. It was, of course, mathematical in its character, and necessitated the introduction of immense arrays of figures. This man of masterly power in the solution of vast and intricate problems, did not seem to have cultivated the ability to weigh the mental caliber and culture of his fellowmen. He evidently, as illustrated in mv own case at least, was liable to credit them somewhat extravagantly.
He invited President Budge, Charles W. Nibley, Joseph Bull and myself to listen to a reading of the MSS. of that learned work. A number of hours were thus consumed, but, speaking for myself, the sum total of the information I gleaned was the same at the close as at the beginning of the interview. He seemed to select one of the quartette of auditors at whom to direct his special attention when reaching an unusually potential climax in his treatise. This partial devotion to this particular one of the party only ceased when he discovered that the object of his marked solicitude had gone fast asleep, with his face turned ceilingward.
While engaged in the preparation of this book, and the footnotes for the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the malady which finally carried him off was developed. Beyond attending meetings on Sundays, almost his only recreation was to leave the office every afternoon and walk to St. James' church, about a mile distant, then return and resume his work.
He informed me of many interesting matters associated with himself. One of these was that, on a special occasion, while the Prophet Joseph had his hands upon his head, blessing him, the Prophet spoke in tongues and named a number of worlds he should visit and, as a messenger of the Most High, minister to their inhabitants.
This article is already drawn out to considerable length, yet enough incidents might be related, exhibiting the personality of this great man, to fill a volume. I found him uniformly kind and considerate. The fact that, figuratively speaking, he spent a comparatively brief portion of his mortal span on this solid earth, and wandered among the worlds on high, made him all the more interesting to me. God bless his memory.
Fox, Ruth May. "Orson Pratt." Young Woman's Journal. September 1911. pg. 482-483.
Orson Pratt.
By Ruth May Fox.
With keen prophetic vision from the lonely mountain side,
A solitary horseman overlooked a desert wide,
Hemmed in by towering bulwarks fissured here and there
Where the rushing, foaming waters like a lion from its lair
Broke into the desolation, roaring in the solitude
Till it's voice was lulled to murmurs—lost in God’s infinitude;
Looked he on the distant Oquirrhs regal in their majesty,
Watched the sun-god trail his splendor o’er a wondrous, inland sea.
Solemn, awful isolation reigned supreme from rim to rim,
From the snow-clad peaks about him to the lake’s enchanting brim.
Long he gazed on hill and valley, scanned the parched and barren sod,
Meditating in the silence, "Would He lift the chast’ning rod;
Would the cooling’ springs of water quench the thirsting wilderness,
Should the desert bloom and flourish that his people might possess
Once again a habitation wherein peace and love might dwell,
Should His chosen ones be gathered here, their songs of praise to swell?
Yes, so sang an ancient prophet and his words should be fulfilled,
Even now a modern Moses faith impelled, equipped, and skilled
To arouse and set in motion slumb’ring nature’s vital force,
Comes meandering through the defile, finishing a dangerous course,
Over mountain, plain, and river with a little pilgrim band,
Fleeing from the home of freedom(?), searching out an unknown land.
God hath stayed the raging waters, held the tempest by His breath,
Tamed the beasts and red-skinned savage, helped them e’en to vanquish death.
Safely through the wilds they’d wandered in a solitary way,
Where the nights were rent with howlings, where fierce suns beset the day;
And they found no habitation save the star bespangled dome
Pillared by the grand old mountains, yet His choicest gifts would come.
Here should rise a splendid city, glittering with founts and rills;
Here should Zion be established—sit enthroned amid the hills;
Hope emblazoned on her banners, truth should be her cornerstone,
Faith unlock her hidden treasures, Virtue’s crown be all her own.
Rapt he stood, this bronze-faced hero, first of all that gallant few,
To step foot within the valley, first the promised land to view;
While the desert thrilled to gladness, threw aside her discontent,
Giving homage to this great one—to this man magnificent.
Cared he not for earthly honors. Head uncovered to the wind,
He was dreaming of the millions who should come to seek and find
That which had been lost for ages, God’s authority to man,
Now restored through His anointed with salvation’s priceless plan.
Was it chance or was he chosen in the pre-existent state,
To be guide for modern Israel—seeking out the narrow gate
To the chambers of the mountains wherein Ephraim should dwell
When the Lord His hosts should gather from each nation, nook, and dell?
He surely stood amongst the mighty, when the stars together sang,
When the voice of the Eternal through the courts celestial rang:
“These are mine; I have ordained them ministers to yon new sphere,
Prophets, poets, kings and sages, each his work and each his year.”
Orson Pratt.
By Ruth May Fox.
With keen prophetic vision from the lonely mountain side,
A solitary horseman overlooked a desert wide,
Hemmed in by towering bulwarks fissured here and there
Where the rushing, foaming waters like a lion from its lair
Broke into the desolation, roaring in the solitude
Till it's voice was lulled to murmurs—lost in God’s infinitude;
Looked he on the distant Oquirrhs regal in their majesty,
Watched the sun-god trail his splendor o’er a wondrous, inland sea.
Solemn, awful isolation reigned supreme from rim to rim,
From the snow-clad peaks about him to the lake’s enchanting brim.
Long he gazed on hill and valley, scanned the parched and barren sod,
Meditating in the silence, "Would He lift the chast’ning rod;
Would the cooling’ springs of water quench the thirsting wilderness,
Should the desert bloom and flourish that his people might possess
Once again a habitation wherein peace and love might dwell,
Should His chosen ones be gathered here, their songs of praise to swell?
Yes, so sang an ancient prophet and his words should be fulfilled,
Even now a modern Moses faith impelled, equipped, and skilled
To arouse and set in motion slumb’ring nature’s vital force,
Comes meandering through the defile, finishing a dangerous course,
Over mountain, plain, and river with a little pilgrim band,
Fleeing from the home of freedom(?), searching out an unknown land.
God hath stayed the raging waters, held the tempest by His breath,
Tamed the beasts and red-skinned savage, helped them e’en to vanquish death.
Safely through the wilds they’d wandered in a solitary way,
Where the nights were rent with howlings, where fierce suns beset the day;
And they found no habitation save the star bespangled dome
Pillared by the grand old mountains, yet His choicest gifts would come.
Here should rise a splendid city, glittering with founts and rills;
Here should Zion be established—sit enthroned amid the hills;
Hope emblazoned on her banners, truth should be her cornerstone,
Faith unlock her hidden treasures, Virtue’s crown be all her own.
Rapt he stood, this bronze-faced hero, first of all that gallant few,
To step foot within the valley, first the promised land to view;
While the desert thrilled to gladness, threw aside her discontent,
Giving homage to this great one—to this man magnificent.
Cared he not for earthly honors. Head uncovered to the wind,
He was dreaming of the millions who should come to seek and find
That which had been lost for ages, God’s authority to man,
Now restored through His anointed with salvation’s priceless plan.
Was it chance or was he chosen in the pre-existent state,
To be guide for modern Israel—seeking out the narrow gate
To the chambers of the mountains wherein Ephraim should dwell
When the Lord His hosts should gather from each nation, nook, and dell?
He surely stood amongst the mighty, when the stars together sang,
When the voice of the Eternal through the courts celestial rang:
“These are mine; I have ordained them ministers to yon new sphere,
Prophets, poets, kings and sages, each his work and each his year.”
"Orson Pratt's Hundredth Anniversary." Improvement Era. January 1912. pg. 193.
ORSON PRATT'S hundredth anniversary was fittingly celebrated by memorial services in the great Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, October 8, 191 1. He was a man who had but little early opportunity for education, but he became self-educated. His example in doing' things under difficulty should be an inspiration to all who struggle. He ranks easily among the great literary and religious men of England and America, who were born in the early part of the nineteenth century.
Orson Pratt was a deep thinker as well as an industrious and painstaking worker. As a speaker he commanded marked attention ; and his frequent sermons in the great tabernacle were attractive features of the services, in early days. He had something to say, and his sermons were given in a way to interest and convince. Sometimes, because of their length and his calm deliberation, they wearied the boys and other hearers who were fond of lighter matter, but all are better for having heard them.
Orson Pratt devoted his entire life to the cause of God, paying little attention to temporal affairs. Disinterestedness in self marked his whole career. He died poor in things pertaining to this earth, but bounteously rich in patience, gentleness, willingness to obey and abide by counsel, and in spiritual blessings. His name and labors are honored in the Church of Christ, and will make themselves felt for good in many generations to come.
"Orson Pratt," said the Deseret News, at the time of his death, "was truly an Apostle of the Lord. Full of integrity, firm as a rock to his convictions, true to his brethren and to his God, earnest and zealous in defense and proclamation of the truth, ever ready to bear testimony to the Latter-day work, he had a mind stored with scripture, ancient and modern, was an eloquent speaker, a powerful minister, a logical and convincing writer, an honest man, and a great soul who reached out after eternal things, grasped them with the gift of inspiration, and brought them down to the level and comprehension of the common mind. Thousands have been brought into the Church through his preaching in many lands, thousands more by his writings. He set but little store on the wealth of this world, but he has laid up treasures in heaven which will make him eternally rich." — Edward H. Anderson.
ORSON PRATT'S hundredth anniversary was fittingly celebrated by memorial services in the great Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, October 8, 191 1. He was a man who had but little early opportunity for education, but he became self-educated. His example in doing' things under difficulty should be an inspiration to all who struggle. He ranks easily among the great literary and religious men of England and America, who were born in the early part of the nineteenth century.
Orson Pratt was a deep thinker as well as an industrious and painstaking worker. As a speaker he commanded marked attention ; and his frequent sermons in the great tabernacle were attractive features of the services, in early days. He had something to say, and his sermons were given in a way to interest and convince. Sometimes, because of their length and his calm deliberation, they wearied the boys and other hearers who were fond of lighter matter, but all are better for having heard them.
Orson Pratt devoted his entire life to the cause of God, paying little attention to temporal affairs. Disinterestedness in self marked his whole career. He died poor in things pertaining to this earth, but bounteously rich in patience, gentleness, willingness to obey and abide by counsel, and in spiritual blessings. His name and labors are honored in the Church of Christ, and will make themselves felt for good in many generations to come.
"Orson Pratt," said the Deseret News, at the time of his death, "was truly an Apostle of the Lord. Full of integrity, firm as a rock to his convictions, true to his brethren and to his God, earnest and zealous in defense and proclamation of the truth, ever ready to bear testimony to the Latter-day work, he had a mind stored with scripture, ancient and modern, was an eloquent speaker, a powerful minister, a logical and convincing writer, an honest man, and a great soul who reached out after eternal things, grasped them with the gift of inspiration, and brought them down to the level and comprehension of the common mind. Thousands have been brought into the Church through his preaching in many lands, thousands more by his writings. He set but little store on the wealth of this world, but he has laid up treasures in heaven which will make him eternally rich." — Edward H. Anderson.
Whitney, Orson F. "Orson Pratt, Apostle, Pioneer, Philosopher, Scientist and Historian." Improvement Era. January 1912. pg. 194-206.
Orson Pratt Apostle, Pioneer, Philosopher, Scientist and Historian BY ORSON F. WHITNEY, OF THE QUORUM OF TWELVE APOSTLES[1] One hundred years ago, in a humble village of the Empire State, a man was born of whom it was said, as he lay in his casket at Salt Lake City on the 6th of October, 1881, that he had traveled more miles, preached more sermons, studied and written more upon the gospel and upon science, than any other man in the Church. That man was Orson Pratt, and the speaker who eulogized him was Wilford Woodruff, his fellow apostle and pioneer. There were many who knew Orson Pratt better than I, but none admired or esteemed him more. And yet my knowledge of him was not based upon intimate association ; I scarcely knew him in a social way, and never had the opportunity to converse with him. My acquaintance with the man was wholly of a public character, and the information I possess concerning his career is shared by tens of thousands. He was of English and Puritan descent, his father's ancestor, Lieutenant William Pratt, being among the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut. Lieutenant Pratt's father was Reverend William Pratt, of Stevenidge, Hertfordshire, England. Orson Pratt was born at Hartford, Washington county, New York. September 19, 1811. His parents were Jared Pratt and his wife Charity Dickinson. Orson was next to the youngest of six children. His elder brother Parley was destined like himself to become a noted preacher and writer, and one of the earliest settlers of the Rocky Mountain region. Jared Pratt was a weaver and a tiller of the soil. He had no faith in creeds or churches, but taught his children to be moral, and to believe in the Bible. Orson received his first schooling at New Lebanon, Columbia county, in his native state. To that place the family moved when he was three or four years old. He was sent to school several months in each year until the spring of 1822, when he hired out as a farm boy. Whether in school or out, his studious mind was always at work, and at intervals he picked up a knowledge of arithmetic, bookkeeping, geography, grammar and surveying. Though a frequent reader of the Scriptures, he was not deeply concerned about religion until the autumn of 1829, when he began to pray fervently for spiritual light and guidance. About a year later two elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came into his neighborhood and held meetings. One of these elders was his brother, Parley P. Pratt, by whom Orson was baptized on the nineteenth anniversary of his birth. October of that year found him at Fayette, Seneca county, the birthplace of the Church, which was then only six months old. While there he met the Prophet Joseph Smith, and was confirmed by him a member and ordained an elder on the first day of November, 1830. His first mission, taken soon after, was to Colesville, in Broome County. Early in 1831 he followed the fortunes of the Saints to Ohio, and at Kirtland, where he presided over the elders, was ordained a High Priest by Sidney Rigdon. From that time forth he was busy traveling, preaching, and building up branches of the Church. Among his converts in the eastern states were his brother Anson, at Hurlgate, Long Island ; Amasa M. Lyman, at Bath, New Hampshire ; and the Farr, Snow, and Gates families in Vermont. At Kirtland he taught an evening grammar school, and was himself a student under Professor Seixas, a New York savant, who certified to his proficiency in Hebrew, after a course of instruction extending through eight weeks. Orson Pratt helped to organize Zion's Camp, and during the journey to Missouri, whither the expedition went to reinstate the Jackson county Saints upon the lands from which they had been driven by mob violence, he had charge of several wagons. When cholera broke out in camp, he was one of those attacked by it, but his great faith and iron will saved him, while others perished. In Missouri he was a member of the High Council. At Columbus, Ohio, in April, 1835, he learned that he had been chosen one of the Twelve Apostles, and was expected to be at Kirtland on the twenty-sixth of that month, for ordination. A journey of two days by stage coach enabled him to arrive there on the day appointed, and he was ordained an Apostle under the hands of David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery, two of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon. When the Church moved from Ohio, Orson Pratt was presiding over a large branch in New York City. Summoned to Far West, Missouri, which had become the headquarters of the Latter-day Saints, he was on his way there with his family, and had reached St. Louis, where he was ice-bound, the rivers being frozen, when he learned of the expulsion of his people from that state. He rejoined them at Quincy, Illinois, in the spring of 1839. During the previous summer, while the Saints were still in Missouri, the Prophet, voicing the word of the Lord, had directed the Apostles to take a mission to Europe, and the appointment designated the very date upon which they should leave Far West, starting from the Temple lot in that city. This was before the mob troubles arose, and before there was any prospect of an armed collision between Missourians and "Mormons." But now all was changed! The Saints had been driven out ; and it was almost as much as a "Mormon's" life was worth to be seen in Missouri. The day set for the departure of the Apostles was approaching, but they were far away, and the mob leaders were boasting that "Joe Smith's prophecy" concerning the event would fail. Joseph himself was a prisoner in the hands of the Missourians, as was his brother, Hyrum Smith, also Parley P. Pratt, and other leaders ; but Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John Taylor, and others of the Twelve were at liberty, and they determined to fulfil the Prophet's prediction. Accordingly before daybreak on the day appointed, April 26, 1839, they rode into Far West, held a meeting on the Temple lot, ordained Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith to the Apostleship, and started upon their foreign mission; the enemy meanwhile wrapt in slumber, oblivious to what was taking place. Delayed by the founding of Nauvoo, Illinois, and by an epidemic of fever and ague that swept over that newly settled region, the Apostles did not cross the Atlantic until about a year later. Landing at Liverpool, penniless, and among strangers, they remained in Great Britain a little over twelve months, during which period they baptized seven or eight thousand persons, and raised up branches of the Church in almost every noted city and town throughout the United Kingdom. They also established a periodical, The Millennial Star, with Parley P. Pratt as editor ; published five thousand copies of the Book of Mormon, fifty thousand tracts, and three thousand hymn books ; besides emigrating a thousand people to Nauvoo, and founding a permanent emigration agency. The British mission had previously been opened by Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, with their associates; now its foundations were laid broad and deep. In the assignment of mission fields Scotland fell to Orson Pratt. It has been said that a Scotchman should always be in the right, for he is hard to turn. The Apostle proved the truth of this saying during his experience in and around Edinburgh, where he fasted, prayed, and preached for nine months, succeeding, after much difficulty, in raising up a branch of more than two hundred members. His patient zeal never flagged. His daily climbs up the slopes of Arthur's Seat, a mountain overlooking the town and from the summit of which he besought the God of Israel to give him the hearts of that people, is one of the picturesque episodes of "Mormon" missionary life. While upon this mission he published his pamphlet, Remarkable Visions, the perusal of which drew many into the Church. He returned to America early in 1841. During the next few years he resided at Nauvoo, where he had charge of a mathematical school, and was a member of the city council. He also filled missions in the east, and at the city of Washington presented a memorial, prepared by himself and others, and signed by the members of the Nauvoo city council, praying for redress of the wrongs suffered by the Saints while in Missouri. During his leisure hours he calculated eclipses and prepared an almanac for publication in 1845. It was entitled The Prophetic Almanac, and was calculated from the latitude and meridian of Nauvoo and other American towns. "From 1836 to 1844," says the Apostle, "I occupied much of my leisure time in study, and made myself thoroughly acquainted with algebra, geometry, trigonometry, conic sections, differential and integral calculus, astronomy, and most of the physical sciences. These studies I pursued without the assistance of a teacher." He was in the east when the Prophet and the Patriarch were slain, and returned to Nauvoo soon after the martyrdom. The exodus of the Latter-day Saints from Illinois began in February, 1846. The Mississippi river was frozen over, and some of the companies crossed on the ice. Orson Pratt, who had recently returned from another eastern mission, was one of the leaders of this migratory movement, which was destined to redeem an arid waste, and found an empire in the heart of the Great American Desert. During their slow progress over the snow-covered or rain-soaked prairies, to the bluffs of the Missouri river, the pilgrims halted many times, and were even under the necessity of forming temporary settlements, Garden Grove and Mount Pisgah, at which places the leaders, in council, decided to send a company of pioneers to the Rocky mountains, in advance of the main body of the people. Preparations for this expedition were under way when, at the Bluffs, in July, 1846. the enlistment of the "Mormon" battalion, five hundred volunteers, as part of the United States military force then invading Mexico and her provinces, postponed the departure of the pioneers until the next season. Orson Pratt was one of the one hundred and forty-three men led by President Brigham Young from the Missouri river westward during the spring and summer of 1847. They started from the "Mormon" town of Winter Quarters (now Florence, Nebraska), about the middle of April, arriving in Salt Lake Valley on Saturday, the 24th of July. Brother Pratt entered the valley three days in advance of the general arrival. It happened thus. President Young, after leaving Fort Bridger, had been attacked by mountain fever, and under his direction Orson Pratt, with a number of men and wagons, led the way down Echo canyon, up East canyon, through and over the Wasatch mountains toward the shores of the Great Salt Lake. From the summit of Big mountain, on the nineteenth of July, Orson Pratt and John Brown, riding ahead of their companions, caught the first glimpse of the valley; and on the 21st, Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow, the latter a messenger from President Young, emerged from Emigration canyon, a little south of where Fort Douglas now stands. They had a single saddle horse, and were riding by turns. The day being warm, Brother Snow took off his coat and hung it loosely over the saddle bow. Missing it. he rode back toward the mountains to look for it, leaving his companion to walk on alone to the banks of City creek. This stream then divided into two branches, one flowing south, the other west. Thus it was that Orson Pratt was the first of the pioneers to tread the site of Salt Lake City. Any other member of that historic band might have done as much, had chance or destiny so decided; but how many of them could have laid out the town that was founded here that memorable summer? This honor also fell to Orson Pratt who, assisted by Henry G. Sherwood, ran the original survey of Salt Lake City, on Monday, the second of August. He ascertained the altitude of the valley, and determined its latitude and longitude. We are also indebted to Orson Pratt and a few men like him for what we know of the experiences of the pioneers during and after their journey to the west. From the summer of 1848 to the spring of 1851, this Apostle presided over the European mission, with headquarters at Liverpool. The British Isles contained at that time, according to his published statement, about 40,000 Latter-day Saints. President Pratt's reputation as speaker and writer had preceded him, and the sun of his fame now rose nigh to the zenith. As president, preacher, editor, and author, he labored almost incessantly. Every noted town in the three kingdoms heard the sound of his voice, deep, sonorous, powerful, proclaiming with fervid and fearless eloquence the principles he had been sent to promulge—the principles of the Everlasting Gospel. While editing the Millennial Star, he wrote, published and distributed many pamphlets on philosophical themes, and with means obtained from the sale of his works, supplied the urgent needs of a portion of his family who were still on the Iowa frontier. He was visiting them in the spring of 1850, when he received word from President Young that he was honorably released from his mission and at liberty to return to Utah. In the Legislative Assembly of the Territory, almost from the beginning, Orson Pratt was a member of the Council, and he sat is every subsequent Legislature when at home. During several sessions he was Speaker of the House of Representatives. As one of the corps of instructors of the University of Deseret, now University of Utah, he delivered, in the winter and spring of 1851-1852, a series of twelve public lectures on astronomy, which awakened general interest. He had now achieved fame in the field of higher mathematics, having discovered, in November, 1850, a law governing planetary rotation, and subsequently making other scientific discoveries. Professor Proctor, the astronomer, while lecturing at Salt Lake City early in the eighties, referred almost reverently to Professor Pratt, expressing the opinion that there were but four real mathematicians in the world, and that Orson Pratt was one of them. He was such an ardent lover of knowledge, and so anxious to disseminate it, that he offered to teach the youth of the community free, if they would give their time to study. In August, 1852, he took up a temporary residence in Washington, D. C, where he published The Seer, a periodical devoted to the dissemination of "Mormon" doctrines. In its columns appeared the revelation on Plural Marriage and Joseph Smith's prophecy on War. At the same time he presided over the Latter-day Saints in all the states of the Union and in the adjoining British provinces. Then followed another presiding mission in Great Britain, from which he returned by way of California, while Johnston's army, sent to Utah to put down an imaginary rebellion, was in winter quarters east of the Wasatch mountains. The spring of 1864 found the Apostle at Vienna, endeavoring to obtain a foothold for missionary work in the Austrian capital. But the laws of that country were too stringent for such an undertaking, and he, with his companion, Elder William W. Riter, returned to England. There President Pratt published, in May, 1866, an edition of his mathematical work, Pratt's Cubic and Bi-Quadratic Equations. Three years later, in New York City, he transcribed and published the Book of Mormon in the phonetic characters of "The Deseret Alphabet." August, 1870, was made memorable by a great public discussion in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, where Orson Pratt, the "Mormon" Apostle, debated with Dr. John P. Newman, Methodist pastor and Chaplain of the United States Senate, the question, "Does the Bible Sanction Polygamy?" The debate lasted three days, and was listened to by ten thousand people. The umpires, chosen by both parties, rendered no decision—that being one of the preliminary conditions—but it was the general verdict of "Mormons" and Gentiles that while Newman was the more eloquent, ornately so, at least, Pratt was the better informed, and the more logical. Both men were thorough scriptorians, but the Apostle surprised even his learned opponent by his profound knowledge of the original Hebrew, and his clear-cut mathematical demonstrations. The Boston Banner of Light, commenting on the result, said: "Some one carrying more guns than Dr. Newman will have to be sent out missionarying among the 'Mormons'." In 1874 Orson Pratt became the Church Historian, an office held by him during the remainder of his days. In 1877 he went to England to transcribe and publish an edition of the Book of Mormon in the Pitman phonetic characters, but was recalled almost immediately by the death of President Brigham Young. The ensuing autumn found him revisiting scenes of early "Mormon" history, in company with his fellow Apostle, Joseph F. Smith. December of that year brought another mission, the last one undertaken by this valiant veteran in the cause of Christ. It was his fifteenth voyage over the ocean; this time to stereotype and publish at Liverpool the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, as arranged by him in paragraphs, with footnotes and references. He also published while there his astronomical work, Key to the Universe. In London he made a discovery regarding the Great Pyramid of Egypt, a discovery conclusively demonstrating to his mind that the date of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is symbolized in the chronological floor line of the Grand Gallery in that ancient monument. The Apostle was now advanced in years, almost upon the summit of his three score and ten. His appearance was truly patriarchal, hair and beard being white as snow. Powerful in build, though of but medium stature, he was still physically and mentally strong. During the whole period of his final mission, ending in September, 1879, he worked, for weeks at a stretch, not less than eighteen hours out of the twenty- four. The enfeebled state of his health after his return showed that the heavy labor had told severely upon him. Two years later, on the third day of October, he died at his home in Salt Lake City. Just before breathing his last, he dictated to President Joseph F. Smith, who took down the words as the dying man uttered them, this epitaph, to be placed upon his tombstone: "My body sleeps for a moment, but my testimony lives and shall endure forever." "The St. Paul of 'Mormondom' "—as Tullidge styles him, was a preacher eloquent and powerful, a theologian learned and profound, a linguist to whom dead languages were an open book, a writer lucid and logical, a scientist of eminent attainments. Essentially a sage, having the philosophical temperament as well as the philosophical cast of mind, he might easily have been classed with the Wise Men of Greece, or even with the Hebrew Prophets. The philosophical side of his nature may be illustrated by an anecdote. One of the evidences of the humble circumstances in which he lived was a weather-beaten though respectable straw hat which he wore both summer and winter. One day his daughter, Mrs. Joseph Kimball, asked him: "Father, why do you wear a straw hat in winter?" "To keep my head warm," he answered. "But," she persisted, "is a straw hat warm in winter?" "Warmer than no hat at all, my daughter," was the reply worthy of a Diogenes. Another incident tells something of his power of concentration, and his ability to control his feelings—all the more remarkable, when it is known that Orson Pratt was as high-spirited as he was fearless and determined. He was preaching at Liverpool, in the open air, when a noisy fellow, pushing his way through the crowd and planting himself squarely in front, began to denounce him. The speaker, without deigning to notice the interruption, raised his stentorian voice, and going right on with his discourse, poured forth a volume of sound that completely drowned the voice of his would-be disturber. The fellow then shouted his objections, but the Apostle, still further increasing his own lung power, again rendered the tones of the hoodlum inaudible. This was kept up until the latter ceased from sheer exhaustion, and retired amid the laughter of the bystanders. The orator then lowered his voice to normal pitch, and continued his subject to the end. Orson Pratt stood at the head of a patriarchal household, the husband of several wives, the father of forty-five children, thirty-two of whom, evenly divided as to sons and daughters, survived him. Many of these are present today. His direct descendants — children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren—now number nearly four hundred. It was a foregone conclusion that with a family so large, and i. life so devoted to the public interest, he could hardly have died wealthy, even had he so desired. But it is exceedingly doubtful that he ever cherished such a desire. Had he been asked the question, once put to Agassiz, "Why not use your ability to acquire a fortune?" he would probably have answered, as did the greatest naturalist, "I haven't the time." He may have lacked the gift. Be it so. Perhaps he had other gifts, just as great, and even greater. The mind must be fed, as well as the body. "Man shall not live by bread alone," and he who ministers to the intellect and the spirit is, and ought to be, as consequential in any community as the capitalist, the business man, the politician, the executive, whose skill is in governing men, or acquiring and managing property, and ministering to the physical needs of his fellows. It may yet transpire that the true mission of the man of affairs, in one of its functions at least, is to free such men as Orson Pratt from the excess of business cares and burdens, and give them time to devote to other pursuits, just as important and quite as useful, in the long run, as those which the many most appreciate. Doubtless there were times when this man found it difficult to provide for his family the bread that perishes. One reason was that, like his great Master, our Elder Brother, he had to "be about his Father's business," feeding a starving world with the bread of eternal life. Why should any man assume, be he writer, preacher, or financier, that his ability was given for his own exclusive benefit, and his neighbor's ability for the benefit of the public? No gift from God was ever intended for self aggrandizement. All such endowments are altruistic in purpose, and were designed for mutual help and the general good. Nor should aptitude in any direction be rated at its mere market value. Men pay most, as a rule, for things of least consequence. The gifts of the gospel, which are not to be purchased, which are beyond all price, would be discounted in any market in the world. They who despise any of God's gifts are fit subjects for the divine clemency. They should be forgiven, "for they know not what they do." All kinds of good men are needed in the work of the Lord, and some day, under a better social system than now prevails, they will be found laboring, every man for the interest of his neighbor, "and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God." "Without purse or scrip"—that was the insignia of the Apostolic mission, and he who gave that mission "had not where to lay his head." Not that he was powerless to provide for himself and his friends, for he possessed all things; but he made his servants poor, that the world might be proved, and the Lord's true disciples known. He who gives even a cup of cold water to a servant of God athirst, shall in nowise lose his reward. The American nation—the whole civilized world, or a great part of it, has gone money-mad, grasping after gold, and caring little or nothing as to how they acquire it; marrying for money, stealing for money, killing for money—anything to get money. "Put money in thy purse," seems to be the slogan of the present hour ; which might be well enough, as to money honestly obtained, if more people were found willing to open their purses, take the money out again, and use it as the divine Giver intended it to be used. "How much is he worth in dollars and cents?" or "What is his capacity for making and keeping?" is too often the gauge of a man's greatness in these modern times. A false standard, unworthy of a great nation and a great people. What a predicament the world would be in, if our Heavenly Father should act upon that principle ? God's greatness is shown not so much by his ability to create and possess, as by his willingness to bestow, to give, to share, to minister to the welfare and happiness of his children, to provide ways and means for their advancement, opening for them the avenues of progress leading to those summits of glory which he himself has attained. And he expects us to be like him, to emulate his example, to be perfect even as he is perfect, according to our sphere. Thank heaven there are some men and some women who bow not down to the god of gold ; men and women who are not for sale; men and women with whom the Giver, not the gift, is supreme. Such a man was the Prophet Joseph Smith. Such were his associates and successors. Such men lead us today, and such are all true Latter-day Saints, the world over. Such a man was Orson Pratt, a true and genuine Apostle. "A rich man," said President John Taylor at his funeral. Yes, for "he that hath eternal life is rich." Eternal riches was his quest. In moderate, even lowly circumstances, so far as this world's wealth was concerned, he was rich in powers of mind and accumulations of knowledge ; an intellectual and a spiritual millionaire. [1] Delivered at the memorial services in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, October 8, 1911. |
ORSON PRATT.
Born, New York, September 19, 1811; died, Salt Lake City, October 3, 1881. Orson Pratt
THE OLD PRATT OBSERVATORY.
Formerly located on the southeast corner of Tabernacle Square, Salt Lake City, Utah. The place is now marked by two red sandstones, which were set by Orson Pratt and used in his observations |
Pratt, Orson. "Over the Pioneer Trail." Improvement Era. August 1912. pg. 933-948.
Over the Pioneer Trail THE ORIGINAL RECORD OF PROF. ORSON PRATT [On suggestion of Hon. B. H. Roberts, it was arranged by the General Board some weeks ago to provide for a company of M. I. A. Scouts to pass over the old pioneer trail from Echo to Salt Lake City, the trip to be made in July, so that the boys might enter the Valley on July 24, Pioneer Day. The purpose of the trip, besides the outing, is to inspire the boys with the nobility of the work of the pioneers, educate them in early Utah history, and encourage the building of an auto road over the old route. In harmony with this action, the Athletic Committee, under Chairman Lyman R. Martineau, arranged for a preliminary survey of the road by a number of the committee and others on June 25-28. A company composed of Dr. John H. Taylor, field man M. I. A. Scouts; B. -S. Hinckley, Secretary of the Deseret Gymnasium; J. D. Bowers, scout director of the Thirty-first ward; Edward H. Anderson, of the Era, and David B. Anderson, a student of Johns Hopkins Medical School, who took the photographs, proceeded toward Echo from Salt Lake City on June 25, on foot and team. They discovered that the route was open, and could be traveled by teams, except in short distances, with only little trouble. Considerable of the distance was traversed on foot. On the 27th, this company was met at Echo by B. H. Roberts, of the General Superintendency, and Lyman R. Martineau, Chairman of the Athletic Committee, who proceeded west from Echo over the trail. Both the companies had copies of the field notes of Orson Pratt, of the advance company of pioneers, and also those of President Wilford Woodruff, and John Brown, and the official diary of President Brigham Young. The field notes in the journal of Prof. Orson Pratt are so well taken that the company found no difficulty in following the exact trail of the pioneers through the various canyons. B. H. Roberts, before making the trip, wrote a description of the route for the Church history in the Americana, and found the notes so full and accurate that it was not necessary to change a line or word, after he had passed over the ground. The feasibility of taking a company of boy scouts over the railway to Echo, and returning them on foot over the old route to Salt Lake City, is unquestioned, and will be undertaken. Parts of the distances over the mountains are very interesting, and it is believed much historical good may come from a trip of that kind. It would give opportunity to impress the boys with the difficult labors, the determined purpose and noble design, as well as the wisdom, faith and hardships of the pioneers, experienced on their way over those beautiful hills and mountains, to their new home in the Valley. As the Scout company passed over the road, pictures were taken of a number of scenes which are produced herewith, in connection with the original notes of the great pioneer, Orson Pratt, from July 11 to 24, 1847.—Editors.] TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE JOURNAL OF ELDER ORSON PRATT, In Command of the Advance Company of Utah Pioneers, Complete from July 11 to 24, 1847. July 11, Sunday.—Mr. Craig and three others proceeded on their journey for the States. Mr. Goodyear and two Indians went down Bear River. The morning is clear, calm and pleasant, although it was cold during the night, forming considerable ice. About one and a half miles south we discovered a mineral tar spring, and a few rods to the northeast some sulphur springs. At this point the roads fork, a few wagon tracks bearing off to the south, while a few others bore down the small creek on which we were encamped. July 12.—This morning we resumed our journey, taking the right hand fork of the road down the creek, which is represented as being the nearest, and 13.4 miles brought us to Bear River ford. The river here is about 60 feet wide, 2 1/2 feet deep ; a very rapid current and the bottom completely covered with rounded boulders, some of which were about as large as a human head. The height above the sea is 6,636 feet. Some speckled trout were caught in the stream this morning. The road again forks at this place. We took the right hand, which bore a few degrees south of west. For about two miles our road gradually ascended, and crossing a ridge we commenced descending, following down for several miles a ravine in which there was little water. Plenty of grass, of an excellent quality, is found in almost every direction. The country is very broken, with high hills and valleys, with no timber excepting scrubby cedar upon their sides. Antelope again appear in great abundance, but rather wild. Some ten or twelve were brought in by our hunters in the course of the day. The road is exceedingly difficult to find, excepting in places where the grass has not completely obscured it. We halted for noon a little east of a pudding-stone formation. This ledge is on the right of the road, which passes along its base. The rocks are from 100 to 200 feet in height, and rise up in a perpendicular and shelving form, being broken or worked out into many curious forms by the rains. Some quite large boulders were cemented in this rock. Mr. B. Young, being sick, concluded to stop a few hours and rest; several wagons stopped with him for company, the rest being requested to move on. We continued down the ravine but a short distance, where it empties its waters into a small tributary of Bear River, which we crossed and again began to ascend for some distance, when we crossed the ridge and descended rather abruptly at first but afterwards more gradually into another ravine, at the head of which was a good spring of cold water. We continued descending this ravine until towards evening when we camped at the foot of a ledge of rock on the right. Here is the mouth of a curious cave in the center of a coarse sandstone fronting to the south, and a little inclined from the perpendicular. The opening resembles very much the doors attached to an outdoor cellar, being about 8 feet high and 12 or 14 feet wide. We called it Redden's Cave, a man by that name being one of the first in our company who visited it. We went into this cave about 30 feet, where, the entrance becoming quite small, we did not feel disposed to penetrate it any further. On the under side of the roof were several swallows' nests. Mr. Young did not overtake us tonight. July 13.—Early this morning we dispatched two messengers back to meet Mr. Young, being unwilling to move any farther until he should come up. The barometer here indicates quite a fall since leaving Bear River, the mercury standing, at half-past six a. m., 24.005, attached thermometer 62 deg., detached thermometer 60.5 deg. The morning is calm and clear. The two messengers returned, and Mr. H. C. Kimball with them. They reported Mr. Young as getting better, but that he did not think of moving yet today. Those of the Twelve present directed me to take 23 wagons and 42 men, and proceed on the journey, and endeavor to find Mr. Reid's route across the mountains, for we had been informed that it would be impracticable to pass through the canyon (i.e. Weber) on account of the depth and rapidity of the water. About 3 p.m. we started, and proceeded down Red Fork about eight and three-fourths miles and encamped. At present there is not much water in this fork thus far. The height of our encampment above the sea is 6,070 feet. July 14.—We resumed our journey; traveled about six and three-fourths miles, and halted for noon, latitude 41 deg. 1 min., 47 sec. In the afternoon traveled about six and one-fourth miles further, which brought us to the junction of Red and Weber forks. Our journey down Red Fork has been truly interesting and exceedingly picturesque. We have been shut up in a narrow valley from 10 to 20 rods wide, which upon each side the hills rise very abruptly from 800 to 1,200 feet, and the most of the distance we have been walled in by vertical and overhanging precipices of red pudding-stone, and also red standstone, dipping to the northwest in an angle of about 20 deg. (the valley of the Red Fork being about southwest). These rocks were worked into many curious shapes, probably by the rains. The country here is very mountainous in every direction. Red Fork, towards the mouth, is a small stream about eight feet across; it puts into Weber's fork from the right bank. Weber's fork is consisting of boulders; water very clear; its course bearing west-northwest. Height of the junction above sea, 5,301 feet. The road has been quite rough, crossing and re-crossing the stream a great number of times. There is some willow and aspen in the valley and upon the side hills, and some scrubby cedar upon the hills and rocks as usual. July 15.—We resumed our journey down Weber's fork, crossing onto the left bank. Traveled about six miles, and encamped about one mile above the canyon, which at the entrance is impassable for wagons. The road, crossing the river to the right bank, makes a circuit of about two miles, and enters the canyon at the junction of a stream putting in from the right bank, about one-third as large as Weber's fork. I rode on horseback, in company with Mr. Brown, about five miles down from our encampment, and being convinced that this was the ten-mile canyon which had been spoken of, we returned to camp. In the meantime Mr. Markham, with one or two others, had gone up the river on the right bank, in search of Reid's trail across the mountains, leading down to the southeastern shores of the Salt Lake. Mr. Brown and I also went in search, traveling along the bluffs on the south. We soon struck the trail, although so dimly seen that it only now and then could be discerned ; only a few wagons having passed here one year ago, and the grass having grown up, leaving scarcely a trace. I followed this trail about six miles up a ravine, to where it attained the dividing ridge leading down into another ravine, in a southerly direction, and returned again into camp. There is some cottonwood timber fringing the shores of Weber's fork, and also thick clusters of willows, making very close thickets for bears, which, from their large tracks and the large holes they had made in digging for roots, must be very numerous. July 16.—At half-past four o'clock this morning we were visited by a thunder shower ; nearly rain sufficient to lay the dust, which is rather more than usually falls in the showers which have been frequent for a few days past. At half-past five o'clock the barometer stood at 24.779, attached thermometer 53 deg., detached thermometer 52 deg. Calm, and still partially cloudy. We concluded to send Mr. Rockwell back, to report to the portion of the pioneers that we had found the new route, &c, which we had anticipated would be troublesome to find. We resumed our journey up a small stream on Reid's route, sending in advance of the wagons a small company of about a dozen with spades, axes, &c, to make the road passable, which required considerable labor. We traveled about six miles, and, crossing the ridge, began to descend another ravine. Traveled about two and a half miles, which took about four hours' labor, and encamped for the night. Plenty of grass and water ; some antelope ; small willows in abundance. After we had encamped Mr. Newman and myself walked down the ravine to examine the road. We found that Mr. Reid's company last season had spent several hours' labor in spading, &c, but finding it almost impracticable for wagons they had turned up a ravine, at the mouth of which we had encamped and taken a little more circuitous route over the hills. July 17.—A severe frost during the night. Early this morning I started out alone, and on foot, to examine the country back, to see if there was not a more practicable route for the companies in the rear than the one we had come. I was soon satisfied that we had taken the best and only practicable route. Met a large grey wolf about four rods from me. I returned to camp and counseled the company not to go any further until they had spent several hours' labor on the road over which we passed yesterday afternoon ; and all who were able to work labored about two-thirds of the day upon the same ; and, leaving orders for the camp towards night to move on, Mr. Brown and myself rode on to explore. About three and one-eighth miles brought us down the right bank of the creek, which was about twenty feet wide ; swift current. This creek passes through a canyon about 40 rods below, where it is for a few rods shut up by perpendicular and overhanging walls, being a break in the mountain, which rises several hundred feet upon each side. The creek plunges underneath a large rock which lies in its bed, near the foot of the canyon, blockading the same, and making it impassable for wagons or teams. We followed the dimly traced wagon tracks up this stream for eight miles, crossing the same thirteen times. The bottoms of this creek are. thickly covered with willows, from 5 to 15 rods wide, making an immense labor in cutting a road through for the emigrants last season. We still found the road almost impassable and requiring much labor. The mountains upon each side rise abruptly from 600 to 3,000 feet above the bed of the stream. Leaving our horses at the foot, we ascended to the summit of one which appeared to be about 2,000 feet high. We had a prospect limited in most directions by still higher peaks ; the country exhibited a broken succession of hills piled on hills, and mountains on mountains, in every direction. We returned and met our camp about four and three-fourth miles from where they were encamped in the morning. They were encamped about two miles above the canyon, on the left bank of the Canyon creek. At this place there is a small rivulet which runs down from the mountains : the water pure and cold. July 18, Sunday.—The morning is cold, and the ground whitened by frost. We remained in our encampment today. Attended meeting in the forenoon. Latitude 40 deg., 54 min., 7 sec. A lunar observation was taken for the longitude. I also obtained an observation of the altitude of the moon for time. July 19.—The morning cold and frosty, but in the middle of the day it is exceedingly warm. Mr. Brown and myself started soon after sunrise to examine the road and country ahead. We ascertained that the road left Canyon creek near the place where we stopped the day before, and ran along in a ravine to the west. We ascended this ravine gradually for four miles, when we came to the dividing ridge. Here we fastened our horses, and ascended on foot a mountain on the right for several hundred feet. Both from the ridge where the road crosses, and from the mountain peak, we could see over a great extent of the country. On the southwest we could see an extensive level prairie, some few miles distant, which we thought must be near the lake. We came down from the mountain and mounted our horses, and rode down on the southwest side of the mountain, the descent is very rapid at first. We traveled down several miles and found that the small stream we were descending passed through a very high mountain, where we judged it impossible for wagons to pass, and after searching awhile, we found that the wagon trail ascended quite abruptly for about one and one-half miles, and passed over a mountain, and down into another narrow valley, and thus avoided the canyon ; and after making these explorations we returned to our camp, which we met six and one-fourth miles from their morning encampment, having performed a great deal of labor on the road. Mr. Rockwell had returned, bringing us the intelligence that the most of the pioneer wagons were within a few miles of us. A fresh track of a buffalo was discovered in this ravine. He had rubbed off some of his hair upon the brush in his path, probably the only one within hundreds of miles. July 20.—The morning is frosty. I wrote a description of the road and country which we had traversed for several miles ahead, and left the same deposited in a conspicuous place for the benefit of the camp which were soon expected to pass. We resumed our journey about 9 o'clock in the morning, being hindered more than usual by some cattle which had strayed a short distance. We traveled today about six miles over the mountains, laboring diligently upon the road. The barometrical observations on the dividing ridge were 23.137, attached thermometer 80 deg., detached thermometer 76 deg., giving for the height of the same above the sea 7,245 feet. July 21.—No frost this morning, but a heavy dew. We resumed our journey, traveled two and one-half miles, and ascended a mountain for one and one-half miles ; descended upon the west side one mile ; came upon a swift running creek, where we halted for noon. We called this Last Creek. Brother Erastus Snow (having overtaken our camp from the other camp, which he said was but a few miles in the rear) and myself proceeded in advance of the camp down Last Creek four and one-half miles, to where it passes through a canyon and issues into the broad, open valley below. To avoid the canyon the wagons last season had passed over an exceedingly steep, dangerous hill. Mr. Snow and myself ascended this hill, from the top of which a broad, open valley about 20 miles wide and 30 long, lay stretched out before us at the north end of which the broad waters of the Great Salt Lake glistened in the sunbeams, containing high mountainous islands from 25 to 30 miles in extent. After issuing from the mountains among which we had been shut up for many days, and beholding in a moment such an extensive scenery open before us, we could not refrain from a shout of joy which almost involuntarily escaped from our lips the moment this grand and lovely scenery was within our view. We immediately descended very gradually into the lower parts of the valley, and although we had but one horse between us, yet we traveled a circuit of about twelve miles before we left the valley to return to our camp, which we found encamped one and one-half miles up the ravine from the valley, and three miles in advance of their noon halt. It was about nine o'clock in the evening when we got into camp. The main body of the pioneers who were in the rear were encamped only one and one-half miles up the creek from us, with the exception of some wagons containing some who were sick, who were still behind. July 22.—This morning George A. Smith and myself, accompanied by seven others, rode into the valley to explore, leaving the camp to follow on and work the road, which here required considerable labor, for we found that the canyon at the entrance of the valley, by cutting out the thick timber and underbrush, connected with some spading and digging, could be made far more preferable than the route over the steep hill mentioned above. We accordingly left a written note to that effect, and passed on. After going down into the valley about five miles, we turned our course to the north, down towards the Salt Lake. For three or four miles from the mountains the springs were very abundant, the water excellent, and generally with gravel bottoms. A great variety of green grass, and very luxuriant, covered the bottoms for miles where the soil was sufficiently damp, but in other places, although the soil was good, yet the grass had nearly dried up for want of moisture. We found the drier places swarming with very large crickets, about the size of a man's thumb. This valley is surrounded with mountains, except on the north ; the tops of some of the highest being covered with snow. Every one or two miles streams were emptying into it from the mountains on the east, many of which were sufficiently large to carry mills and other machinery. As we proceeded towards the Salt Lake the soil began to assume a more sterile appearance, being probably at some seasons of the year overflowed with water. We found as we proceeded on, great numbers of hot springs issuing from near the bases of the mountains. These springs were highly impregnated with salt and sulphur; the temperature of some was nearly raised to the boiling point. We traveled for about fifteen miles down after coming into the valley, the latter part of the distance the soil being unfit for agricultural purposes. We returned and found our wagons encamped in the valley, about five and a quarter miles from where they left the canyon. July 23.—This morning we despatched two persons to President Young, and the wagons which were still behind, informing them of our discoveries and explorations. The camp removed its position two miles to the north, where we encamped near the bank of a beautiful creek of pure cold water. This stream is sufficiently large for mill sites and other machinery. Here we called the camp together, and it fell to my lot to offer up prayer and thanksgiving in behalf of our company, all of whom had been preserved from the Missouri River to this point : and, after dedicating ourselves and the land unto the Lord, and imploring his blessings upon our labors, we appointed various committees to attend to different branches of business, preparatory to putting in crops, and in about two hours after our arrival we began to plough, and the same afternoon built a dam to irrigate the soil, which at the spot where we were ploughing was exceedingly dry. Towards evening we were visited by a thunder shower from the west, not quite enough rain to lay the dust. Our two messengers returned, bringing us word that the re mainder of the wagons belonging to the pioneer company were only a few miles distant, and would arrive the next day. At 3 p.m. the thermometer stood at 96 degrees. July 24.—This forenoon commenced planting our potatoes; after which we turned the water upon them and give the ground quite a roaking. In the afternoon the other camp arrived, and we found all the sick improving very fast, and were so as to be able to walk around. Towards evening another thunder shower from the southwest, but not enough rain to benefit the ground. |
SCENE IN ECHO CANYON
At the junction of Echo creek, or Red Fork, and the winding Weber river. The wagon road from Coalville, the Union Pacific railway, and the branch line to Coalville, are shown. At the point of the Bluffs is located the old land mark, Pulpit Rock, as now modified and strengthened by masonry. The advance pioneers camped at this point on July 14, and from here Orson Pratt and his advance company proceeded down the river to find Reid's trail, or to learn if the Weber canyon was passable. Elevation 5,301 feet. UNION PACIFIC RAILWAY STATION AT ECHO
WITCH ROCKS
Curious formations rising 50 to 80 feet in the air. These are located about two miles from Echo, about half way between Echo and Henefer, on the hills on the right bank of the river at the place where the Pioneers passed prior to crossing the river just above Henefer. ON THE HENEFER BENCH
Left side of the river, showing the canyon to the left up which the pioneers passed. On the roadside the primitive sage still flourishes. THE EAST CANYON RESERVOIR
Of the Davis and Weber Counties Canal Company, looking down the river to the dam. Orson Pratt and his advance company camped some forty rods above the narrows where the dam is now located, about nine miles from Henefer. AT CLAYTON'S RANCH
Here some of the Scout company had fine fishing, the results of which all enjoyed. About four miles from East Canyon dam. Dutch Canyon just back of the barn. GOING UP DUTCH CANYON
From Clayton's ranch toward the summit of Big Mountain, distance about six miles, it was necessary in some places to tie ropes to the wagon to hold it from plunging into the ravine and creek below. Beautiful aspen groves, pines, wild-flowers, and wild cherries in bloom, abounded on all sides. The pioneers went up East Canyon about five miles from Clayton's, then turned west up what was later known as Little Emigration Canyon, four miles to summit of Big Mountain. SCENE ON THE WAY UP EAST SIDE OF BIG MOUNTAIN
THE SCOUT COMPANY
Going east, on the summit of Big Mountain. Left to right: B. S. Hinckley, on horseback, Dr. John H. Taylor, Edward H. Anderson, John D. Bowers, and Booze, Bowers' busy dog. Elevation 7,245 feet. THE SCOUT COMPANY GOING WEST
Get a first glimpse of the valley; left to right: Dr. John Taylor, L. R. Martineau, John D. Bowers, B. H. Roberts, on horseback with fieldglass in hand, delighted with the view. LOOKING EAST FROM THE SUMMIT OF BIG MOUNTAIN, LITTLE EMIGRATION CANYON LEADING TO THE RIGHT
Up this the Pioneers came after leaving East Canyon some four and three-fourth miles up the stream from Clayton's. The road in Little Emigration Canyon for a distance of four miles is not passable by teams but there is a good trail. LITTLE MOUNTAIN
Looking up the west slope, leading up from Emigration Canyon Camp at the Foot of Big Mountain
Beautiful Mountain Dell Canyon. Dinner over; reading the field notes. THE PHOTOGRAPHER
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Wells, Junius F. "The Three Orsons." Improvement Era. November 1918. pg. 13-22.
THREE ORSONS By Junius F. Wells Among my Christmas presents there came to me two volumes written by a distinguished Belgian author. These I essayed to read by night, as was my custom, after going to bed. I had finished one volume and was upon the second. It is not my purpose here to criticize the mystic writings of modern social philosophers of the world, but only to say that I found little of interest or pleasure in the perusal of these two volumes. The themes, it seemed to me, were treated in such a way as to involve the mind in a maze of mental effort, rather obscuring than illuminating the thoughts that should inform and direct to knowledge suggesting a depth and profundity of the author's mind which language was not quite fit or able to clearly sound. As I do not believe there are any such depths or is any such profundity of the human mind, the employment of words, however beautiful they are, to suggest it seems affectation, and it becomes tedious and excessively tiresome reading an author who persists in it. Whether right or wrong and whether the fault of this author or the translator or, as well might be, the limitation of my own intelligence, such was the effect upon me, and I labored wearyingly, groping for the author's meaning—ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of its truth. In this feeling I must have fallen asleep or dropped into a momentary doze, from which I suddenly awoke and found myself sitting bolt upright in bed, the book fallen from my hands and these words upon my lips, uttered audibly: "Three Orsons." I was amazed. I could recall no dream. It was not possible to connect them with what I was reading. I had never before thought of the three eminent men together, whose names I had now spoken, but instantly they came to my memory: Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Orson Spencer. Then I began to muse and wonder. Why had this thing happened? What caused it? What did it signify? Then the oddity of the name struck me — "Orson." What was its origin and particularly how strange that it should be the common name of the three most distinguished scholars and doctrinaires, preachers, missionaries, elders, apostles of the "Mormon" Church, contemporaries of their period, reaching from before the founding of the foreign missions to the establishment of the Latter-day Saints as "a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains." For days following I thought of this name and especially of the three notable men it stood for. I also recalled several namesakes of theirs, men of the later generations known to me personally—there were many of these—in the community, of whom I had heard or read. There were Orson Pratt, Jr., Orson Arnold, Orson Spencer Clawson, Orson Spencer Clawson, Jr., Orson Smith, Orson Rogers, Orson Whitney, Orson F. Whitney, Orson Woolley, Orson Romney, and others. Upon searching the Hyde, Pratt and Spencer genealogies, I found that neither of the families had the name Orson in it. These three were the first to receive it. They were not related to each other. Orson Hyde was born in Connecticut, Orson Pratt in New York and Orson Spencer in Massachusetts. I was in New York at the time and so resorted to the Public Library, but even there found among the hundreds of thousands of volumes no book whose title began with "Orson," and no encyclopedia that had it. Quite by accident, however, in going through the card index of 'the initial V, I came upon the title "Valentine and Orson," and when I asked and signed for the volume, I was called into the wire cage where only the rare books are put into the hands of strangers. I found the volume given me was very small, bound in cloth, much soiled, as though often handled, and when I opened it, I was surprised at the disclosure of its title page, which is as follows: VALENTINE AND ORSON A romantic melo-drama As performed at the Theatre-Royal Covent Garden Price one shilling and sixpence Written by T. Dibdin Produced under the direction of Mr. Farley, London. Pr. and Pub. by Barker and Son Dramatic Repository, Great Russell St. 1804. Upon the succeeding page the following quaint dedication: To Charles Farley—As a feeble though sincere acknowledgment for his professional exertions, unremitting zeal, attention and assiduity, in the stage arrangement of the following bagatelle its pages are most cordially inscribed by T. Dibdin. The Ladies and Gentlemen who have so eminently distinguished themselves in the performance are also respectfully desired to accept, as they most amply merit, the Author's best thanks. Upon the next page the following: Characters Pepin, King of France Mr. Corey Henry, Hautrey (his relatives) Mr. Klarent and Mr. Clement Valentine (a foundling) Mr. Farley Orson (a wild man) Mr. Dibdin Blandiman (squire to the Empress) Mr. Chapman Peers of France, Citizens of Orleans, Peasants, Pages and Pilgrims Alexander (Emperor of Greece) Mr. Field Princess Eglantine Mrs. St. Leger Empress Belisanta (sister to the King) Mrs. Dibdin Fiorimanda Mrs. Frederick Agatha Mrs. Martyn Agramont (the Green Knight) Mr. Bologna Ferragus Mons. Le Grand Facolet (the Genius) Master Menage The scenery by Richards, Phillips, Whitmore and Hollogan. The decorations and machinery by Goostreen, Sloper and Cresswell." The following is a synopsis of the play, which was also a spectacle with musical accompaniment. It was produced at the Philadelphia theatre under management of Warren and Wood and the copy of the book is evidently that used by the prompter, being copiously marked throughout, as prompters' copies usually are: Belisanta, sister to King Pepin of France and wife of the Emperor Alexander of Greece, is described as lovely and virtuous. She is, however, spitefully traduced to the Emperor by his priest, whose unholy overtures to her had been rejected and scorned. The Emperor being deceived, directs that she be slain for her supposed infidelity, but later modifies the decree of death to banishment with only a single attendant, her squire, the faithful Blandiman, who advised her to seek the Court of Pepin for a home and refuge. They journey thither and reach the forest of Orleans. Here Blandiman leaves her while he goes to ascertain if King Pepin will receive and protect his sister. During his absence the unfortunate Empress is brought to the supreme ordeal of motherhood and twins are born, there in the forest. She is presently attacked by a most hideous bear, by whom one of the babes is seized and carried away. In her agony she leaves the other and follows in pursuit of the bear. While she vainly seeks to overtake the beast and rescue her child, King Pepin, who was hunting in the forest with members of his court, comes upon the one she left. He is strangely moved when he beholds this babe and declares he loves it and that it shall be brought up in gentleness as his own son, and orders it to be taken to the palace. When Blandiman returns in search of his mistress, he finds her in this wretched plight, having given birth to twin sons only to be so tragically bereft of them. He reports that King Pepin believes the slanders that had caused her banishment and refuses to receive her. She prays that she might die, but Blandiman persuades her to seek refuge in Portugal, where, at the castle of the Giant Ferragus she finds refuge and lives in the obscurity of a nunnery for many years. In the meantime the babe taken by King Pepin, who names him Valentine, as he was found on St. Valentine's day, grows to manhood, a refined gentleman and gallant soldier; and the other babe is nursed by the bear, and grows up a wild man of the woods, ultimately receiving the name Orson, a corruption of Ursini, meaning son of a bear. Now Valentine has been sent to the wars against the Saracens and in course of time returns victoriously. He is greatly honored, and the King's relatives, Henry and Hautrey, become jealous of his distinction. The King makes a feast in honor of his great victory, and offers in gratitude to grant any request of his subjects that may be made of him on that day. The people who have been terrified by the bear and the wild man of the woods, ask for their destruction, and Henry and Hautrey taunt Valentine (hoping he will be killed) to undertake the venture. He valorously agrees to seek and destroy the bear and the wild man, and sets out for that purpose. Presently Valentine and Orson meet and engage in mortal combat, Valentine with gleaming sword and polished shield, and the skill of a trained soldier, against the brutal strength of the wild man, who pulls up a young tree for a club, as his only weapon. In the fray that ensues the bear is killed, and Orson, wounded, is overcome and carried away in triumph to the King's palace. Here he is washed and dressed as a human being and made much of, but often becomes angry and wildly runs amuck. About this time the Duke of Acquitaine arrives and begs help from King Pepin against the pagan sorcerer Agramont (the Green Knight), who has captured and holds his daughter a prisoner. This Green Knight is supposed to have a charmed life and has insolently challenged all comers to fight for the lady, agreeing that she shall be given to any knight who is able to defeat him. He has already overcome twenty knights that had fought for her. Valentine volunteers. This, however, worries Eglantine, who is his affianced bride. She thinks the lady for whom twenty knights have fought and been defeated must possess charms that, should Valentine succeed, might also win him from her, as she has promised to wed the knight that rescues her. Eglantine, therefore, secures Valentine's armor and sets out ahead of him, to strive on her own account to overthrow the Green Knight. She has heard the legend that "no man nursed by woman can subdue this pagan," and surmises that a woman dressed as a man might. She says, "Perhaps it is his fate to fall by woman." Agatha, her maid, quaintly observes, "He wouldn't be the first if he did." She meets the knight and is easily overcome and is about to be killed when Valentine and Orson come upon the scene. They had been hindered on the way by Henry and Hautrey, who ambushed and tried to slay Valentine. Orson came to his rescue, however, making short work of the envious brothers, and together they hastened to encounter the Green Knight. Valentine is about to engage in the combat when he observes the words on the Green Knight's shield: "This shield protects a prince not nursed by woman," and hastily bids Orson seize the shield, which he alone has strength to do, and fights with Agramont whom he quickly slays. At this dramatic climax the genius Pacolet appears and, descending from the clouds on a flying horse, informs everybody that Valentine and Orson are brothers, that their mother Belisanta is and always was an exceedingly virtuous and lovely lady, that the Emperor of Greece has discovered his mistake and is on his way to make amends. By a wave of the Genii's wand Orson is suddenly endowed with reason and weds the rescued Florimanda, while Valentine and Eglantine are married and live happy forever after. Curtain and music. That is the play. It was months after reading this, upon returning to Utah, I asked my friend Spencer Clawson if he knew the origin of the name Orson, and to my surprise he replied that it was from the title of a fairy story: "Valentine and Orson," and that he had a copy, a little book given to him when a child by his mother for a Christmas present. He said he would let me take it, that he had it somewhere but had not seen it for years. He looked among his old books for it and told me afterwards that he had not succeeded in finding it; that it was not really lost nor destroyed and he would yet find it for me, but he never did. This was only a few days before his sudden death. Dear old Spencer! His name was Orson also, after his grandfather. With this clue I followed the matter through the public library here and presently found that while no separate volume was given to it, the story, under different titles, appeared, variously told in several volumes of fairy tales, and I derived the encyclopedia information that it originated in the Charlemagne period and was actually printed as early as A. D. 1495, just a few years after the first books printed from movable type. That it had great popularity about the beginning of the nineteenth century in England and naturally a succeeding vogue soon after in America. That is about the time when our Three Orsons were coming into the world, and their devoted mothers were seeking heroic names for their unequalled offspring. This, I take it, accounts for their names, but why should they have sprung from my lips in the manner I have related? I can only surmise, from the impression that I then received and that persists with me, that these were extraordinary men, that their lives, their ministry, their sermons and writings deserve from me, at least, a closer study, a more familiar acquaintance and that I should find especially in their writings matter of better import, a Divine inspiration, more needful and helpful to me than the perusal of the popular authors of volumes of fine phrases, which sound pleasant enough to the ear, but lack the vigor of the inspired message, which illuminates the writings of the Three Orsons, who wrote and spoke, "not as the Scribes and Pharisees, but as men having authority." Having this impression and that the lesson should be driven home, it has been my pleasure and greatly to my benefit, that I have searched the histories and biographies, the sermons and writings of these three men. They are wonderful! Very few in the history of the world more so. They were called and raised up by the Lord to perform missions of extraordinary interest. They carried the Divine message to men and peoples that none others were so peculiarly qualified to convey. There is not space to do more than quote briefly from the ministry of each a single incident or utterance; but these are of such a sublime character that they are bound to impress the reader with the fact that the Three Orsons were inspired servants of the Most High. They were commissioned and empowered to say and do the things that distinguished their lives, by the gifts and powers of the Spirit of God, which surpasseth the understanding of the most brilliant of men, and is as far above such as the heavens are above the earth. Orson Hyde, born 28th January, 1805, died 28th November, 1878, was one of the original Twelve Apostles, chosen by the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon and ordained to that office by Oliver Cowdery. In the course of his long ministry, I have selected the following prophetic incident, which he had foreseen in a vision, as of timely interest, now that Palestine, the Holy Land, is being redeemed "by nations and people that have found favor in the sight of the Lord." April 6, 1840, at Nauvoo, Orson Hyde addressed the congregation. He stated that it had been prophesied some years ago that he had a great work to perform among the Jews and that he now intended to visit the Jews in New York, London and Amsterdam and then to visit Constantinople and the Holy Land. Pursuant to this purpose, he proceeded slowly and after suffering much hardship and passing through many dangers he reached his final destination, and accomplished "the great work" spoken of: the dedication of Palestine for the return of the Jews, according to the prophecies of old and the promise of God in these latter days. I quote from his Journal: On Sunday morning, October 24, 1841, a good while before day, I arose from sleep and went out of the city (Jerusalem) as soon as the gates were opened, crossed the brook Kedron and went upon the Mount of Olives and there in solemn silence, with pen and ink and paper, just as I saw in the vision, offered up the following prayer to Him who lives forever and ever. This dedicatory prayer is long and prophetic. It will serve our present purpose, which foretells actual present conditions and the imminent realization of all that was hoped and prayed for, to quote from it but two or three paragraphs: Grant, therefore, O Lord, in the name of thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to remove the barrenness and sterility of this land, and let springs of living water break forth to water its thirsty soil. Let the vine and olive produce in their strength, and the fig-tree bloom and flourish. Let the land become abundantly fruitful when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow with plenty to feed the returning prodigals who come home with a spirit of grace and supplication; upon it let the clouds distil virtue and richness, and let the fields smile with plenty. Let the flocks and the herds greatly increase and multiply upon the mountains and the hills; and let thy great kindness conquer and subdue the unbelief of thy people. Do thou take from them their stony heart, and give them a heart of flesh; and may the sun of thy favor dispel the cold mists of darkness which have beclouded their atmosphere. Incline them to gather in upon this land according to thy word. Let them come like clouds and like doves to their windows. Let the large ships of the nations bring them from the distant isles; and let kings become their nursing fathers, and queens with motherly fondness wipe the tears of sorrow from their eyes. Thou, O Lord, did once move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor unto Jerusalem and her children. Do thou now also be pleased to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to look with a friendly eye towards this place, and with a desire to see thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto. Let them know that it is thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel—raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government, with David thy servant, even a descendant from the loins of ancient David, to be their king. Let the nation or that people who shall take an active part in behalf of Abraham's children, and in the raising up of Jerusalem, find favor in thy sight. Let not their enemies prevail against them, neither let pestilence nor famine overcome them, but let the glory of Israel overshadow them, and the power of the Highest protect them; while that nation or kingdom that will not serve thee in this glorious work must perish, according to thy word—"Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." Orson Pratt, born 19th September, 1811, died 3rd October, 1881. He became an apostle, one of the original Twelve chosen by the Three Witnesses and ordained by them. He was a famous scholar, especially learned in the higher mathematics, a lecturer on astronomy, an authority on the Holy Scriptures. No man perhaps had a better knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures. An author of many pamphlets and tracts on doctrine; a preacher of magnetic power, whose analyses of the ancient prophecies and their fulfilment made his discourses notable, above any others delivered by his contemporaries. His whole life was devoted to the ministry, in fulfilment of the revelation of the Lord through the Prophet Joseph, from whose history it is enough to quote the following: In the fore part of November, 1830, Orson Pratt, a young man nineteen years of age, who had been baptized at the first preaching of his brother Parley P. Pratt, September 19th (his birthday) about six weeks previous, in Canaan, New York, came to inquire of the Lord what his duty was, and received the following answer: "A Revelation to Orson Pratt, given November, 1830: "1. My son Orson, hearken and hear, and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; "2. The light and the life of the world; a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not; "3. Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God: wherefore you are my son, "4. And blessed are you because you have believed; "5. And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel, "6. To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for His second coming; "7. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory, "8. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble. "9. But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked: "10. Wherefore lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost; "11. And if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come: "12. And verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your Lord and your Redeemer. Even so. Amen." Orson Spencer, born 14th March, 1802, died 15th October, 1855. From his youth up he was of feeble physique, having an afflicted body, but with a mind of extraordinary brilliance and energy. He graduated from the Lenox Academy, at the head of his high school class, and from Union College, the most famous of denominational colleges in America, with honors. He took the further classical course and his doctor's degree at the Hamilton Theological College, and became a minister of the Baptist Church, as which he served with high honor and distinction for fourteen years. For a time he read law. His associates were college men. His social and professional standing was perfectly secure, among the best of the educated, refined, religious people of his native state and nation. From these conditions, through the ministry of his brother Daniel, an elder of the Church, he was converted to "Mormonism." He gave the remainder of his life to its propaganda, as teacher, preacher, editor and author. He was a great missionary—the first to attempt to open a mission in Prussia, but was rejected there and banished. He was president of the European mission, 1847-1848, succeeding Elder Orson Hyde, 1846-1847, and was himself succeeded by Elder Orson Pratt, 1848-1851. The three Orsons in succession. His most notable literary contribution, by which his name and reputation is made forever secure among the highest honored of the disciples of the Lord in these latter days, is the series of doctrinal discourses known as Spencers Letters, which has been continuously published, as one of the standard Church works, since 1847. From it the following selection tells of the author's conversion to the gospel and sufficiently reveals the vigor of his character and superb quality of his scholarship: As you kindly say, I have always been accustomed to offer a reason for my faith; but be assured I was confounded and made dumb, when asked why I taught another gospel than what Paul did—why I taught that revelation was ended, when Paul did not—or why I taught that prophets were not needed, when no inspired teacher ever taught such a doctrine. Error may become venerable by age, and respectable from the number of its votaries, but neither age nor popularity can ever make it truth. You give me credit for a conscientious regard for the will of God. It was this that gave me the victory where many others, I fear, are vanquished. The Spirit of God wrought mightily in me, commending the ancient gospel to my conscience. I contemplated it with peaceful serenity and joy in believing. Visions and dreams began to illuminate, occasionally, my slumbering moments; but when I allowed my selfish propensities to speak, I cursed "Mormonism" in my heart, and regretted being in possession of as much light and knowledge as had flowed into my mind from that source. When I preached or conversed according to my best convictions, peace reigned in the hearts of those that heard me; at times, however, some were ready to gnash their teeth, for the truth that they would not receive and could not resist. I counted the cost, to myself and family, of embracing such views, until I could read it like the child his alphabet, either upward or downward. The expense I viewed through unavoidable tears, both in public and private, by night and by day; I said, however, the Lord he is God. I can, I will, embrace the truth. When I considered the weakness of the human mind, and its liability to be deceived, I re-examined and held converse with the most able opposers to "Mormonism," in a meek and teachable spirit; but the ease with which many, wearing a high profession of piety, turned aside the force of palpable truth, or leaned on tradition or inextricable difficulties, that they could not solve into harmony with their professions, was very far from dissuading me from my new views. What could I do? Truth had taken possession of my mind—plain, simple, Bible truth. It might be asked if I could not expel it from my door; yes, I could do it; but how would that harmonize with a sincere profession to preach and practice the truth, by way of example to others? It was a crisis I never shall, I never can forget. I remember it as an exodus from parents, kindred, denomination, and temporal support. Has any one ever passed such a crisis, he will say, at least, be careful of Brother Spencer's character and feelings. Little as I supposed that I cared about popularity, competence, or the fellowship of those who were sincerely in error, when I came to be stretched upon the altar of sacrifice, and the unsheathed blade that was to exscind from all these hung over me with perpendicular exactness; then, then, brother, I cried unto the Lord to strengthen me to pass through the scene with his approbation. In conclusion, young men of Zion, who seek to know for yourselves, let me paraphrase the opening sentence of Rasselas, sometimes called the most notable and perfect prefatory paragraph in English literature: Ye who listen with credulity to the admonitory whispers of faith, who pursue with eagerness the growing hope of a certain testimony and knowledge, who expect that age shall perform in these respects the glowing promises of youth, and that the future shall insure your firm establishment in the divine truth, attend to the history, study the sermons and prayers and writings, consider the ministry, give heed to the example and emulate, to the utmost of your endeavor, the lives of the Three Orsons. They were not content with the learning of the world, which they knew, but sought light at its source, the fountainhead, and found it. The Glory of God is Intelligence. |
Wells, Junius F. "Homes of the Three Orsons." Improvement Era. February 1919. pg. 279-287.
Homes of the Three Orsons By Junius F. Wells The most severe criticism of my paper in the November Era was that it contained too much fairy story, and not enough of the Orsons. My apology must be that the fairy story was complete, fulfilling its purpose in accounting for the name, and ending there. While the only intention was to excite an interest, or the beginning of interest, in the lives and ministry of those eminent disciples, which should lead to further demand for their sayings and writings. Would that this demand might increase, and sometime compel a compilation of their inspired utterances, convenient and accessible to the present generation of our people! I have no doubt that time will come. Several years ago while visiting Nauvoo, I procured photographs of the homes of many of our leaders, and have since published some of them in the local magazines. It is a pleasure to find among them the views accompanying this article, to which have been added pictures of the houses in which Elders Hyde and Pratt died. The Nauvoo home of Elder Hyde was destroyed, and the picture shown is a later modern frame house erected on the site of the old one. His home in Salt Lake City, was located on North Temple street, opposite the north gate of Temple block—a large two story adobe house that has given way to the Miller apartments. The other picture that we show is of his house at Spring City, Sanpete county, in which he died. Elder Pratt's homes in Salt Lake City were small stone and adobe cottages. One that I well remember, with its portico and stone steps and outside green window shutters, stood on West Temple street, facing west, in the middle of the block between South Temple and First South streets. The picture we have procured is of the house in which he died. It is located on Third North street, facing south, the second house from the corner at Third West street. Elder Orson Spencer's homes in Salt Lake City occupied the southwest lot at the corner of Third South and Main streets. There are no existing pictures of the houses. I am told by his daughter, Aunt Katie Young, that the original home was a one room adobe shelter facing on Main street, for his family of motherless children. This they occupied until his arrival from England in 1849, when he built as an addition a two-story adobe house facing south on the site at the corner of Main and Third South. He died in St. Louis, while editing the St. Louis Luminary, under direction of Elder Erastus Snow, president of the mission there. I have selected to go with these pictures from the writings and discourses of the Three Orsons some remarkable testimonies and utterances, which appear to have a timely interest, in view of the present state of the world, convulsed in war, famine and pestilence; the coming of which these servants of the Lord spoke and wrote with exceeding boldness and prophetic foresight. As this number of the Era will be issued soon after the hundred and thirteenth anniversary of the Prophet's birth, it is perhaps fitting to quote first from the writings of Elder Orson Spencer, his estimate of the personal character and quality of the Prophet. It is not frequent that such descriptions are brought before the present generation, from the pens and lips of men qualified by personal association and great literary ability to describe him; and that were written of him during his lifetime. This is among the most eloquent, dignified and loyal utterances of its kind in existence. It was written in 1842, and is worthy of the consideration of all men in forming opinions concerning the style and ability of Joseph Smith as a man, and inspired servant of God: "You wish to know, 'What is the personal character and influence, doctrines and claims of him who is called the leader, Joseph Smith?' Joseph Smith, when the great designs of heaven were first made known to him, was not far from the age of seventeen; from that time to this he has had much said about him, both of a favorable and unfavorable nature. I shall only speak of his character as I believe it to be from an intimate acquaintance of more than one year and from an intimate acquaintance with those who have been with him many years. No man is more narrowly watched by friends and enemies than Mr. Joseph Smith; consequently, if he were as good a man as any prophet that has preceded him. he would have as violent enemies as others have had. But I hasten to give my own opinion. "I firmly avow, in the presence of God, that I believe Mr. Joseph Smith to be an upright man, that seeks the glory of God in such a manner as is well pleasing to the Most High God. Naturally, he is kind and obliging; pitiful and courteous; as far from dissimulation as any man; frank and loquacious to all men, friends or foes. He seems to employ no studied effort to guard himself against misrepresentation, but often leaves himself exposed to misconstructions by those who watch for faults. He is remarkably cheerful for one who has seen well-tried friends martyred around him, and felt the inflictions of calumny—the vexations of lawsuits— the treachery of intimates—and multiplied violent attempts upon his person and life, together with the cares of much business. His influence, after which you inquire, is very great. His friends are as ardently attached to him as his enemies are violently opposed. Free toleration is given to all opposing religions, but wherever he is accredited as a Prophet of the living God, there you will perceive his influence must be great. That lurking fear and suspicion that he may become a dictator or despot, gradually gives place to confidence and fondness, as believers become acquainted with him. "In doctrine, Mr. Smith is eminently scriptural. I have never known him to deny or deprecate a single truth of the Old and New Testaments, but I have always known him to explain and defend them in a masterly manner. Being anointed of God, for the purpose of teaching and perfecting the church, it is needful that he should know how to set in order the things that are wanting, and to bring forth things new and old, as a scribe well instructed. This office and apostleship he appears to magnify; at his touch the ancient prophets spring into life, and the beauty and power of their revelations are made to commend themselves with thrilling interest to all that hear. "You inquire, 'Does he claim to be inspired?' Certainly he does claim to be inspired. He often speaks in the name of the Lord, which would be rank hypocrisy and mockery, if he were not inspired to do it. It seems very difficult for those who stand at the distance of many generations from the true prophets, to realize what prophets are, and what ought to be expected from them. I do not chide them for their ignorance and folly, however, because I had nothing to boast of, previous to embracing the faith of the Latter-day Saints. I understand that prophets may speak as they are moved by the Holy Ghost at one time, while they may be very far from being moved by the Holy Ghost as they speak at another. They may be endowed with power to perform miracles and mighty deeds at one time, while they have no authority, and there is no suitableness in doing the same at another time. "You ask, 'Is he a man of prayer, of a pure life, of peace? Does he appear at the head of his troops as a military commander?' These questions I answer, according to the best knowledge I have, in the affirmative. As a people we perform military duty, as the laws of the State of Illinois enjoin and require. The legion answers the purpose to keep the lawless and mobocratic at a respectful distance; and the more 'earthquake and storm' our enemies raise about the Nauvoo Legion, and a military chieftain like the ancient Mahomet, the greater fear and dread of us will be conveyed to the minds of the lawless, who watch for prey, and spoil, and booty. I can assure you, that neither Mr. Smith, nor any other intelligent Latter-day Saint, ever intends to make one convert by the sword; neither are we such tee-total peace makers, that any savage banditti of lawless depredators could waste our property, violate virtue, and shed innocent blood, without experiencing from us a firm defense of law, of right, and innocence. We are to this day very sensitive to a repetition of past wrongs that we still smart under. The Lord our God, who was once called (by a man after his own heart) 'a man of war,' we trust will be our defense and strong tower in the day of battle, if our country should ever call us to scenes of carnage and blood." When Orson Hyde was sent upon his mission, in 1840, to dedicate the land of Palestine for the return of the Jews, he received a letter of appointment from the General Conference of the Church, dated Nauvoo, April 6, 1840, signed by Joseph Smith, Jr., that contained the following, which must certainly have been written by the spirit of prophecy : "Considering an important event at hand, an event involving the interest and fate of the gentile nations throughout the world—from the signs of the times and from declarations contained in the oracles of God, we are forced to come to this conclusion: The Jewish nations have been scattered abroad among the gentiles for a long period; and in our estimation the time of the commencement of their return to the Holy Land has already arrived. As this scattered and persecuted people are set among the gentiles, as a sign unto them of the second coming of the Messiah and also of the overthrow of the present kingdoms and governments of the earth, by the potency of his almighty arm, in scattering famine and pestilence like the frosts and snows of winter and sending the sword with nation against nation to bathe it in each other's blood; it is highly important in our opinion that the present views and movements of the Jewish people be sought after and laid before the American people for their consideration, their profit and their learning." In the November Era a mention is made of Elder Hyde's going upon this mission and a quotation is given from his prayer offered up on the Mount of Olives, October 24, 1841. After beginning his homeward journey and arriving at Triest, at the head of the Adriatic sea, he commenced to write a report of his mission. It was dated January 1, and completed January 18, 1842. This was addressed to Joseph Smith, Jr., Nauvoo, Illinois. The following extract from it will be read with amazing interest, in view of recent historical incidents that surely are destined to be connected with the literal fulfilment of Elder Hyde's prediction. He says: "It was by political power and influence that the Jewish nation was broken down, and her subjects dispersed abroad. And I will here hazard the opinion that by political power and influence they will be gathered and built up; and further, that England is destined, in the wisdom and economy of heaven, to stretch forth the arm of political power, and advance in the front ranks of this glorious enterprise. "In the front ranks of this glorious enterprise!" England declared war against Turkey, Nov. 5, 1914. General Allenby, in command of an army of English soldiers began his triumphant march to recover the Holy Land, driving the Turks before him and destroying their power of conquest and possession forever. He captured Gaza on November 7, 1917; Jerusalem, December 9, 1917; Nazareth, September 22, 1918, Damascus, October 1, 1918; and proceeded to Aleppo, October 26, thus sweeping all Palestine from Beersheba to Dan. This successful campaign was remarkable in many ways. It was led by an Englishman, who is reported to be a man of faith and prayer. The favor of" the Lord was made manifest, in the comparative ease with which it was accomplished, and for the few casualties of the English. The Turks were completely defeated, and the surrender of the Turkish Empire followed almost immediately October 30, 1918. As commemorative of this glorious achievement and the fulfilment of the ancient predictions concerning it, as well as of the remarkable prophecy of Elder Hyde, the following lines by I. S. Richter in Leslies are timely: TO GENERAL EDMUND H. H. ALLENBY Intrepid son of Albion the brave, Thine was the mission, though of alien creed, God's hallowed earth from heathen foes to save, An exiled people back into its home to lead, An outraged race from bondage to redeem And render real its age-long sweetest dream. Oppressed and trampled through their dreadful night, Two thousand years they wandered o'er the earth, Sustained by one fond hope, one radiant light, Of the glorious day to which thou gavest birth. Noble and gallant warrior, hail to thee! Thou art immortal in Israel's history. Polluted by a foul unholy hand, For centuries the scene of bloody strife -- Freed from that yoke, now will the chosen land Live as of yore a noble, godly life: A guiding star as in the days of old, A fount of wisdom and of bliss untold. Elder Hyde's prophetic impulse appears to have searched out the Germans, as certainly as it foretold the "advance in the front ranks" of these English. In a letter written by him to the Missouri Republican, from Great Salt Lake City, January 1, 1862, when the Civil War was at its height, the following striking prophecy occurs: "Some four years since (1858), in a discourse delivered in the tabernacle, in this city, I made the following statement, 'So sure as the storms of the mountains burst and hurl their fury upon the Twin Peaks of the Wasatch range, just so sure is the storm of Jehovah's wrath about to burst upon the nation and people of the United States.' This statement found its way into many of the Eastern journals and drew forth some ludicrous editorials as to what the Prophet Orson had said. Call me by whatever name they will, I intend to tell the truth, and Time, that faithful revealer of all things, will test the merits or demerits of my sayings. Itou have scarcely yet read the preface of your national troubles. Many nations will be drawn into the American maelstrom that now whirls through our land; and after many days, when the Demon of War shall have exhausted his strength and madness upon American soil, by the destruction of all that can court or provoke opposition, excite cupidity, inspire revenge or feed ambition, he will remove his headquarters to the banks of the Rhine." I am indebted to Elder A. A. Ramseyer for the following comment: "How remarkably the above prophecy was fulfilled. In 1865, the American War was ended; the next year, 1866, Prussia and Austria, after having attacked Denmark in 1864 and wrested off Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia turned on Austria to secure to herself the whole of the spoils. Then, in 1870, Bismarck lured the French into a declaration of war against Prussia, a challenge which all of the German states accepted with alacrity, leading to the Franco-Prussian war. Now, for more than forty years since the defeat of France, Germany was preparing for the mad world conquest with the disastrous results that we all now know." I submit the following from a patriotic speech delivered by Orson Hyde, in Great Salt Lake City, July 4, 1853. Is it not prophetically pertinent to the present day, with the President of the United States in Europe upon a mission of liberty? "The voice of God, through American policy, with loud and thrilling notes cries; Come unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved from the yokes of tyrants—from the chains and fetters of bigotry, superstition and priestcraft, and regale yourselves under the Tree of Liberty, whose branches are rapidly extending, and whose fruit is rich and desirable, and whose leaves are for the healing of the nations." Elder Orson Pratt's discourses upon the fulfilment of ancient prophecy were so many and so profound that brief extracts from them do but meagre justice. I shall present but two, in conclusion of this paper. The first is from a sermon delivered in the tabernacle, March 26, 1871: "When the Almighty, in the present century, sent forth an angel from heaven, and restored the gospel, and the authority and power to preach it, and administer its ordinances, and to organize this Church on the earth, and sent forth his servants to all nations, they were fulfilling the commands of the Most High given by the angel. We have been forty years, since the angel came, fulfilling that prediction. * * * How many more years will pass over our heads that we will have the privilege of declaring the fulness of the everlasting gospel among the nations of the Gentiles is not revealed. All that we know on the subject is what the Lord told us some forty years ago, that the times of the Gentiles would be fulfilled in the generation in which He established His Church." * * * "The Jews will then come in remembrance before the Lord. That is, the set time for their deliverance and restoration will have come; the period predicted by the mouth of the ancient prophet in which the Gospel shall be proclaimed to them." * * * "Individuals are now sitting in this Tabernacle who will carry this message. The young men among us will go forth to the ends of the earth and declare to the scattered remnants of Israel, wherever found, the comforting words; 'The times of the Gentiles are fulfilled; that the day is come for the covenant which God made with the ancient fathers of Israel to be fulfilled.' And you will have the pleasure of gathering them up by thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands from the islands of the sea and from all quarters of the earth; for that will be a day of power far more than it is while the gospel continues among the Gentiles. * * * Hear what the Lord says by the mouth of the psalmist David; 'Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.' " Upon a previous occasion, he spoke concerning the time when this message should be sent to the scattered remnants of Israel. I perfectly remember hearing this discourse, and of listening many times to his expositions of the prophets of the Bible and Book of Mormon, when the power and boldness of his prophecies, that the time was near for their fulfilment, thrilled me to the heart, and made impressions that I can never forget. The following is extracted from a sermon delivered in the old tabernacle, August 11, 1867: "This is what the Lord has in store for his servants. You young men who sit here on these seats will live to see the times of the Gentiles fulfilled. You will live to see the time when the Lord will give you a direct command from on high to no more go into the cities of the Gentiles to preach to them; the law having been bound, the testimony sealed. And the mission which you will receive, young men, will be to go to the scattered remnants of the house of Israel, among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. To search them out and proclaim to them the message restored by the angel, that it may be preached to Israel as well as to the Gentiles. That is your destiny; that, young men, is what the Lord will require at your hands." The most interesting query by present-day readers of these ancient and modern prophecies is: How long shall the generation in which they are to begin and be fulfilled last? Elder Pratt, after forty years from its beginning, declared he did not know; but that young men then living should live to witness the end. The "signs of the times" multiply as the days and years pass, and that the notable, portentous event "is nigh, even at your doors" becomes increasingly evident. |
Orson Hyde's Homestead, Nauvoo, Illinois
House in which Orson Hyde died, Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah.
Home of Orson Pratt, Nauvoo, Illinois
House in which Orson Pratt died
Home of Orson Spencer, Nauvoo, Illinois
|
Jean. "Pioneer Stories - Orson Pratt." Juvenile Instructor. September 1919. pg. 408-409.
True Pioneer Stories
Contributed by Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
Orson Pratt
"God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform."
From most obscure origin, He brings forth the greatest minds, and produces genius that the learned world looks upon with reverence, bowing to them as to supernatural exponents of wisdom beyond their ken. In searching the biography of Apostle Orson Pratt's early childhood, the impression gained is that his youth knew only toil with brief intervals of study at a country school. Born in Hartford, Washington Co,, New York, Sept. 19th, 1811, he was ushered into this world where poverty stalked and sacrifice for bare living was of every day occurrence. In those early days when parents could not afford to support and educate their children at home, the children were hired out to neighbors or sent to some distant village where they worked for board and clothes, seldom seeing their parents for months at a time. So it was in the life of this great man, Orson Pratt. At the age of ten years he was sent out to work and from that time until he reached the age of nineteen years he was practically a wage earner. By chance he met his brother. Parley Pratt, who was then a traveling missionary for the Gospel that was taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and after hearing the testimony his brother bore, he became convinced of the truth of "Mormonism" and requested baptism of his brother. The many privations and heavy labors of this young boy brought on an almost fatal illness. Far removed from all relatives, among strangers who had little sympathy with his afflictions, he hovered for weeks between life and death, only his strong constitution carrying him safely to health. Before he had fully recovered, he was compelled to go out and labor for his board and lodging. All this time he was thinking and praying to God for some manifestation of his will, often going into the woods, when everyone slept, and fervently asking his Heavenly Father to show him the way of life and salvation. His childish recollections of a home were dim, but the teachings of his father and mother in those early days remained with him through the many temptations he met wandering from place to place and living with different classes of people. All this is proof of the strength of character he showed later in life. At no time did he neglect his longing for education, and without teachers he mastered algebra, geometry, trigonometry and astronomy—laying the foundation for the place he held in the world of science and letters among men of profoundest wisdom with whom he came in contact years later. Always inclined to mathematics he excelled along that line — becoming a center of authority with the solons of England and France, the scientific world acknowledging his great talents.
Elder Pratt identified himself with the Saints in Far West and was a member of the Pioneer company under President Brigham Young, who made the trip over the plains and mountains to the great Salt Lake basin, and was the first person to enter this valley. Very interesting are the pages of his diary during this journey.
Elder Wm. Clayton, who was historian for the company had been thinking out some plan of measuring the miles traveled each day by the Pioneers. A. M. Harmon worked an odometer which he attached to the wagon of Elder Clayton; but it was due to the genius of Orson Pratt that the mathematical scheme was successful —the intricate contrivance in the revolution of the wheel and cog and its perfection in detail in exact measurement of distance each day has been a marvel of interest to scientific men for many years.
Another item of moment was the unique letters written by the heroic men to those who would follow with the second company, a few weeks later. Letters were written and nailed between elects on boards and attached to poles fifteen feet high — set deep in the ground, and a little distance from the road—yet easily seen by those looking for word of their fellow travelers. These and various other diversions were thought out to keep up the spirits and courage of the solitary pilgrims to an unknown land where they had turned their faces to make new homes in an unconquered desert. Prominent among these undaunted spirits was the great soul of Orson Pratt. Scholar and spiritual enthusiast—he was a bulwark of strength in this little band of immortals.— Jean.
True Pioneer Stories
Contributed by Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
Orson Pratt
"God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform."
From most obscure origin, He brings forth the greatest minds, and produces genius that the learned world looks upon with reverence, bowing to them as to supernatural exponents of wisdom beyond their ken. In searching the biography of Apostle Orson Pratt's early childhood, the impression gained is that his youth knew only toil with brief intervals of study at a country school. Born in Hartford, Washington Co,, New York, Sept. 19th, 1811, he was ushered into this world where poverty stalked and sacrifice for bare living was of every day occurrence. In those early days when parents could not afford to support and educate their children at home, the children were hired out to neighbors or sent to some distant village where they worked for board and clothes, seldom seeing their parents for months at a time. So it was in the life of this great man, Orson Pratt. At the age of ten years he was sent out to work and from that time until he reached the age of nineteen years he was practically a wage earner. By chance he met his brother. Parley Pratt, who was then a traveling missionary for the Gospel that was taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and after hearing the testimony his brother bore, he became convinced of the truth of "Mormonism" and requested baptism of his brother. The many privations and heavy labors of this young boy brought on an almost fatal illness. Far removed from all relatives, among strangers who had little sympathy with his afflictions, he hovered for weeks between life and death, only his strong constitution carrying him safely to health. Before he had fully recovered, he was compelled to go out and labor for his board and lodging. All this time he was thinking and praying to God for some manifestation of his will, often going into the woods, when everyone slept, and fervently asking his Heavenly Father to show him the way of life and salvation. His childish recollections of a home were dim, but the teachings of his father and mother in those early days remained with him through the many temptations he met wandering from place to place and living with different classes of people. All this is proof of the strength of character he showed later in life. At no time did he neglect his longing for education, and without teachers he mastered algebra, geometry, trigonometry and astronomy—laying the foundation for the place he held in the world of science and letters among men of profoundest wisdom with whom he came in contact years later. Always inclined to mathematics he excelled along that line — becoming a center of authority with the solons of England and France, the scientific world acknowledging his great talents.
Elder Pratt identified himself with the Saints in Far West and was a member of the Pioneer company under President Brigham Young, who made the trip over the plains and mountains to the great Salt Lake basin, and was the first person to enter this valley. Very interesting are the pages of his diary during this journey.
Elder Wm. Clayton, who was historian for the company had been thinking out some plan of measuring the miles traveled each day by the Pioneers. A. M. Harmon worked an odometer which he attached to the wagon of Elder Clayton; but it was due to the genius of Orson Pratt that the mathematical scheme was successful —the intricate contrivance in the revolution of the wheel and cog and its perfection in detail in exact measurement of distance each day has been a marvel of interest to scientific men for many years.
Another item of moment was the unique letters written by the heroic men to those who would follow with the second company, a few weeks later. Letters were written and nailed between elects on boards and attached to poles fifteen feet high — set deep in the ground, and a little distance from the road—yet easily seen by those looking for word of their fellow travelers. These and various other diversions were thought out to keep up the spirits and courage of the solitary pilgrims to an unknown land where they had turned their faces to make new homes in an unconquered desert. Prominent among these undaunted spirits was the great soul of Orson Pratt. Scholar and spiritual enthusiast—he was a bulwark of strength in this little band of immortals.— Jean.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. January 1947. pg. 7-10, 36.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
I. FAMILY BACKGROUNDS AND EARLY LIFE
One of the most remarkable men who ever cast his lot with the Latter-day Church was Orson Pratt. He was born in New York state to parents of New England stock. The Pratt family, from which Orson was descended, had been in America since the original settlement of New England. The Reverend William Pratt, rector of Stevenage Parish in Hertfordshire, England, was the father of one William Pratt, who apparently emigrated to New England with the Puritans and was living at Newtowne (now Cambridge), Massachusetts in 1633.[1] Some of his religious beliefs were at variance with his neighbors so that when the Reverend Thomas Hooker led his congregation into the Connecticut Valley in 1636, William Pratt welcomed the opportunity to go with them into this virgin territory where they would enjoy greater religious freedom. Nine years later this courageous pioneer again broke away from the frontier home and farm he had made there and moved to Saybrook, Connecticut, where he established his permanent home. That this William Pratt was gifted with leadership qualities is proved by the fact that he served as a member of the General Court (Colonial legislature) of Connecticut during twenty-five or thirty sessions. He was a judge of the first county court of New London County and during the Pequot War saw military service as a lieutenant. He was the father of eight children and his posterity, now scattered throughout America, is numbered by the thousands.
In 1769 at Canaan, Columbia County, New York, Jared Pratt was born, being one of the sixth generation of the descendants of the above mentioned William Pratt. As a youth he learned the trade of weaving, and as there was a great demand for textiles as well as an abundance of raw materials from which to manufacture them on the New York frontier, he prospered. He married Polly Carpenter who died a few years after their marriage, leaving him one child, Mary, who had been born in 1793. In 1799 he married Charity Dickinson, who bore him five sons, namely, Anson, in 1811; William D. in 1802; Parley Parker in 1807; Orson in 1811; and Nelson in 1815.
Shortly after his re-marriage Jared Pratt began to have financial difficulties. The advent of the power weaving loom commenced to make itself felt in the economic life of frontier weavers who worked with hand looms. Hand spinning of wool and hand-shuttle weaving could not compete with the machine spinning and power weaving that had come in with the industrial revolution. Its influence was not felt in America as early as it manifested itself in England, but about the turn of the century Jared Pratt found it increasingly difficult to eke out an existence at his trade. With a family to support he turned his attention to agriculture to secure a livelihood, doing a little weaving in his home for his own family and neighbors as opportunity or demand presented itself. Having had little or no training in agricultural pursuits and probably not being very robust at a time when farming was almost entirely physical labor, Jared's farming ventures were not very profitable. He had no capital with which to purchase a farm and as a consequence was forced to become a tenant farmer. He moved frequently from one farm to another, trying to better his condition, but apparently failed to gain anything by this procedure. This is evident from the fact that Anson, William and Parley were all forced to leave the parental home in their early teens and enter the employ of neighbors who boarded and clothed them in exchange for their services on the farms. What little schooling they acquired was provided by their employers during a few winter months when there was little demand for labor in the fields, Orson Pratt was born on September 19, 1811 while the family was residing in Hartford, Washington County, New York. Three or four years later Jared moved his family to another farm near Lebanon, Columbia County, and there Orson attended the local school for a few months each winter from his sixth to tenth years. Poverty seemed to follow Jared Pratt wherever he moved, and in the spring of 1822, when only in his eleventh year, Orson left home and hired himself out to neighboring farmers. Never again did he have the opportunity of living with his parents after this year, although he visited with them occasionally when he could get permission from his employers to make such calls if he happened to be laboring in that neighborhood. The first winter that he lived away from home and again during the winter of 1824-1825 he attended a short term of school while laboring for various farmers. He was now past thirteen years of age and began to manifest an interest that in time became one of his greatest hobbies—mathematics. Of this last school term he wrote: "I became quite familiar with all the rules of Daball's Arithmetic.[2]
At the conclusion of the school term in the spring of 1825 Orson's older brother Anson, who was then twenty-five, called on Orson and asked him if he would care to travel with him to Hurlgate, Long Island, New York. Anson had made arrangements to take over a farm in that locality and thought it might offer a better economic opportunity for his younger brother than he enjoyed amidst the struggling farm communities of Columbia County, Orson agreed to this plan and together they journeyed to Hurlgate, which was then about six miles from New York City. Arriving there late in the spring, Orson bound himself for one year to a farmer named Greenock, who appears to have been a man of honor and one who did not take undue advantage of the youthful Pratt. This is manifested in the fact that he provided Orson with the opportunity to attend school for three months, during which time he diligently applied himself to the study of arithmetic and bookkeeping.
Mr. Greenock must have seen in Orson Pratt a young man of ability and urged him to learn some trade other than farming. Perhaps he felt that a trade would be a good thing for any farmer to know as it would provide an income during slack seasons. At any rate, it was finally decided that Orson should go to New York and apprentice himself to a large cabinet making firm. Mr. Greenock was acquainted with someone connected with this business and upon his recommendation the young man entered upon this activity in the spring of 1826. He recorded in his biographical sketch that he intended to remain with this apprenticeship for the next six years until he would be of age and could qualify as a journeyman cabinet maker.
After working in this vocation for a few months he became seriously ill and was forced to break the apprenticeship. He never disclosed the nature of the malady and perhaps it was not properly diagnosed. He merely stated that he was "... brought very low, so that my recovery, for some time, was considered doubtful." While working for the cabinet making firm Orson had lived at a boarding house in New York City and when his strength permitted, he returned in the fall of the year to the country and lived with his brother Anson who had taken over a farm at Hurlgate. During the winter of 1826-1827 he resided with Anson and was apparently recuperating his broken health.
Early in the spring Orson traveled northward about one hundred and fifty miles to Canaan, New York, which was the home of his paternal grandfather. There he bound himself to a farmer for a seven-month period, at the close of which he went home to visit with his parents. Upon arriving home he met his brother Parley, who had established a farm in the wilderness lands of Ohio and had returned to New York to marry his sweetheart, Thankful Halsey. They were about to depart for Ohio and had persuaded Nelson, then twelve, to leave home and go with them to Ohio. Orson decided to join them, after hearing Parley describe in glowing terms the possibilities for economic advancement on the Ohio frontier. The four of them departed in October for the west, traveling on the canal from Albany to Buffalo and then by schooner over Lake Erie. Arriving in Lorain County, Ohio, Orson separated himself from his brothers arid spent the winter as a boarder at the home of a Mr. Redington as there was a school nearby. He was now sixteen years of age and had worked as a paid laborer during the past summer, being able to do a man's work. He had saved his money and now used it to pay his board and the school fees.
Orson Pratt, during his early years, seemed to feel the urge to seek new employment or new activities with the coming of each spring. The spring of 1828 was no exception. He had decided that Parley was too optimistic about Ohio and decided to return to the eastern regions. During the summer he first found employment at a tavern in the village of Chagrin (now Willoughby), Ohio and later as a farm laborer near Painsville. With the coming of autumn and the close of the demand for harvest laborers he set out on a journey of more than six hundred miles which took him to the state of Connecticut where he visited with relatives. He also worked for a few weeks and then took a steamer down the coast for New York and spent the winter of 1828-1829 with his brother Anson at Hurlgate. When spring came he again went to Canaan and there secured employment.
When the fall came he entered what he referred to as a "boarding school or academy" but which he never named or located, where he spent four months. Of this schooling he later wrote: ". . .I made myself thoroughly acquainted with geography, grammar and surveying." Although this statement seems absurd, when one thinks of attempting to master these three subjects in a four-month period, one must remember that this was a frontier school and he probably learned all that was taught at the school. This was the last time that Orson Pratt ever formally attended school and from this time onward, with one exception, he was a self-taught man in the realm of worldly learning. His entire schooling had consisted of nine short terms in rural schools between his sixth and seventeenth years and this four-month period at some more advanced institution. The knowledge he gained through his own studies in later years in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, surveying, theology, and speculative philosophy attest well to the foundation of fundamentals and the habits of study he must have acquired in this youthful period. He was certainly an unusual youth, who, thrown upon the world at an early age, had learned habits of work and study without parental pressure and who spent his money for education rather than for amusements and indulgence in questionable conduct.
As the snows of the winter of 1829-1830 melted and the school term closed, Orson was employed by Joshua Lords of Canaan, New York, to labor on his farm until the harvest was completed in the fall. This period was to be one of the most eventful in his life. Not only had the studies at the academy during the previous winter opened to his view a new world of learning, but his own thoughts had been turned to a serious investigation of the purpose of his own existence. Was his life to be nothing more than a continuation of the aimless wanderings of the past eight years? His mind was troubled and he was determined that he would find the answer.
[1] Frederick W. Chapman, The Pratt Family. This is a very comprehensive genealogical study of the Pratt Family in England and the United States. While engaged in missionary activity in Great Britain Elder Orson Pratt did most of the research work in the British Records for Mr. Chapman, by which the Connection between the English and American branches of the family was established.
[2] In March, 1858, Orson Pratt wrote a biographical sketch of his life based on extracts and condensations from various journals then in his possession, covering the period up to 1844. It was printed in The Deseret News, Vol. VII, pp. 61, 62, 65 and 66 (1858). Practically all of this article was reprinted serially in the Contributor Vol. XII (1891). it was reprinted serially in the Utah Genealogical Historical Magazine, Vols. 27 and 28.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
I. FAMILY BACKGROUNDS AND EARLY LIFE
One of the most remarkable men who ever cast his lot with the Latter-day Church was Orson Pratt. He was born in New York state to parents of New England stock. The Pratt family, from which Orson was descended, had been in America since the original settlement of New England. The Reverend William Pratt, rector of Stevenage Parish in Hertfordshire, England, was the father of one William Pratt, who apparently emigrated to New England with the Puritans and was living at Newtowne (now Cambridge), Massachusetts in 1633.[1] Some of his religious beliefs were at variance with his neighbors so that when the Reverend Thomas Hooker led his congregation into the Connecticut Valley in 1636, William Pratt welcomed the opportunity to go with them into this virgin territory where they would enjoy greater religious freedom. Nine years later this courageous pioneer again broke away from the frontier home and farm he had made there and moved to Saybrook, Connecticut, where he established his permanent home. That this William Pratt was gifted with leadership qualities is proved by the fact that he served as a member of the General Court (Colonial legislature) of Connecticut during twenty-five or thirty sessions. He was a judge of the first county court of New London County and during the Pequot War saw military service as a lieutenant. He was the father of eight children and his posterity, now scattered throughout America, is numbered by the thousands.
In 1769 at Canaan, Columbia County, New York, Jared Pratt was born, being one of the sixth generation of the descendants of the above mentioned William Pratt. As a youth he learned the trade of weaving, and as there was a great demand for textiles as well as an abundance of raw materials from which to manufacture them on the New York frontier, he prospered. He married Polly Carpenter who died a few years after their marriage, leaving him one child, Mary, who had been born in 1793. In 1799 he married Charity Dickinson, who bore him five sons, namely, Anson, in 1811; William D. in 1802; Parley Parker in 1807; Orson in 1811; and Nelson in 1815.
Shortly after his re-marriage Jared Pratt began to have financial difficulties. The advent of the power weaving loom commenced to make itself felt in the economic life of frontier weavers who worked with hand looms. Hand spinning of wool and hand-shuttle weaving could not compete with the machine spinning and power weaving that had come in with the industrial revolution. Its influence was not felt in America as early as it manifested itself in England, but about the turn of the century Jared Pratt found it increasingly difficult to eke out an existence at his trade. With a family to support he turned his attention to agriculture to secure a livelihood, doing a little weaving in his home for his own family and neighbors as opportunity or demand presented itself. Having had little or no training in agricultural pursuits and probably not being very robust at a time when farming was almost entirely physical labor, Jared's farming ventures were not very profitable. He had no capital with which to purchase a farm and as a consequence was forced to become a tenant farmer. He moved frequently from one farm to another, trying to better his condition, but apparently failed to gain anything by this procedure. This is evident from the fact that Anson, William and Parley were all forced to leave the parental home in their early teens and enter the employ of neighbors who boarded and clothed them in exchange for their services on the farms. What little schooling they acquired was provided by their employers during a few winter months when there was little demand for labor in the fields, Orson Pratt was born on September 19, 1811 while the family was residing in Hartford, Washington County, New York. Three or four years later Jared moved his family to another farm near Lebanon, Columbia County, and there Orson attended the local school for a few months each winter from his sixth to tenth years. Poverty seemed to follow Jared Pratt wherever he moved, and in the spring of 1822, when only in his eleventh year, Orson left home and hired himself out to neighboring farmers. Never again did he have the opportunity of living with his parents after this year, although he visited with them occasionally when he could get permission from his employers to make such calls if he happened to be laboring in that neighborhood. The first winter that he lived away from home and again during the winter of 1824-1825 he attended a short term of school while laboring for various farmers. He was now past thirteen years of age and began to manifest an interest that in time became one of his greatest hobbies—mathematics. Of this last school term he wrote: "I became quite familiar with all the rules of Daball's Arithmetic.[2]
At the conclusion of the school term in the spring of 1825 Orson's older brother Anson, who was then twenty-five, called on Orson and asked him if he would care to travel with him to Hurlgate, Long Island, New York. Anson had made arrangements to take over a farm in that locality and thought it might offer a better economic opportunity for his younger brother than he enjoyed amidst the struggling farm communities of Columbia County, Orson agreed to this plan and together they journeyed to Hurlgate, which was then about six miles from New York City. Arriving there late in the spring, Orson bound himself for one year to a farmer named Greenock, who appears to have been a man of honor and one who did not take undue advantage of the youthful Pratt. This is manifested in the fact that he provided Orson with the opportunity to attend school for three months, during which time he diligently applied himself to the study of arithmetic and bookkeeping.
Mr. Greenock must have seen in Orson Pratt a young man of ability and urged him to learn some trade other than farming. Perhaps he felt that a trade would be a good thing for any farmer to know as it would provide an income during slack seasons. At any rate, it was finally decided that Orson should go to New York and apprentice himself to a large cabinet making firm. Mr. Greenock was acquainted with someone connected with this business and upon his recommendation the young man entered upon this activity in the spring of 1826. He recorded in his biographical sketch that he intended to remain with this apprenticeship for the next six years until he would be of age and could qualify as a journeyman cabinet maker.
After working in this vocation for a few months he became seriously ill and was forced to break the apprenticeship. He never disclosed the nature of the malady and perhaps it was not properly diagnosed. He merely stated that he was "... brought very low, so that my recovery, for some time, was considered doubtful." While working for the cabinet making firm Orson had lived at a boarding house in New York City and when his strength permitted, he returned in the fall of the year to the country and lived with his brother Anson who had taken over a farm at Hurlgate. During the winter of 1826-1827 he resided with Anson and was apparently recuperating his broken health.
Early in the spring Orson traveled northward about one hundred and fifty miles to Canaan, New York, which was the home of his paternal grandfather. There he bound himself to a farmer for a seven-month period, at the close of which he went home to visit with his parents. Upon arriving home he met his brother Parley, who had established a farm in the wilderness lands of Ohio and had returned to New York to marry his sweetheart, Thankful Halsey. They were about to depart for Ohio and had persuaded Nelson, then twelve, to leave home and go with them to Ohio. Orson decided to join them, after hearing Parley describe in glowing terms the possibilities for economic advancement on the Ohio frontier. The four of them departed in October for the west, traveling on the canal from Albany to Buffalo and then by schooner over Lake Erie. Arriving in Lorain County, Ohio, Orson separated himself from his brothers arid spent the winter as a boarder at the home of a Mr. Redington as there was a school nearby. He was now sixteen years of age and had worked as a paid laborer during the past summer, being able to do a man's work. He had saved his money and now used it to pay his board and the school fees.
Orson Pratt, during his early years, seemed to feel the urge to seek new employment or new activities with the coming of each spring. The spring of 1828 was no exception. He had decided that Parley was too optimistic about Ohio and decided to return to the eastern regions. During the summer he first found employment at a tavern in the village of Chagrin (now Willoughby), Ohio and later as a farm laborer near Painsville. With the coming of autumn and the close of the demand for harvest laborers he set out on a journey of more than six hundred miles which took him to the state of Connecticut where he visited with relatives. He also worked for a few weeks and then took a steamer down the coast for New York and spent the winter of 1828-1829 with his brother Anson at Hurlgate. When spring came he again went to Canaan and there secured employment.
When the fall came he entered what he referred to as a "boarding school or academy" but which he never named or located, where he spent four months. Of this schooling he later wrote: ". . .I made myself thoroughly acquainted with geography, grammar and surveying." Although this statement seems absurd, when one thinks of attempting to master these three subjects in a four-month period, one must remember that this was a frontier school and he probably learned all that was taught at the school. This was the last time that Orson Pratt ever formally attended school and from this time onward, with one exception, he was a self-taught man in the realm of worldly learning. His entire schooling had consisted of nine short terms in rural schools between his sixth and seventeenth years and this four-month period at some more advanced institution. The knowledge he gained through his own studies in later years in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, surveying, theology, and speculative philosophy attest well to the foundation of fundamentals and the habits of study he must have acquired in this youthful period. He was certainly an unusual youth, who, thrown upon the world at an early age, had learned habits of work and study without parental pressure and who spent his money for education rather than for amusements and indulgence in questionable conduct.
As the snows of the winter of 1829-1830 melted and the school term closed, Orson was employed by Joshua Lords of Canaan, New York, to labor on his farm until the harvest was completed in the fall. This period was to be one of the most eventful in his life. Not only had the studies at the academy during the previous winter opened to his view a new world of learning, but his own thoughts had been turned to a serious investigation of the purpose of his own existence. Was his life to be nothing more than a continuation of the aimless wanderings of the past eight years? His mind was troubled and he was determined that he would find the answer.
[1] Frederick W. Chapman, The Pratt Family. This is a very comprehensive genealogical study of the Pratt Family in England and the United States. While engaged in missionary activity in Great Britain Elder Orson Pratt did most of the research work in the British Records for Mr. Chapman, by which the Connection between the English and American branches of the family was established.
[2] In March, 1858, Orson Pratt wrote a biographical sketch of his life based on extracts and condensations from various journals then in his possession, covering the period up to 1844. It was printed in The Deseret News, Vol. VII, pp. 61, 62, 65 and 66 (1858). Practically all of this article was reprinted serially in the Contributor Vol. XII (1891). it was reprinted serially in the Utah Genealogical Historical Magazine, Vols. 27 and 28.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. February 1947. pg. 59-62, 99.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
II. ORSON PRATT BECOMES A MORMON
WHEN Orson Pratt left the shelter of his parents' home to become a hired laborer he was only ten and a half years of age. The character training which had been given to him in the rural schools he attended and especially that received at home prior to this time must have been most effective. His parents, in common with great numbers of American pioneers, had never affiliated themselves with any of the religious sects of the day, although they attended religious services and revival meetings from time to time. They were, however, devout people, believing in the atonement of Jesus and the divinity of the Bible. Their children relate that the earliest recollections they had of their home were the Bible stories that their mother told them. She taught each one of them to read when they were about six years of age and the Bible was their reading text and their story book. The principles of Christian conduct were taught in their home and every one of the children developed an abiding faith in the saving graces of the gospel and a firm conviction that the Bible contained the word of God. Parley Pratt wrote that his parents taught their children "every principle of integrity, honesty, honor and virtue."
In 1858, looking back over the early years of his life that he had spent under the parental roof, Orson Pratt wrote:
While blessed with the privilege of living at home, we were taught diligently in every principle of morality and honesty; for although my parents had no faith in the modern sectarian principles of Christianity, yet they looked upon the history of ancient Christianity, as recorded in the Bible, as something most sacred and worth possessing. These Bible doctrines, they diligently instilled into the minds of their children, so far as they understood them; and often expressed themselves as desirous of belonging to the Church of Christ, if it could be found.[1]
In spite of the fact that Orson lived away from his parents throughout the dangerous age of the 'teens, his early training was so impressive that he avoided the pitfalls and sins so common to youth. He was serious by nature, and often attended the religious services of the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists, yet never took any steps to formally join any of these religious bodies, although often urged to do so. He continued to read his Bible with a studious attitude after he left home and attributed his failure to have joined any of the contemporary Christian sects to the fact that none of them conformed in either doctrine or organization to the Primitive Church he read of in the Bible. Describing these years he wrote:
From the age of ten to nineteen I saw much of the world, and was tossed about without any permanent abiding place; but through the grace of God, I was kept from many of the evils to which young people are exposed. The early impression of morality and religion instilled into my mind by my parents always remained with me; and I often felt a great desire to be prepared for a future state; but never commenced, in real earnest, to seek after the Lord, until the autumn of 1829.[2]
While attending the "academy" during the winter of 1829-1830 Orson first became seriously interested in the need for organized religion in his life. During the summer of 1830, while laboring for Mr. Lords at Canaan, New York, this feeling grew stronger. He described this awakening of a religious need in these words:
I was so earnest and intent upon the subject of seeking the Lord when I was about eighteen years of age, and from that time until I was nineteen, when I heard this gospel and received it, that I did not give myself the necessary time to rest. Engaged in farming and laboring, too, by the month, I took the privilege, while others had retired to rest, to go out in the fields and wildernesses and there plead with the Lord, hour after hour, that he would show me what to do—that he would teach me the way of life and inform and instruct my understanding. It is true that I had attended, as many others had done, various meetings of religious societies; I had attended the Methodists; I had been to the Baptists and visited the Presbyterian meetings. I had heard their doctrines and had been earnestly urged by many to unite myself with them as a member of their churches, but something whispered not to do so; I remained therefore apart from all of them; praying continually in my heart that the Lord would show me the right way.[3]
During the year in which Orson was having this experience of spiritual unrest, his brother Parley out in the wilderness country of Ohio was also developing a new interest in religion. In 1825 he had joined the Baptist church and in the autumn of 1826, had gone about thirty-five miles west of Cleveland, Ohio, into the forest country of the Western Reserve, purchased some land and erected a log cabin. In 1827 he returned to Canaan, married his childhood sweetheart and took her with him to the West. He was succeeding very well with his pioneering venture when, in the spring of 1829, a preacher with a strange doctrine visited his neighborhood. This man was Sidney Rigdon, who had formerly been a Baptist preacher but had recently deserted that denomination and joined the movement headed by Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott. These men were teaching that the Christian sects of the day were all man-made and lacking in both correct doctrine and proper authority and were anticipating a restoration of the gospel. Sidney Rigdon converted Parley P. Pratt and made him a local preacher in this organization which they called the Reformed Baptists, but which was commonly called the Campbellite church. Almost immediately the great eloquence and forceful use of the scriptures that were so characteristic of Parley commenced to manifest themselves. At every opportunity he left his farm to preach the doctrines of faith in God, repentance from sin, baptism by immersion for the gift of the Holy Ghost and a hoped-for restoration of the other principles and authority which Christianity had originally possessed.
The success he attained in this work is shown by the fact that during the summer of 1830 he was called to become a professional worker in the Campbellite cause. In August he sold his farm and with his wife started for the eastern portion of the country to engage full time in promoting this new Church. So zealous for this cause was he that he stated he ". . . could no longer be contented to dwell in quiet and retirement on my farm, while I had light to impart to mankind . . ." While traveling toward Albany on a canal boat one day about the middle of August, he felt impressed to commence his missionary activities and left the boat, at Newark, New York, instructing his wife to continue on to her folks' home and he would follow when he had preached according to the promptings of the Spirit. The very first day of this missionary activity he heard of the Book of Mormon. The next day he read most of it and soon walked thirty miles to Palmyra where he met Hyrum Smith. He soon finished reading the book and Hyrum instructed him about the restoration of the gospel. This was the very thing he had been longing for and which he had been preaching would occur. About September 1st he was baptized and confirmed by Hyrum Smith and a few days later ordained an elder and sent on a mission, now strengthened by the Holy Ghost and the Priesthood of God, and thrilled with the story of the Restoration.
In his enthusiasm the first thing he did was go directly to Canaan, New York, where his wife was awaiting him, as well as his parents and other members of the family. He and his companion immediately sought out Orson and made him acquainted with this vital message. This was the summer during which Orson had been struggling to find true religion and it did not take Parley long to convince him that it was the hand of the Lord that had been preparing him for the very message he had brought. On his nineteenth birthday—September 19, 1830—he was baptized by his brother Parley. Orson declared:
I heard their doctrine (i.e., the doctrine of Parley and his missionary companion) and believed it to be the ancient gospel, and as soon as the sound penetrated my ears, I knew that if the Bible was true, their doctrine was true.[4]
Although Orson said very little about his association with other religious bodies in the years before he joined the Church, he must have made a rather thorough study of their teachings. This fact is verified by the great familiarity with their doctrines that he manifested almost immediately after his conversion in disputing with them. As was the case with Parley, Orson was able to explain and defend the newly restored gospel almost from the moment of conversion because of his independent study of the Bible and the enlightenment of the Holy Ghost. In addition to his biblical knowledge, his mind possessed the faculty of learning rapidly and thinking analytically. He had not, however, up to this time shown any qualities of leadership, but had been content to serve as a farm laborer.
As soon as Orson was baptized he received a strong desire to visit the Prophet Joseph Smith who was then residing in Fayette, New York. He was under contract to remain until the harvest was completed, but about the end of September he was able to complete his work and set out at once on a journey of more than two hundred miles in the rain, mud, sleet, frost and wind to meet his Prophet. His conversion, followed by this visit with Joseph Smith, was the turning point of his life. For the next fifty-one years his life was devoted to preaching, defining and explaining Mormonism; in pioneering in the Rocky Mountains; in proselyting for the Church; in teaching; and in writing and editing works on Mormonism. One of the Lord's choice sons had been found, he heeded the call and entered the service of his Master.
[1] Deseret News, VIII, p. 62
[2] Deseret News, VIII, p. 62
[3] Deseret News, IX, 153-154
[4] Deseret News op. cit. 144-155
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
II. ORSON PRATT BECOMES A MORMON
WHEN Orson Pratt left the shelter of his parents' home to become a hired laborer he was only ten and a half years of age. The character training which had been given to him in the rural schools he attended and especially that received at home prior to this time must have been most effective. His parents, in common with great numbers of American pioneers, had never affiliated themselves with any of the religious sects of the day, although they attended religious services and revival meetings from time to time. They were, however, devout people, believing in the atonement of Jesus and the divinity of the Bible. Their children relate that the earliest recollections they had of their home were the Bible stories that their mother told them. She taught each one of them to read when they were about six years of age and the Bible was their reading text and their story book. The principles of Christian conduct were taught in their home and every one of the children developed an abiding faith in the saving graces of the gospel and a firm conviction that the Bible contained the word of God. Parley Pratt wrote that his parents taught their children "every principle of integrity, honesty, honor and virtue."
In 1858, looking back over the early years of his life that he had spent under the parental roof, Orson Pratt wrote:
While blessed with the privilege of living at home, we were taught diligently in every principle of morality and honesty; for although my parents had no faith in the modern sectarian principles of Christianity, yet they looked upon the history of ancient Christianity, as recorded in the Bible, as something most sacred and worth possessing. These Bible doctrines, they diligently instilled into the minds of their children, so far as they understood them; and often expressed themselves as desirous of belonging to the Church of Christ, if it could be found.[1]
In spite of the fact that Orson lived away from his parents throughout the dangerous age of the 'teens, his early training was so impressive that he avoided the pitfalls and sins so common to youth. He was serious by nature, and often attended the religious services of the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists, yet never took any steps to formally join any of these religious bodies, although often urged to do so. He continued to read his Bible with a studious attitude after he left home and attributed his failure to have joined any of the contemporary Christian sects to the fact that none of them conformed in either doctrine or organization to the Primitive Church he read of in the Bible. Describing these years he wrote:
From the age of ten to nineteen I saw much of the world, and was tossed about without any permanent abiding place; but through the grace of God, I was kept from many of the evils to which young people are exposed. The early impression of morality and religion instilled into my mind by my parents always remained with me; and I often felt a great desire to be prepared for a future state; but never commenced, in real earnest, to seek after the Lord, until the autumn of 1829.[2]
While attending the "academy" during the winter of 1829-1830 Orson first became seriously interested in the need for organized religion in his life. During the summer of 1830, while laboring for Mr. Lords at Canaan, New York, this feeling grew stronger. He described this awakening of a religious need in these words:
I was so earnest and intent upon the subject of seeking the Lord when I was about eighteen years of age, and from that time until I was nineteen, when I heard this gospel and received it, that I did not give myself the necessary time to rest. Engaged in farming and laboring, too, by the month, I took the privilege, while others had retired to rest, to go out in the fields and wildernesses and there plead with the Lord, hour after hour, that he would show me what to do—that he would teach me the way of life and inform and instruct my understanding. It is true that I had attended, as many others had done, various meetings of religious societies; I had attended the Methodists; I had been to the Baptists and visited the Presbyterian meetings. I had heard their doctrines and had been earnestly urged by many to unite myself with them as a member of their churches, but something whispered not to do so; I remained therefore apart from all of them; praying continually in my heart that the Lord would show me the right way.[3]
During the year in which Orson was having this experience of spiritual unrest, his brother Parley out in the wilderness country of Ohio was also developing a new interest in religion. In 1825 he had joined the Baptist church and in the autumn of 1826, had gone about thirty-five miles west of Cleveland, Ohio, into the forest country of the Western Reserve, purchased some land and erected a log cabin. In 1827 he returned to Canaan, married his childhood sweetheart and took her with him to the West. He was succeeding very well with his pioneering venture when, in the spring of 1829, a preacher with a strange doctrine visited his neighborhood. This man was Sidney Rigdon, who had formerly been a Baptist preacher but had recently deserted that denomination and joined the movement headed by Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott. These men were teaching that the Christian sects of the day were all man-made and lacking in both correct doctrine and proper authority and were anticipating a restoration of the gospel. Sidney Rigdon converted Parley P. Pratt and made him a local preacher in this organization which they called the Reformed Baptists, but which was commonly called the Campbellite church. Almost immediately the great eloquence and forceful use of the scriptures that were so characteristic of Parley commenced to manifest themselves. At every opportunity he left his farm to preach the doctrines of faith in God, repentance from sin, baptism by immersion for the gift of the Holy Ghost and a hoped-for restoration of the other principles and authority which Christianity had originally possessed.
The success he attained in this work is shown by the fact that during the summer of 1830 he was called to become a professional worker in the Campbellite cause. In August he sold his farm and with his wife started for the eastern portion of the country to engage full time in promoting this new Church. So zealous for this cause was he that he stated he ". . . could no longer be contented to dwell in quiet and retirement on my farm, while I had light to impart to mankind . . ." While traveling toward Albany on a canal boat one day about the middle of August, he felt impressed to commence his missionary activities and left the boat, at Newark, New York, instructing his wife to continue on to her folks' home and he would follow when he had preached according to the promptings of the Spirit. The very first day of this missionary activity he heard of the Book of Mormon. The next day he read most of it and soon walked thirty miles to Palmyra where he met Hyrum Smith. He soon finished reading the book and Hyrum instructed him about the restoration of the gospel. This was the very thing he had been longing for and which he had been preaching would occur. About September 1st he was baptized and confirmed by Hyrum Smith and a few days later ordained an elder and sent on a mission, now strengthened by the Holy Ghost and the Priesthood of God, and thrilled with the story of the Restoration.
In his enthusiasm the first thing he did was go directly to Canaan, New York, where his wife was awaiting him, as well as his parents and other members of the family. He and his companion immediately sought out Orson and made him acquainted with this vital message. This was the summer during which Orson had been struggling to find true religion and it did not take Parley long to convince him that it was the hand of the Lord that had been preparing him for the very message he had brought. On his nineteenth birthday—September 19, 1830—he was baptized by his brother Parley. Orson declared:
I heard their doctrine (i.e., the doctrine of Parley and his missionary companion) and believed it to be the ancient gospel, and as soon as the sound penetrated my ears, I knew that if the Bible was true, their doctrine was true.[4]
Although Orson said very little about his association with other religious bodies in the years before he joined the Church, he must have made a rather thorough study of their teachings. This fact is verified by the great familiarity with their doctrines that he manifested almost immediately after his conversion in disputing with them. As was the case with Parley, Orson was able to explain and defend the newly restored gospel almost from the moment of conversion because of his independent study of the Bible and the enlightenment of the Holy Ghost. In addition to his biblical knowledge, his mind possessed the faculty of learning rapidly and thinking analytically. He had not, however, up to this time shown any qualities of leadership, but had been content to serve as a farm laborer.
As soon as Orson was baptized he received a strong desire to visit the Prophet Joseph Smith who was then residing in Fayette, New York. He was under contract to remain until the harvest was completed, but about the end of September he was able to complete his work and set out at once on a journey of more than two hundred miles in the rain, mud, sleet, frost and wind to meet his Prophet. His conversion, followed by this visit with Joseph Smith, was the turning point of his life. For the next fifty-one years his life was devoted to preaching, defining and explaining Mormonism; in pioneering in the Rocky Mountains; in proselyting for the Church; in teaching; and in writing and editing works on Mormonism. One of the Lord's choice sons had been found, he heeded the call and entered the service of his Master.
[1] Deseret News, VIII, p. 62
[2] Deseret News, VIII, p. 62
[3] Deseret News, IX, 153-154
[4] Deseret News op. cit. 144-155
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. March 1947. pg. 112-116.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
III. THE CALL TO SERVICE
While Orson Pratt was journeying on foot from his place of conversion to see the Prophet Joseph Smith at Fayette, New York, he had ample time to think about his new-found religion. He determined that he would take the same attitude toward it that his brother Parley had done, either it was the most worthwhile thing in life or it was not worthy of any effort or consideration on his part. He believed it was his most valuable possession and so he determined to place himself wholeheartedly at the disposal of the Lord. Arriving at Fayette about the first of November of 1830 he immediately sought an audience with his Prophet and asked what there was that he could do to further the cause of the Restoration. A day or two of serious study and conversation ensued, followed by a fervent prayer in which both the Prophet and Orson sought for the answer to his problem. On November 4th the Prophet was inspired to dictate the following revelation:
My son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; The light and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not; Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God. Wherefore you are my son; And blessed are you because you have believed; And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel—To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble. But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked. Wherefore, lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost. And if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come—And verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your Lord and your Redeemer. Even so. Amen.[1]
He had come to Joseph Smith in much the same spirit of trust that had prompted Naaman the Leper to seek out the Prophet Elijah, and he received a positive answer to his query. He was called specifically to be a preacher of the newly restored gospel, calling the unrighteous to repentance in preparation for the return of Jesus to the earth. He accepted this revelation as coming from God as sincerely as he would have done had an angel come from the throne of God and spoken the words in his hearing. He never doubted its source or its divinity. It started him on his life-long career as a Mormon preacher and interpreter of the gospel as revealed in this dispensation.
Orson spent the month of November at Fayette, associating with the Prophet, Oliver Cowdery and members of the Whitmer family, learning all that he could of the events that had occurred in the restorative period of the Church. The Prophet must have considered him an apt pupil in the new theology for on December 1st he ordained him an elder and sent him alone on a mission to Colesville, New York. There he met the family of Joseph Knight, Sr., who had been among the earliest of the Prophet's supporters, and gained additional confirmation for his steadily increasing testimony of the gospel.
The close of the year 1830 found Orson Pratt back in Fayette, where he secured employment for a short time. In 1878 he wrote a letter to a Mr. G. Rand of Troy, New York, in which he summarized these early years in the Church in these words:
"I was ordained to the ministry, and immediately commenced traveling, without purse or scrip, and for several years, bore my humble testimony, among the people of the United States. I visited the New England, Middle, and Western States, also Canada—baptized several hundred; the sick were healed, the lame were made to walk, and the Lord confirmed his word with signs following."
This simple statement quoted above covers a period of great missionary activity on his part. Early in 1831 he walked in company with Samuel H. Smith to Kirtland, Ohio, about three hundred miles away, doing missionary work along the way. Upon reaching Kirtland the Prophet called him to go on a mission to Missouri. This mission was undertaken in company with his brother Parley. The experiences they encountered on this mission illustrate why it was possible for missionaries of that day to travel at will without concern for their personal needs or financial wellbeing. On the American frontier the preachers of religion were almost entirely missionary preachers. That is, they had no fixed church to which they were assigned but were called to serve in a large area and received a very inadequate cash remuneration from a missionary society operated by one of the denominations. These missionary-preachers were welcome guests on the frontier, however, as they not only gave religious instruction and performed the so-called "saving ordinances" of the Church but also took care of the marriage ceremonies and burials, advised concerning wills and the settlements of the estates of the deceased, fostered the development of town and county governments, interpreted political trends to the backwoodsmen, became the staunch supporters of law and order and taught most of the elementary schools and practically all of the academies and colleges. As a consequence the settlers held them in a certain esteem and felt obligated to care for their physical needs as a compensation for the public services which they rendered. Most doors were open to them and humble as the accommodations might be, a preacher, regardless of creed, was welcome to spend a night or two and partake of their fare. Hotels and taverns usually gave free lodgings to the itinerant preacher and allowed the use of the lobby or bar-room for a preaching service in the evening. Those who were better-off financially often provided the preachers with articles of clothing to replace their worn-out apparel and it was no uncommon thing for those with whom they stayed to make a small cash contribution to the welfare of the preachers' families. Mormon missionaries were accepted in many areas in the 1830's on an equal footing with those of other Christian groups so that they were enabled to move about quite freely, "live off the land" as it were, and often times return from a mission with money in their pockets.
Orson and Parley Pratt traveled to Missouri in this way, preaching through the rural sections of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois and across Missouri to Jackson County where they arrived in August, 1831. Upon arrival at Independence Orson was stricken with chills and fever and suffered severely with this malady that had some of the symptoms of malaria. About October 1st he was sufficiently recovered that he felt able to resume his activities and in company with Asa Dodds commenced the return journey to Ohio, carrying information for the Church leaders. The close of 1831 found him at the Prophet's residence at Hiram, Ohio.
Orson's leadership ability had commenced to manifest itself by this time and on January 25 he was set apart to preside over all of the Elders in the Church. On February 2nd Sidney Rigdon ordained him to the office of a high priest and the following day with Lyman E. Johnson as a companion, departed on a mission to the eastern portion of the country, relying on the hospitality of the people as he had done in the West, taking neither money nor extra clothing nor provisions with them. On this mission they preached the message of the Restoration through portions of Ohio, on a circuitous route through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in New York City and at Hurlgate, Long Island, where Orson baptized his brother Anson. They then went into southern Vermont, where they met with a welcome reception at Charleston. After baptizing a number there and organizing them into a branch of the Church they went on to Bath, New Hampshire where they again preached with success and established a branch. Late in the autumn they started for Kirtland, but sojourned for a time in northern New York and finally reached Kirtland on February 17, 1833.
It was at this time that Orson Pratt, in common with many of the missionaries of the Church, commenced to keep a daily record of his activities. From his journal we learn that on this mission they traveled on foot about 4000 miles, baptized 104 persons, ordained a score to the priesthood and established several branches of the Church. It was also while on this mission that Lyman Johnson confided to him that the Prophet Joseph, while living at the Johnson home at Hiram, Ohio, had informed them that the practice of plural marriage would eventually be instituted in the Church. This appears to be the earliest mention that was made of this doctrine and in years to come was the cause of a great crisis through which Orson Pratt had to pass.
For five weeks Elder Pratt boarded at the home of the Prophet and attended the sessions of the School of the Prophets, after which he departed on another mission with L. E. Johnson, traveling and preaching through Ohio, New York, and Vermont. Continuing northward through Vermont they crossed into Canada where Orson preached the first sermon of the restored Gospel in Canada at Potten, on July 20, 1833 . At the end of September this missionary team was welcomed back to Kirtland, having traveled more than 2000 miles and baptized fifty souls.
For two months Orson labored on the Kirtland temple and then departed on a mission of about two and a half months duration to the branches he had established in eastern New York state. More than a thousand miles was traveled in wintry weather on this mission. Returning to Kirtland he remained but thirteen days when the Prophet again sent him on a mission with Orson Hyde to regulate matters in some of the branches in New York. They departed from Kirtland on February 26, 1834 and when they returned had traveled more than 800 miles and reported 24 baptisms.
When they returned to the headquarters of the Church they found the Prophet busy organizing "Zion's Camp," which was an armed group that planned to journey to Jackson County, Missouri and re-instate the Saints by force of arms if necessary on the lands from which they had been illegally driven the previous fall. Orson volunteered for this service and went to Missouri, acting as a captain of one of the companies. Upon reaching the settlements of the Saints in Clay County, Missouri, Elder Pratt was ordained a member of the High Council. The missionary spirit again called him, however, and he departed for Kirtland in August of 1834 in company with his brother, William D. Pratt. While preaching in the states of Missouri and Illinois he commenced to suffer from ague which afflicted him throughout the winter. Notwithstanding this ailment, he continued his ministry and after leaving his brother at Vandalia, Illinois, continued his missionary labors alone.
About the first of April he arrived in Columbus, Ohio and there secured a copy of the Church periodical, The Messenger and Advocate that was published at Kirtland. To his amazement he read that on February 14th previous he had been selected as one of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. For more than three weeks Orson Pratt continued to preach instead of hurrying to Kirtland, but on April 26th arrived at Church headquarters where he was ordained an apostle that same day by David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery.
Less than four and a half years had elapsed since Orson had been called to ". . . lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud . . ." and he had accepted this call with all the energy of his being. Now he had been called to a greater position of responsibility, but as an apostle he had a permanent assignment to engage in preaching the gospel to the nations of the earth. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve his opportunities for missionary service were multiplied. The many short missions he had undertaken prior to this call were but the foreshadowing of greater missionary endeavors that were to characterize his future life.
[1] Doctrine and Covenants 84.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
III. THE CALL TO SERVICE
While Orson Pratt was journeying on foot from his place of conversion to see the Prophet Joseph Smith at Fayette, New York, he had ample time to think about his new-found religion. He determined that he would take the same attitude toward it that his brother Parley had done, either it was the most worthwhile thing in life or it was not worthy of any effort or consideration on his part. He believed it was his most valuable possession and so he determined to place himself wholeheartedly at the disposal of the Lord. Arriving at Fayette about the first of November of 1830 he immediately sought an audience with his Prophet and asked what there was that he could do to further the cause of the Restoration. A day or two of serious study and conversation ensued, followed by a fervent prayer in which both the Prophet and Orson sought for the answer to his problem. On November 4th the Prophet was inspired to dictate the following revelation:
My son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; The light and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not; Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God. Wherefore you are my son; And blessed are you because you have believed; And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel—To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble. But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked. Wherefore, lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost. And if you are faithful, behold, I am with you until I come—And verily, verily, I say unto you, I come quickly. I am your Lord and your Redeemer. Even so. Amen.[1]
He had come to Joseph Smith in much the same spirit of trust that had prompted Naaman the Leper to seek out the Prophet Elijah, and he received a positive answer to his query. He was called specifically to be a preacher of the newly restored gospel, calling the unrighteous to repentance in preparation for the return of Jesus to the earth. He accepted this revelation as coming from God as sincerely as he would have done had an angel come from the throne of God and spoken the words in his hearing. He never doubted its source or its divinity. It started him on his life-long career as a Mormon preacher and interpreter of the gospel as revealed in this dispensation.
Orson spent the month of November at Fayette, associating with the Prophet, Oliver Cowdery and members of the Whitmer family, learning all that he could of the events that had occurred in the restorative period of the Church. The Prophet must have considered him an apt pupil in the new theology for on December 1st he ordained him an elder and sent him alone on a mission to Colesville, New York. There he met the family of Joseph Knight, Sr., who had been among the earliest of the Prophet's supporters, and gained additional confirmation for his steadily increasing testimony of the gospel.
The close of the year 1830 found Orson Pratt back in Fayette, where he secured employment for a short time. In 1878 he wrote a letter to a Mr. G. Rand of Troy, New York, in which he summarized these early years in the Church in these words:
"I was ordained to the ministry, and immediately commenced traveling, without purse or scrip, and for several years, bore my humble testimony, among the people of the United States. I visited the New England, Middle, and Western States, also Canada—baptized several hundred; the sick were healed, the lame were made to walk, and the Lord confirmed his word with signs following."
This simple statement quoted above covers a period of great missionary activity on his part. Early in 1831 he walked in company with Samuel H. Smith to Kirtland, Ohio, about three hundred miles away, doing missionary work along the way. Upon reaching Kirtland the Prophet called him to go on a mission to Missouri. This mission was undertaken in company with his brother Parley. The experiences they encountered on this mission illustrate why it was possible for missionaries of that day to travel at will without concern for their personal needs or financial wellbeing. On the American frontier the preachers of religion were almost entirely missionary preachers. That is, they had no fixed church to which they were assigned but were called to serve in a large area and received a very inadequate cash remuneration from a missionary society operated by one of the denominations. These missionary-preachers were welcome guests on the frontier, however, as they not only gave religious instruction and performed the so-called "saving ordinances" of the Church but also took care of the marriage ceremonies and burials, advised concerning wills and the settlements of the estates of the deceased, fostered the development of town and county governments, interpreted political trends to the backwoodsmen, became the staunch supporters of law and order and taught most of the elementary schools and practically all of the academies and colleges. As a consequence the settlers held them in a certain esteem and felt obligated to care for their physical needs as a compensation for the public services which they rendered. Most doors were open to them and humble as the accommodations might be, a preacher, regardless of creed, was welcome to spend a night or two and partake of their fare. Hotels and taverns usually gave free lodgings to the itinerant preacher and allowed the use of the lobby or bar-room for a preaching service in the evening. Those who were better-off financially often provided the preachers with articles of clothing to replace their worn-out apparel and it was no uncommon thing for those with whom they stayed to make a small cash contribution to the welfare of the preachers' families. Mormon missionaries were accepted in many areas in the 1830's on an equal footing with those of other Christian groups so that they were enabled to move about quite freely, "live off the land" as it were, and often times return from a mission with money in their pockets.
Orson and Parley Pratt traveled to Missouri in this way, preaching through the rural sections of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois and across Missouri to Jackson County where they arrived in August, 1831. Upon arrival at Independence Orson was stricken with chills and fever and suffered severely with this malady that had some of the symptoms of malaria. About October 1st he was sufficiently recovered that he felt able to resume his activities and in company with Asa Dodds commenced the return journey to Ohio, carrying information for the Church leaders. The close of 1831 found him at the Prophet's residence at Hiram, Ohio.
Orson's leadership ability had commenced to manifest itself by this time and on January 25 he was set apart to preside over all of the Elders in the Church. On February 2nd Sidney Rigdon ordained him to the office of a high priest and the following day with Lyman E. Johnson as a companion, departed on a mission to the eastern portion of the country, relying on the hospitality of the people as he had done in the West, taking neither money nor extra clothing nor provisions with them. On this mission they preached the message of the Restoration through portions of Ohio, on a circuitous route through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in New York City and at Hurlgate, Long Island, where Orson baptized his brother Anson. They then went into southern Vermont, where they met with a welcome reception at Charleston. After baptizing a number there and organizing them into a branch of the Church they went on to Bath, New Hampshire where they again preached with success and established a branch. Late in the autumn they started for Kirtland, but sojourned for a time in northern New York and finally reached Kirtland on February 17, 1833.
It was at this time that Orson Pratt, in common with many of the missionaries of the Church, commenced to keep a daily record of his activities. From his journal we learn that on this mission they traveled on foot about 4000 miles, baptized 104 persons, ordained a score to the priesthood and established several branches of the Church. It was also while on this mission that Lyman Johnson confided to him that the Prophet Joseph, while living at the Johnson home at Hiram, Ohio, had informed them that the practice of plural marriage would eventually be instituted in the Church. This appears to be the earliest mention that was made of this doctrine and in years to come was the cause of a great crisis through which Orson Pratt had to pass.
For five weeks Elder Pratt boarded at the home of the Prophet and attended the sessions of the School of the Prophets, after which he departed on another mission with L. E. Johnson, traveling and preaching through Ohio, New York, and Vermont. Continuing northward through Vermont they crossed into Canada where Orson preached the first sermon of the restored Gospel in Canada at Potten, on July 20, 1833 . At the end of September this missionary team was welcomed back to Kirtland, having traveled more than 2000 miles and baptized fifty souls.
For two months Orson labored on the Kirtland temple and then departed on a mission of about two and a half months duration to the branches he had established in eastern New York state. More than a thousand miles was traveled in wintry weather on this mission. Returning to Kirtland he remained but thirteen days when the Prophet again sent him on a mission with Orson Hyde to regulate matters in some of the branches in New York. They departed from Kirtland on February 26, 1834 and when they returned had traveled more than 800 miles and reported 24 baptisms.
When they returned to the headquarters of the Church they found the Prophet busy organizing "Zion's Camp," which was an armed group that planned to journey to Jackson County, Missouri and re-instate the Saints by force of arms if necessary on the lands from which they had been illegally driven the previous fall. Orson volunteered for this service and went to Missouri, acting as a captain of one of the companies. Upon reaching the settlements of the Saints in Clay County, Missouri, Elder Pratt was ordained a member of the High Council. The missionary spirit again called him, however, and he departed for Kirtland in August of 1834 in company with his brother, William D. Pratt. While preaching in the states of Missouri and Illinois he commenced to suffer from ague which afflicted him throughout the winter. Notwithstanding this ailment, he continued his ministry and after leaving his brother at Vandalia, Illinois, continued his missionary labors alone.
About the first of April he arrived in Columbus, Ohio and there secured a copy of the Church periodical, The Messenger and Advocate that was published at Kirtland. To his amazement he read that on February 14th previous he had been selected as one of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. For more than three weeks Orson Pratt continued to preach instead of hurrying to Kirtland, but on April 26th arrived at Church headquarters where he was ordained an apostle that same day by David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery.
Less than four and a half years had elapsed since Orson had been called to ". . . lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud . . ." and he had accepted this call with all the energy of his being. Now he had been called to a greater position of responsibility, but as an apostle he had a permanent assignment to engage in preaching the gospel to the nations of the earth. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve his opportunities for missionary service were multiplied. The many short missions he had undertaken prior to this call were but the foreshadowing of greater missionary endeavors that were to characterize his future life.
[1] Doctrine and Covenants 84.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. April 1947. pg. 162-165, 168.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. EDGAR LYON
IV. THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF HIS APOSTLESHIP
Eight days following his ordination as an Apostle on April 26, 1835, Orson Pratt left Kirtland to engage in missionary work in New York state. It was November 15th of that year before these activities were completed and he was able to return to Kirtland and enjoy the association with his Prophet. Two weeks following his arrival at the headquarters of the Church he recorded that he was teaching an evening grammar school, as well as pursuing his biblical and other scriptural studies.
In addition to the numerous Church activities in which he engaged, Orson persisted in his quest for knowledge. He accepted the statements found in Doctrine and Covenants 88:78-81 and 118 as personal challenges for mental improvement and commenced the formation of study habits that remained with him to the end of his mortal life. The brethren at Kirtland were aware of their need for greater proficiency in the use of the Bible and in a more intelligent understanding of its teachings and were making preparations for the study of Hebrew. Orson entered wholeheartedly into this activity and acquiring a Hebrew textbook, commenced its study without a teacher. So diligently did he pursue this work that he had acquired a grasp of the fundamentals of Hebrew before he had received any formal instruction. At this time he commenced to assert an independence of mind that revealed the strong character he possessed as well as the tenacity with which he held to what he believed to be correct. An incident from the records of the Church illustrate this characteristic, as well as the courage he possessed to oppose even those who were his superiors in the Church, when he was convinced that he was in the right.
While waiting for a Hebrew teacher to be employed the brethren gathered together and read Hebrew for their mutual development. On January 5, 1833, the Prophet recorded:
"Attended the Hebrew school . . . Had some debate with Elder Orson Pratt concerning the pronunciation of a Hebrew letter. He manifested a stubborn spirit, at which I was much grieved."[1]
The following day this entry appears:
"Attended school and spent most of the forenoon in settling the unpleasant feelings that existed in the breast of Elder Orson Pratt. After much controversy, he confessed his fault at entering into any controversy concerning so small a matter as the sound of a Hebrew letter, and asked the forgiveness of the whole school, and was cheerfully forgiven by them. . ."[2]
It is interesting to note that Orson did not admit that he was mistaken, but rather that it was improper to have made such a controversy concerning the matter. B. H. Roberts has pointed out that the Prophet Joseph, as is the case with most great leaders who become impatient with the lethargy of the masses, had a strong tendency toward autocracy which he felt was necessary in order to expedite his work.[3] Orson Pratt admired and loved the Prophet, yet would not bow to him in non-Church matters where he felt his judgment to be as reliable as that of the Prophet. This characteristic of Elder Pratt ultimately led to a severe disagreement with the Prophet that cost him his standing in the Church a few years later.
On January 26th, 1836, Professor Joshua Seixas of Hudson Seminary commenced to teach Hebrew in Kirtland and when the class closed on March 29 th, Orson received a "Certificate of Proficiency" from him, attesting that he was qualified to teach elementary Hebrew. While this appears to be an almost impossible accomplishment, it must be remembered that Orson was a most unusual person and was possessed of remarkable powers of concentration. Wilford Woodruff who went on a mission to Britain with him wrote:
"I have never known the winds on the mighty ocean to toss the vessel too much—and we have been in storms—when Orson Pratt could not sit calmly on the deck or in his room and study astronomy, mathematics or the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."[4]
During the journey of the pioneer vanguard to the valley of the Great Salt Lake some of the brethren commenced to forget their religious callings and Brigham Young was forced to reprimand them for their worldly conduct. On May 29, 1847, he preached a strong sermon on repentance from such conduct. When he had concluded, Orson Pratt spoke to the company, saying:
"Much good advise has been given to teach us how we may spend our time profitably—by prayer, meditation, etc.—but there is another idea which I want to add: There are many good books in the camp and worlds of knowledge before us, which we have not attained, and, if the brethren would devote all their leisure time to seeking after knowledge, they would never need to say, they had nothing to pass away their time. If we could spend twenty-three hours of the twenty-four in gaining knowledge, and only sleep one hour, all the days of our lives, there would be worlds of knowledge in store yet for us to learn.
"I know it is difficult to bring our minds to diligent and constant study, in pursuit of knowledge all at once, but by steady practice and perseverance we shall become habitual to it, and it will become a pleasure to us. I would recommend to the brethren, besides prayer and obedience, to seek after knowledge continually, and it will help us to overcome our follies and nonsense. We shall have no time for it."[5]
This statement is typical of this remarkable person—even amidst the hardships of the journey to the west he did not relax his mental efforts but continued to study both worldly learning and the scriptures.
Orson Pratt made an entry in his writings concerning this winter of 1835-1836 that is extremely valuable for its historical implications. In addition to teaching an evening grammar school, and studying Hebrew, he says "This was also the winter and spring of our endowments in the Kirtland Temple." From this statement it is obvious that some type of endowment ceremonies were conducted in this new edifice at that early date.
The months of April and May found Orson engaged in missionary work in "West Canada." He had scarcely returned to Kirtland from this mission when he was called on another mission to visit the branches in New York state. While so engaged he married Sarah M. Bates on July 4, 1836, at Sackett's Harbor, New York, whom he had baptized the previous year when engaged in missionary work in that area. Returning to Kirtland with his bride in October he secured a dwelling place and labored for his support. Characteristically, he employed his leisure time with study and passed over this winter with this statement:
"Toward the last of Autumn, I commenced the study of algebra without a teacher, occupying leisure hours in the evening. I soon went through Day's Algebra."[6]
Elder Pratt labored in the vicinity of Kirtland during the spring and summer, and after their first son, Orson Pratt, Jr., was born, made plans to locate his little family at Henderson, Ohio. This was effected in August, and shortly afterward he again went on a mission to New York. In the spring he returned to Henderson for the purpose of taking his wife and baby to New York with him, where he was functioning as president of a large branch of the Church. With vigor he commenced the work of his missionary calling in New York but it was to be of short duration.
The situation of the Saints in Missouri was becoming more serious and Orson received an urgent call from Joseph Smith to hurry to Far West, Missouri to assist them in their struggle with the Missouri mobocrats. They sailed from New York to New Orleans and reached St. Louis, Missouri about the middle of November. Ice prevented river transportation beyond this point, and as the Saints were already hurrying out of the state, Orson concluded to remain in St. Louis, during the winter. In his journal he wrote: ". . . went to work with my hands during the winter."
When the spring of 1839 arrived, Brother Pratt moved his family to Quincy, Illinois where they joined the other exiles from Missouri. Orson was concerned for the welfare of his Brother Parley who had been arrested and imprisoned in the jail at Columbia, Missouri, but had not been allowed to escape as the other incarcerated Church leaders had. Orson went to Columbia in April and visited with Parley and then consulted the civil authorities, urging that his case be disposed of. Again in May he repeated this procedure, but it was obvious that the authorities did not intend to take any action and it appeared that Parley would be held indefinitely. When legal means for securing justice had failed, Orson devised a plan for aiding Parley to escape from his imprisonment. On July 4th, while the populace was engaged in a boisterous and drunken celebration of Independence Day, through a daring plan Orson effected his deliverance from the jail. Of this incident he wrote: "Was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering my brother Parley from prison."[7]
The Quorum of the Twelve had been called to do missionary work in Great Britain and in obedience to this Orson and Parley, having settled, their families at Nauvoo, departed for the Atlantic seaboard, on August 29, 1839. They preached in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and New York and on March 1840 embarked on the "Patrick Henry" for Liverpool, accompanied by some others of the Twelve. Reaching Liverpool, the Members of the Twelve separated and Scotland was designated as Elder Pratt's field of labor. At Edinburgh he met much opposition but persisted in his endeavors and in the early autumn published a pamphlet he had written under the title: "Remarkable Visions and the Late Discovery of Ancient American Records." This was his first publication and proved popular to the Scottish public. At the close of the year his eight months of solitary labor in Edinburgh had resulted in a flourishing branch of more than two hundred converts.
An incident of this first mission to Great Britain indicates the esteem with which he was regarded by the other members of the Council of the Twelve, as well as their appreciation of his ability. When the semi-annual conference of the Saints in Great Britain convened at Manchester on October 6th, Brigham Young made a motion that Orson Pratt be appointed to preside over the sessions of the conference. This met with the general approval of the others and he functioned in this capacity. This action on the part of Brigham Young, who was the president of the Council of the Twelve, is a tribute to the leadership ability of this youthful apostle.
[1] History of the Church, II, p. 35
[2] Ibid
[3] A Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. II, p. 359
[4] Cowley, Prophets and Patriarchs, pp. 203, 204.
[5] Recorded by William Clayton.
[6] Deseret News VIII, p. 65.
[7] Deseret News VIII, p. 66.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. EDGAR LYON
IV. THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF HIS APOSTLESHIP
Eight days following his ordination as an Apostle on April 26, 1835, Orson Pratt left Kirtland to engage in missionary work in New York state. It was November 15th of that year before these activities were completed and he was able to return to Kirtland and enjoy the association with his Prophet. Two weeks following his arrival at the headquarters of the Church he recorded that he was teaching an evening grammar school, as well as pursuing his biblical and other scriptural studies.
In addition to the numerous Church activities in which he engaged, Orson persisted in his quest for knowledge. He accepted the statements found in Doctrine and Covenants 88:78-81 and 118 as personal challenges for mental improvement and commenced the formation of study habits that remained with him to the end of his mortal life. The brethren at Kirtland were aware of their need for greater proficiency in the use of the Bible and in a more intelligent understanding of its teachings and were making preparations for the study of Hebrew. Orson entered wholeheartedly into this activity and acquiring a Hebrew textbook, commenced its study without a teacher. So diligently did he pursue this work that he had acquired a grasp of the fundamentals of Hebrew before he had received any formal instruction. At this time he commenced to assert an independence of mind that revealed the strong character he possessed as well as the tenacity with which he held to what he believed to be correct. An incident from the records of the Church illustrate this characteristic, as well as the courage he possessed to oppose even those who were his superiors in the Church, when he was convinced that he was in the right.
While waiting for a Hebrew teacher to be employed the brethren gathered together and read Hebrew for their mutual development. On January 5, 1833, the Prophet recorded:
"Attended the Hebrew school . . . Had some debate with Elder Orson Pratt concerning the pronunciation of a Hebrew letter. He manifested a stubborn spirit, at which I was much grieved."[1]
The following day this entry appears:
"Attended school and spent most of the forenoon in settling the unpleasant feelings that existed in the breast of Elder Orson Pratt. After much controversy, he confessed his fault at entering into any controversy concerning so small a matter as the sound of a Hebrew letter, and asked the forgiveness of the whole school, and was cheerfully forgiven by them. . ."[2]
It is interesting to note that Orson did not admit that he was mistaken, but rather that it was improper to have made such a controversy concerning the matter. B. H. Roberts has pointed out that the Prophet Joseph, as is the case with most great leaders who become impatient with the lethargy of the masses, had a strong tendency toward autocracy which he felt was necessary in order to expedite his work.[3] Orson Pratt admired and loved the Prophet, yet would not bow to him in non-Church matters where he felt his judgment to be as reliable as that of the Prophet. This characteristic of Elder Pratt ultimately led to a severe disagreement with the Prophet that cost him his standing in the Church a few years later.
On January 26th, 1836, Professor Joshua Seixas of Hudson Seminary commenced to teach Hebrew in Kirtland and when the class closed on March 29 th, Orson received a "Certificate of Proficiency" from him, attesting that he was qualified to teach elementary Hebrew. While this appears to be an almost impossible accomplishment, it must be remembered that Orson was a most unusual person and was possessed of remarkable powers of concentration. Wilford Woodruff who went on a mission to Britain with him wrote:
"I have never known the winds on the mighty ocean to toss the vessel too much—and we have been in storms—when Orson Pratt could not sit calmly on the deck or in his room and study astronomy, mathematics or the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."[4]
During the journey of the pioneer vanguard to the valley of the Great Salt Lake some of the brethren commenced to forget their religious callings and Brigham Young was forced to reprimand them for their worldly conduct. On May 29, 1847, he preached a strong sermon on repentance from such conduct. When he had concluded, Orson Pratt spoke to the company, saying:
"Much good advise has been given to teach us how we may spend our time profitably—by prayer, meditation, etc.—but there is another idea which I want to add: There are many good books in the camp and worlds of knowledge before us, which we have not attained, and, if the brethren would devote all their leisure time to seeking after knowledge, they would never need to say, they had nothing to pass away their time. If we could spend twenty-three hours of the twenty-four in gaining knowledge, and only sleep one hour, all the days of our lives, there would be worlds of knowledge in store yet for us to learn.
"I know it is difficult to bring our minds to diligent and constant study, in pursuit of knowledge all at once, but by steady practice and perseverance we shall become habitual to it, and it will become a pleasure to us. I would recommend to the brethren, besides prayer and obedience, to seek after knowledge continually, and it will help us to overcome our follies and nonsense. We shall have no time for it."[5]
This statement is typical of this remarkable person—even amidst the hardships of the journey to the west he did not relax his mental efforts but continued to study both worldly learning and the scriptures.
Orson Pratt made an entry in his writings concerning this winter of 1835-1836 that is extremely valuable for its historical implications. In addition to teaching an evening grammar school, and studying Hebrew, he says "This was also the winter and spring of our endowments in the Kirtland Temple." From this statement it is obvious that some type of endowment ceremonies were conducted in this new edifice at that early date.
The months of April and May found Orson engaged in missionary work in "West Canada." He had scarcely returned to Kirtland from this mission when he was called on another mission to visit the branches in New York state. While so engaged he married Sarah M. Bates on July 4, 1836, at Sackett's Harbor, New York, whom he had baptized the previous year when engaged in missionary work in that area. Returning to Kirtland with his bride in October he secured a dwelling place and labored for his support. Characteristically, he employed his leisure time with study and passed over this winter with this statement:
"Toward the last of Autumn, I commenced the study of algebra without a teacher, occupying leisure hours in the evening. I soon went through Day's Algebra."[6]
Elder Pratt labored in the vicinity of Kirtland during the spring and summer, and after their first son, Orson Pratt, Jr., was born, made plans to locate his little family at Henderson, Ohio. This was effected in August, and shortly afterward he again went on a mission to New York. In the spring he returned to Henderson for the purpose of taking his wife and baby to New York with him, where he was functioning as president of a large branch of the Church. With vigor he commenced the work of his missionary calling in New York but it was to be of short duration.
The situation of the Saints in Missouri was becoming more serious and Orson received an urgent call from Joseph Smith to hurry to Far West, Missouri to assist them in their struggle with the Missouri mobocrats. They sailed from New York to New Orleans and reached St. Louis, Missouri about the middle of November. Ice prevented river transportation beyond this point, and as the Saints were already hurrying out of the state, Orson concluded to remain in St. Louis, during the winter. In his journal he wrote: ". . . went to work with my hands during the winter."
When the spring of 1839 arrived, Brother Pratt moved his family to Quincy, Illinois where they joined the other exiles from Missouri. Orson was concerned for the welfare of his Brother Parley who had been arrested and imprisoned in the jail at Columbia, Missouri, but had not been allowed to escape as the other incarcerated Church leaders had. Orson went to Columbia in April and visited with Parley and then consulted the civil authorities, urging that his case be disposed of. Again in May he repeated this procedure, but it was obvious that the authorities did not intend to take any action and it appeared that Parley would be held indefinitely. When legal means for securing justice had failed, Orson devised a plan for aiding Parley to escape from his imprisonment. On July 4th, while the populace was engaged in a boisterous and drunken celebration of Independence Day, through a daring plan Orson effected his deliverance from the jail. Of this incident he wrote: "Was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering my brother Parley from prison."[7]
The Quorum of the Twelve had been called to do missionary work in Great Britain and in obedience to this Orson and Parley, having settled, their families at Nauvoo, departed for the Atlantic seaboard, on August 29, 1839. They preached in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and New York and on March 1840 embarked on the "Patrick Henry" for Liverpool, accompanied by some others of the Twelve. Reaching Liverpool, the Members of the Twelve separated and Scotland was designated as Elder Pratt's field of labor. At Edinburgh he met much opposition but persisted in his endeavors and in the early autumn published a pamphlet he had written under the title: "Remarkable Visions and the Late Discovery of Ancient American Records." This was his first publication and proved popular to the Scottish public. At the close of the year his eight months of solitary labor in Edinburgh had resulted in a flourishing branch of more than two hundred converts.
An incident of this first mission to Great Britain indicates the esteem with which he was regarded by the other members of the Council of the Twelve, as well as their appreciation of his ability. When the semi-annual conference of the Saints in Great Britain convened at Manchester on October 6th, Brigham Young made a motion that Orson Pratt be appointed to preside over the sessions of the conference. This met with the general approval of the others and he functioned in this capacity. This action on the part of Brigham Young, who was the president of the Council of the Twelve, is a tribute to the leadership ability of this youthful apostle.
[1] History of the Church, II, p. 35
[2] Ibid
[3] A Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. II, p. 359
[4] Cowley, Prophets and Patriarchs, pp. 203, 204.
[5] Recorded by William Clayton.
[6] Deseret News VIII, p. 65.
[7] Deseret News VIII, p. 66.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. May 1947. pg. 211-214.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. EDGAR LYON
V. EVENTS PRECEDING THE EXODUS
On April 21, 1841 Orson Pratt sailed from Liverpool for the United States, having filled a very successful mission. Upon reaching New York he tarried there for some time, preaching the gospel and also re-publishing his European-produced pamphlet, "Remarkable Visions." Toward the close of July he reached Nauvoo and at a meeting of the Chancellor and Board of Regents of the University of Nauvoo on September 4th Orson was officially appointed Professor of Mathematics and English literature. This body must have conferred an honorary degree of "Master of Arts" upon him as the announcements of the university give him this title shortly afterward.[1] Although the university was without a building, Elder Pratt registered students for some mathematical courses and taught in his home throughout the winter months. About this same time he was also awarded a commission as colonel in the Nauvoo Legion which was the largest and most active body of militia in the state.
In spite of these honors and his respected position as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Orson Pratt was inwardly unhappy. While Orson was absent from Nauvoo in 1841 Joseph Smith had married his first plural wife and when he returned to Nauvoo he heard perverted news concerning the true nature and purpose of plural marriage. It appears that it was the immoral machinations of John C. Bennett that led Elder Pratt and his wife into a state of quandary concerning this doctrine. During the summer and autumn of 1842 the Pratts were undergoing a great mental and emotional struggle and so obvious was their disaffection that local gossip indicated they intended to desert the Church and city and ally themselves with Bennett in his campaign of vilification against the Church and its leaders. They, however, had no doubts about the validity of the Restored Gospel—their difficulty lay in their inability to understand plural marriage—and to allay these rumors the Pratts published an open letter which closed with this declaration: "Neither are we preparing to leave Nauvoo and expose Mormonism; but intend to make NAUVOO OUR RESIDENCE AND MORMONISM OUR MOTTO."[2]
Gradually Brother and Sifter Pratt came to a realization that their antipathy toward plural marriage had been caused by a perverted interpretation of the doctrine and a misunderstanding of the true facts concerning its practice. Early in J 843 Orson appeared to have settled the problem in his own mind and again commenced to function in his Church callings. The fact that it was the false representations of Bennett that had led him to pass through his harrowing period of disgust, doubt and revulsion is found in a study of his writings and sermons. At a later date, while speaking at Piano, Illinois he said that this conflict had arisen because he had received his "information from a wicked source, from those disaffected." When he learned "the truth," he was satisfied.[3]
Again active in the Church and reconciled with its principles, Orson immediately tried to undo whatever harm his temporary wavering might have done to the cause of the Church. The summer and fall of 1842 were spent with most of the other members of the Council of the Twelve on a mission throughout the eastern and New England states to refute the malicious expose of Mormonism that John C. Bennett was then conducting for profit. Returning to Nauvoo in November he was elected to the city Council. February 21, 1844 his diary records that he was in a council meeting with Joseph Smith and the Quorum of the Twelve, discussing the sending of an expedition to explore Oregon and California for the purpose of selecting a "site for a new city for the saints."
In March he went to Washington, bearing two memorials to Congress. One requested that Nauvoo and its environs be separated from Illinois and created into a new territory under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The other sought congressional action to authorize Joseph Smith to raise an army of 100,000 men to go to Oregon and secure its possession and to act as a police force to establish law and order on the western frontier. In Washington, some lobbying was done with Senator Stephen A. Douglas and others. Needless to say, Congress had no power to grant the first memorial, and dared not grant the other for fear of Great Britain. There was no possibility of even getting such partisan and private legislation introduced into Congress, as no politician would care to receive the unfavorable attention its introduction would bring.
After ten weeks of waiting for action, Orson left Washington and with other members of the Twelve commenced to campaign throughout the eastern portion of the country for the candidacy of Joseph Smith. He was in New York when the Prophet was murdered but did not learn of the event until July 16th when he and Brigham Young were laboring together in Peterboro, New Hampshire. They set out immediately for Nauvoo, where they arrived on August 6th.
In December of 1844 there appeared the second of Orson Pratt's publications. This was not a religious tract, but rather what he called the Prophetic Almanac. This was the era in America when both rural and urban people consulted their almanacs for many types of information and Orson entered this popular field with an almanac that had a decidedly religious trend. He had made the calculations for it during his sojourn in Washington in the spring of the year. He announced his intention to publish such an almanac each year and did so for 1846. The exodus from Nauvoo frustrated this plan and the series was apparently never resumed.
During the summer of 1845 he and Parley P. Pratt were living in New York, publishing The Prophet, a Church periodical in that metropolis. This summer he also commenced his first scientific writings. He produced some articles on space, duration of time, the nature of matter and intelligence. He assisted with the organization of the party of Saints who sailed from New York for the Great Basin, by way of California, under the direction of Samuel Brannan on the ship "Brooklyn." Then bidding a farewell to the members of the Church in the eastern states he left for Nauvoo, where he arrived sometime in December.
Evidence that Orson and his wife became converted to the practice as well as the theory of plural marriage is found in the fact that in the autumn of 1844 he was married to Charlotte Bishop in the Nauvoo Temple and on December 13 th entered into a similar eternal contract with her sister, Adelia Ann. The March 27, 1845 record indicates a third plural marriage to Mary Ann Merrill and in January 1846 he married Louise Chandler. With these wives and his children Orson was faced with the necessity of leaving Nauvoo for the western exodus. He spent part of the winter of 1845- 1846 officiating in temple endowment work and in preparation for the exodus to the West. His house and real estate in Nauvoo was valued at more than $2000.00 but he had been unable to dispose of his holdings at the time he was forced to leave the city. As a consequence he had been unable to procure a proper outfit for the western journey.
On February 14, 1846 he left Nauvoo with four wives and three children in a carriage drawn by one team. The carriage also contained a tent, their bedding, clothing, cooking utensils and provisions sufficient for a few weeks. Crossing the frozen plains of Iowa Territory, they joined the other exiled Saints at Sugar Creek. Continuing westward he made efforts to sell his Nauvoo property and on March 4th succeeding in exchanging his Illinois holdings to two Iowa residents. In exchange they gave him four yoke of oxen with yokes, three wagon chains, one wagon and eight barrels of flour, all of which were valued at three hundred dollars.
Continuing onward Pratt assisted in the selection of the site for the semi-permanent settlement of Garden Grove on March 23 rd, where he labored at its construction until May 11, 1846. Continuing westward he repeated this activity at Mt. Pisgah from April 24th until June 7th. On June 12th his wife Louise, whom he had married in January, died and after a hurried funeral was buried at the edge of a grove. Continuing onward they reached Council Bluffs a few days later. After the Mormon Battalion was called into service. Elder Pratt moved across the river and aided in the establishment of Winter Quarters. During the winter of 1846-1847 he traveled back across Iowa, exhorting the Church members and aiding in the improvement of the organization of the Saints at Garden Grove and Mt. Pisgah.
[1] Times and Seasons III: p. 631.
[2] The Wasp I, No. 24, (issue of Oct. 1, 1842).
[3] Millennial Star XL, Nos. 49. BO. (1878)
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. EDGAR LYON
V. EVENTS PRECEDING THE EXODUS
On April 21, 1841 Orson Pratt sailed from Liverpool for the United States, having filled a very successful mission. Upon reaching New York he tarried there for some time, preaching the gospel and also re-publishing his European-produced pamphlet, "Remarkable Visions." Toward the close of July he reached Nauvoo and at a meeting of the Chancellor and Board of Regents of the University of Nauvoo on September 4th Orson was officially appointed Professor of Mathematics and English literature. This body must have conferred an honorary degree of "Master of Arts" upon him as the announcements of the university give him this title shortly afterward.[1] Although the university was without a building, Elder Pratt registered students for some mathematical courses and taught in his home throughout the winter months. About this same time he was also awarded a commission as colonel in the Nauvoo Legion which was the largest and most active body of militia in the state.
In spite of these honors and his respected position as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Orson Pratt was inwardly unhappy. While Orson was absent from Nauvoo in 1841 Joseph Smith had married his first plural wife and when he returned to Nauvoo he heard perverted news concerning the true nature and purpose of plural marriage. It appears that it was the immoral machinations of John C. Bennett that led Elder Pratt and his wife into a state of quandary concerning this doctrine. During the summer and autumn of 1842 the Pratts were undergoing a great mental and emotional struggle and so obvious was their disaffection that local gossip indicated they intended to desert the Church and city and ally themselves with Bennett in his campaign of vilification against the Church and its leaders. They, however, had no doubts about the validity of the Restored Gospel—their difficulty lay in their inability to understand plural marriage—and to allay these rumors the Pratts published an open letter which closed with this declaration: "Neither are we preparing to leave Nauvoo and expose Mormonism; but intend to make NAUVOO OUR RESIDENCE AND MORMONISM OUR MOTTO."[2]
Gradually Brother and Sifter Pratt came to a realization that their antipathy toward plural marriage had been caused by a perverted interpretation of the doctrine and a misunderstanding of the true facts concerning its practice. Early in J 843 Orson appeared to have settled the problem in his own mind and again commenced to function in his Church callings. The fact that it was the false representations of Bennett that had led him to pass through his harrowing period of disgust, doubt and revulsion is found in a study of his writings and sermons. At a later date, while speaking at Piano, Illinois he said that this conflict had arisen because he had received his "information from a wicked source, from those disaffected." When he learned "the truth," he was satisfied.[3]
Again active in the Church and reconciled with its principles, Orson immediately tried to undo whatever harm his temporary wavering might have done to the cause of the Church. The summer and fall of 1842 were spent with most of the other members of the Council of the Twelve on a mission throughout the eastern and New England states to refute the malicious expose of Mormonism that John C. Bennett was then conducting for profit. Returning to Nauvoo in November he was elected to the city Council. February 21, 1844 his diary records that he was in a council meeting with Joseph Smith and the Quorum of the Twelve, discussing the sending of an expedition to explore Oregon and California for the purpose of selecting a "site for a new city for the saints."
In March he went to Washington, bearing two memorials to Congress. One requested that Nauvoo and its environs be separated from Illinois and created into a new territory under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The other sought congressional action to authorize Joseph Smith to raise an army of 100,000 men to go to Oregon and secure its possession and to act as a police force to establish law and order on the western frontier. In Washington, some lobbying was done with Senator Stephen A. Douglas and others. Needless to say, Congress had no power to grant the first memorial, and dared not grant the other for fear of Great Britain. There was no possibility of even getting such partisan and private legislation introduced into Congress, as no politician would care to receive the unfavorable attention its introduction would bring.
After ten weeks of waiting for action, Orson left Washington and with other members of the Twelve commenced to campaign throughout the eastern portion of the country for the candidacy of Joseph Smith. He was in New York when the Prophet was murdered but did not learn of the event until July 16th when he and Brigham Young were laboring together in Peterboro, New Hampshire. They set out immediately for Nauvoo, where they arrived on August 6th.
In December of 1844 there appeared the second of Orson Pratt's publications. This was not a religious tract, but rather what he called the Prophetic Almanac. This was the era in America when both rural and urban people consulted their almanacs for many types of information and Orson entered this popular field with an almanac that had a decidedly religious trend. He had made the calculations for it during his sojourn in Washington in the spring of the year. He announced his intention to publish such an almanac each year and did so for 1846. The exodus from Nauvoo frustrated this plan and the series was apparently never resumed.
During the summer of 1845 he and Parley P. Pratt were living in New York, publishing The Prophet, a Church periodical in that metropolis. This summer he also commenced his first scientific writings. He produced some articles on space, duration of time, the nature of matter and intelligence. He assisted with the organization of the party of Saints who sailed from New York for the Great Basin, by way of California, under the direction of Samuel Brannan on the ship "Brooklyn." Then bidding a farewell to the members of the Church in the eastern states he left for Nauvoo, where he arrived sometime in December.
Evidence that Orson and his wife became converted to the practice as well as the theory of plural marriage is found in the fact that in the autumn of 1844 he was married to Charlotte Bishop in the Nauvoo Temple and on December 13 th entered into a similar eternal contract with her sister, Adelia Ann. The March 27, 1845 record indicates a third plural marriage to Mary Ann Merrill and in January 1846 he married Louise Chandler. With these wives and his children Orson was faced with the necessity of leaving Nauvoo for the western exodus. He spent part of the winter of 1845- 1846 officiating in temple endowment work and in preparation for the exodus to the West. His house and real estate in Nauvoo was valued at more than $2000.00 but he had been unable to dispose of his holdings at the time he was forced to leave the city. As a consequence he had been unable to procure a proper outfit for the western journey.
On February 14, 1846 he left Nauvoo with four wives and three children in a carriage drawn by one team. The carriage also contained a tent, their bedding, clothing, cooking utensils and provisions sufficient for a few weeks. Crossing the frozen plains of Iowa Territory, they joined the other exiled Saints at Sugar Creek. Continuing westward he made efforts to sell his Nauvoo property and on March 4th succeeding in exchanging his Illinois holdings to two Iowa residents. In exchange they gave him four yoke of oxen with yokes, three wagon chains, one wagon and eight barrels of flour, all of which were valued at three hundred dollars.
Continuing onward Pratt assisted in the selection of the site for the semi-permanent settlement of Garden Grove on March 23 rd, where he labored at its construction until May 11, 1846. Continuing westward he repeated this activity at Mt. Pisgah from April 24th until June 7th. On June 12th his wife Louise, whom he had married in January, died and after a hurried funeral was buried at the edge of a grove. Continuing onward they reached Council Bluffs a few days later. After the Mormon Battalion was called into service. Elder Pratt moved across the river and aided in the establishment of Winter Quarters. During the winter of 1846-1847 he traveled back across Iowa, exhorting the Church members and aiding in the improvement of the organization of the Saints at Garden Grove and Mt. Pisgah.
[1] Times and Seasons III: p. 631.
[2] The Wasp I, No. 24, (issue of Oct. 1, 1842).
[3] Millennial Star XL, Nos. 49. BO. (1878)
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. June 1947. pg. 265-268, 295.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. EDGAR LYON
VI. PIONEERING THE NEW ZION
EARLY in 1847 Elder Pratt returned to Winter Quarters and held council meetings with other Church leaders to consider problems dealing with the westward migration. On February 26th he recorded that he met with Brigham Young and others to study the subject of irrigation which they already appear to have realized would be essential to their survival if they were to settle in the semi-arid Great Basin. During these periods of study it was decided to send a pioneering vanguard ahead of the larger caravans to select the route to be traveled by later companies, choose the camp sites, construct ferries and build roads and bridges where necessary. This body of pioneers was to consist of twelve groups of twelve men, each representing one of the tribes of Israel—one hundred and forty-four in all. These men were to leave their families and heavy equipment at Winter Quarters, make the trip to the mountains with lighter, faster moving outfits, plant a crop and return in the autumn so that they could take their families to the West the following year. This party, due to unexpected events, ultimately consisted of one hundred and forty-three men, three women and two children.
In this advance company Orson Pratt played an important part. During the years that he had served the Church as a missionary he had found time to instruct himself in various fields of science. He had become familiar with astronomy, mathematics, surveying and some natural science. He was now the most highly trained man among the Saints in scientific matters and Brigham Young made use of his skill during his journey to the West. President Young had sent to England for some of the best portable , astronomical equipment then available. It consisted of two sextants, one circle of reflection, two artificial horizons, two barometers, several wet and dry bulb type thermometers, one refracting telescope pioneer group left their rendezvous on the Platte River on April 16th, Orson Pratt had already commenced to use it with accuracy.
With the exception of a very few days or nights when atmospheric conditions made observations impossible, he calculated and recorded the location of each day's encampment, giving altitude, latitude, longitude and the state of the atmosphere. He also recorded his observations of the fauna and flora and exhibited a familiarity with paleontology and geology. The following extracts from his journal illustrate his observations:
May 21st.—At half past five o'clock the barometer stood at 26.871, attached thermometer 48 degrees, detached thermometer 46 degrees. . . . The surface of the river bottoms in most places consists of clay intermingled with sand. This morning from an altitude of the sun, I deduced the true time. This morning we travelled seven and three-quarters miles, and halted for noon. I took an altitude of the sun, from which I determined the latitude to be 41 deg. 24 min. 5 sec. By an altitude of the moon, obtained the true time. During the afternoon we found upon the prairie a large bone which was petrified, belonging, probably, to the mammoth or some other species; it was a leg bone, from the knee downwards—length 17 ½ inches, greatest width 11 inches, greatest thickness 6 inches; its weight was 27 lbs. after some had been broken from it. It is a curious specimen of ancient zoology, and if circumstances would permit, worthy of preservation. . . .[1]
June 22nd.—At 4 a.m. barometer stood at 24.250, attached thermometer 46 deg., detached thermometer 42 deg. The morning was calm and clear. Early this morning I visited the top of Devil's Gate Rock, having with me my barometer and thermometer. By a barometrical measurement, the perpendicular walls were about four hundred feet high above the river, which here cuts through a granite rock, forming a chasm 900 or 1000 feet in length, and 130 feet in breadth. The rock upon the right bank runs back from the river about a quarter of a mile, and consists of alternated and perpendicular strata of gray granite and scoriated trap rock. I observed five alternate strata of trap rock trending to the north-east and south-west; these varied in breadth from one to five rods. . . .[2]
The accuracy of his astronomical observations has been attested by later surveys. Because of his calculations most of the old camp grounds and landmarks can be definitely located. After this pioneering group returned to Winter Quarters in October of 1847, "William Clayton used Pratt's figures in compiling his Emigrant's Guide, which directed thousands of people across the western prairies and mountains.
In addition to his scientific duties Pratt was active in the actual work of road making and his wagon was usually a short distance ahead of the main camp, determining the best route to follow. When there was little danger of Indian depredations, his wagon was often a day's journey ahead of the main party.[3] A number of the party had been suffering from what was termed "mountain fever," and by the time they had reached the southwestern part of present-day Wyoming, Brigham Young himself was stricken with it and became too ill to travel. Having been informed by a trapper that high water had made Weber canyon impassable for a wagon train, Pratt was sent ahead by Brigham Young to see if he could find a substitute route into the Salt Lake Valley, over the mountains. The ill-fated Reed-Donner party had crossed these same mountains one year earlier and it was suggested that Pratt should follow their course if he could find it.[4] On July 13 th, with twenty-three wagons and forty-two men, he moved down Echo Canyon, found the tracks of the Reed-Donner party, and commenced to improve their road over the mountains. Pratt discovered some better passes than the other party had used and the members of his advance company built bridges, plowed and scraped the road, and cleared it of much brush, timber and boulders.
In the afternoon of July 21, 1847, Pratt and Erastus Snow emerged from the mouth of a canyon (since named Emigration) and beheld the valley of the Great Salt Lake. They had been instructed by Brigham Young to bear to the north after entering the valley and they commenced to cross the valley toward the northwest, alternately riding and walking, as they had but one horse between them. Before they had gone far Snow discovered he had dropped his coat, and returned to find it, leaving his companion to continue onward. Late in the afternoon Orson Pratt reached the site where the business district of Salt Lake City now stands, being the first Mormon to set foot there.[5] Toward evening he returned to his camp which was still a few miles up the canyon. The following morning in company with eight of his party, he again entered the valley and spent the day exploring. Toward evening his camp, which had by this time completed the road through the rocky canyon, moved several miles down into the valley, where Pratt and his small party rejoined it. During the forenoon of the following day, Pratt had his company moved northwestward several miles, where the permanent camp was made. About noon of that day the camp was called together, and Orson Pratt, by virtue of his position as the senior apostle present, offered
“. . . up prayer and thanksgiving in behalf of our company, all of whom had been preserved from the Missouri River to this point; and, after dedicating ourselves and the land unto the Lord, and imploring His blessings upon our labours, we appointed various committees to attend to different branches of business preparatory to putting in crops, and in about two hours after our arrival we began to plough, and the same afternoon built a dam to irrigate the soil . . . which was exceedingly dry."[6]
Next morning the plowing was continued and by noon a five acre patch had been plowed, and irrigated with water of the nearby stream. Brigham Young and the main body of the pioneers arrived about 2 p.m. that afternoon, (July 24, 1847) and found Pratt's advance party already settled and busily plowing more land.[7] Brigham Young never made any attempt to change the location Pratt had selected, so that it was Orson Prat, not Brigham Young, who selected the site of the Mormon metropolis as well as the one who dedicated the new gathering place.
On July 28 th Brigham Young designated the site where the temple would be erected and it was decided to make this the center of the city. Elder Pratt made some lunar and solar observations during the next six days and then commenced the task of surveying what came to be called Great Salt Lake City. Ascertaining the boundaries of the ten-acre block that was to be reserved for the temple, the southeast corner was selected as the site for the base and meridian from which the survey was to start. Assisted by H. G. Sherwood, the city was laid off in ten acre blocks with streets eight rods wide following the points of the compass. By August 20th these brethren had completed the survey of one hundred and thirty-five blocks and each of these had been subdivided into eight lots. Each apostle was given a block near the temple area. Orson Pratt secured one immediately south of the temple block. Later he gave Willard Richards half of it, then gave his brother Parley a quarter and finally gave his cousin an eighth, so that ultimately he retained only one lot for himself.
In 1855, General D. H. Burr, the first Surveyor-General for Utah, used Pratt's initial point for the survey of the Salt Lake Valley and had a stone marker placed there with the inscription "GREAT SALT LAKE CITY BASE AND MERIDIAN." This same base was later accepted as the starting point of all governmental surveys in the intermountain west and is one of four such bases from coast to coast, the others being at Cambridge, Massachusetts; Omaha, Nebraska; and San Francisco, California. Although Pratt's base was later found to be about fifty feet off line, the close approximation to accuracy is a real testimony to his skill, considering the instruments he had at his disposal and the fact that he had no assistants or collaborators to check his work.
[1] Millennial Star, XII, p. 81-82.
[2] ibid., p. 181.
[3] Millennial Star, XII. pp. 227-228.
[4] Ibid., pp. 164-165.
[5] MilIennial Star, XII, p. 178.
[6] Millennial Star, XII, pp. 178-179.
[7] Ibid., See also Journal of Brigham Young, entry for July 24, 1847.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. EDGAR LYON
VI. PIONEERING THE NEW ZION
EARLY in 1847 Elder Pratt returned to Winter Quarters and held council meetings with other Church leaders to consider problems dealing with the westward migration. On February 26th he recorded that he met with Brigham Young and others to study the subject of irrigation which they already appear to have realized would be essential to their survival if they were to settle in the semi-arid Great Basin. During these periods of study it was decided to send a pioneering vanguard ahead of the larger caravans to select the route to be traveled by later companies, choose the camp sites, construct ferries and build roads and bridges where necessary. This body of pioneers was to consist of twelve groups of twelve men, each representing one of the tribes of Israel—one hundred and forty-four in all. These men were to leave their families and heavy equipment at Winter Quarters, make the trip to the mountains with lighter, faster moving outfits, plant a crop and return in the autumn so that they could take their families to the West the following year. This party, due to unexpected events, ultimately consisted of one hundred and forty-three men, three women and two children.
In this advance company Orson Pratt played an important part. During the years that he had served the Church as a missionary he had found time to instruct himself in various fields of science. He had become familiar with astronomy, mathematics, surveying and some natural science. He was now the most highly trained man among the Saints in scientific matters and Brigham Young made use of his skill during his journey to the West. President Young had sent to England for some of the best portable , astronomical equipment then available. It consisted of two sextants, one circle of reflection, two artificial horizons, two barometers, several wet and dry bulb type thermometers, one refracting telescope pioneer group left their rendezvous on the Platte River on April 16th, Orson Pratt had already commenced to use it with accuracy.
With the exception of a very few days or nights when atmospheric conditions made observations impossible, he calculated and recorded the location of each day's encampment, giving altitude, latitude, longitude and the state of the atmosphere. He also recorded his observations of the fauna and flora and exhibited a familiarity with paleontology and geology. The following extracts from his journal illustrate his observations:
May 21st.—At half past five o'clock the barometer stood at 26.871, attached thermometer 48 degrees, detached thermometer 46 degrees. . . . The surface of the river bottoms in most places consists of clay intermingled with sand. This morning from an altitude of the sun, I deduced the true time. This morning we travelled seven and three-quarters miles, and halted for noon. I took an altitude of the sun, from which I determined the latitude to be 41 deg. 24 min. 5 sec. By an altitude of the moon, obtained the true time. During the afternoon we found upon the prairie a large bone which was petrified, belonging, probably, to the mammoth or some other species; it was a leg bone, from the knee downwards—length 17 ½ inches, greatest width 11 inches, greatest thickness 6 inches; its weight was 27 lbs. after some had been broken from it. It is a curious specimen of ancient zoology, and if circumstances would permit, worthy of preservation. . . .[1]
June 22nd.—At 4 a.m. barometer stood at 24.250, attached thermometer 46 deg., detached thermometer 42 deg. The morning was calm and clear. Early this morning I visited the top of Devil's Gate Rock, having with me my barometer and thermometer. By a barometrical measurement, the perpendicular walls were about four hundred feet high above the river, which here cuts through a granite rock, forming a chasm 900 or 1000 feet in length, and 130 feet in breadth. The rock upon the right bank runs back from the river about a quarter of a mile, and consists of alternated and perpendicular strata of gray granite and scoriated trap rock. I observed five alternate strata of trap rock trending to the north-east and south-west; these varied in breadth from one to five rods. . . .[2]
The accuracy of his astronomical observations has been attested by later surveys. Because of his calculations most of the old camp grounds and landmarks can be definitely located. After this pioneering group returned to Winter Quarters in October of 1847, "William Clayton used Pratt's figures in compiling his Emigrant's Guide, which directed thousands of people across the western prairies and mountains.
In addition to his scientific duties Pratt was active in the actual work of road making and his wagon was usually a short distance ahead of the main camp, determining the best route to follow. When there was little danger of Indian depredations, his wagon was often a day's journey ahead of the main party.[3] A number of the party had been suffering from what was termed "mountain fever," and by the time they had reached the southwestern part of present-day Wyoming, Brigham Young himself was stricken with it and became too ill to travel. Having been informed by a trapper that high water had made Weber canyon impassable for a wagon train, Pratt was sent ahead by Brigham Young to see if he could find a substitute route into the Salt Lake Valley, over the mountains. The ill-fated Reed-Donner party had crossed these same mountains one year earlier and it was suggested that Pratt should follow their course if he could find it.[4] On July 13 th, with twenty-three wagons and forty-two men, he moved down Echo Canyon, found the tracks of the Reed-Donner party, and commenced to improve their road over the mountains. Pratt discovered some better passes than the other party had used and the members of his advance company built bridges, plowed and scraped the road, and cleared it of much brush, timber and boulders.
In the afternoon of July 21, 1847, Pratt and Erastus Snow emerged from the mouth of a canyon (since named Emigration) and beheld the valley of the Great Salt Lake. They had been instructed by Brigham Young to bear to the north after entering the valley and they commenced to cross the valley toward the northwest, alternately riding and walking, as they had but one horse between them. Before they had gone far Snow discovered he had dropped his coat, and returned to find it, leaving his companion to continue onward. Late in the afternoon Orson Pratt reached the site where the business district of Salt Lake City now stands, being the first Mormon to set foot there.[5] Toward evening he returned to his camp which was still a few miles up the canyon. The following morning in company with eight of his party, he again entered the valley and spent the day exploring. Toward evening his camp, which had by this time completed the road through the rocky canyon, moved several miles down into the valley, where Pratt and his small party rejoined it. During the forenoon of the following day, Pratt had his company moved northwestward several miles, where the permanent camp was made. About noon of that day the camp was called together, and Orson Pratt, by virtue of his position as the senior apostle present, offered
“. . . up prayer and thanksgiving in behalf of our company, all of whom had been preserved from the Missouri River to this point; and, after dedicating ourselves and the land unto the Lord, and imploring His blessings upon our labours, we appointed various committees to attend to different branches of business preparatory to putting in crops, and in about two hours after our arrival we began to plough, and the same afternoon built a dam to irrigate the soil . . . which was exceedingly dry."[6]
Next morning the plowing was continued and by noon a five acre patch had been plowed, and irrigated with water of the nearby stream. Brigham Young and the main body of the pioneers arrived about 2 p.m. that afternoon, (July 24, 1847) and found Pratt's advance party already settled and busily plowing more land.[7] Brigham Young never made any attempt to change the location Pratt had selected, so that it was Orson Prat, not Brigham Young, who selected the site of the Mormon metropolis as well as the one who dedicated the new gathering place.
On July 28 th Brigham Young designated the site where the temple would be erected and it was decided to make this the center of the city. Elder Pratt made some lunar and solar observations during the next six days and then commenced the task of surveying what came to be called Great Salt Lake City. Ascertaining the boundaries of the ten-acre block that was to be reserved for the temple, the southeast corner was selected as the site for the base and meridian from which the survey was to start. Assisted by H. G. Sherwood, the city was laid off in ten acre blocks with streets eight rods wide following the points of the compass. By August 20th these brethren had completed the survey of one hundred and thirty-five blocks and each of these had been subdivided into eight lots. Each apostle was given a block near the temple area. Orson Pratt secured one immediately south of the temple block. Later he gave Willard Richards half of it, then gave his brother Parley a quarter and finally gave his cousin an eighth, so that ultimately he retained only one lot for himself.
In 1855, General D. H. Burr, the first Surveyor-General for Utah, used Pratt's initial point for the survey of the Salt Lake Valley and had a stone marker placed there with the inscription "GREAT SALT LAKE CITY BASE AND MERIDIAN." This same base was later accepted as the starting point of all governmental surveys in the intermountain west and is one of four such bases from coast to coast, the others being at Cambridge, Massachusetts; Omaha, Nebraska; and San Francisco, California. Although Pratt's base was later found to be about fifty feet off line, the close approximation to accuracy is a real testimony to his skill, considering the instruments he had at his disposal and the fact that he had no assistants or collaborators to check his work.
[1] Millennial Star, XII, p. 81-82.
[2] ibid., p. 181.
[3] Millennial Star, XII. pp. 227-228.
[4] Ibid., pp. 164-165.
[5] MilIennial Star, XII, p. 178.
[6] Millennial Star, XII, pp. 178-179.
[7] Ibid., See also Journal of Brigham Young, entry for July 24, 1847.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. July 1947. pg. 316-319, 346.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
VII. STRENGTHENING ZION IN THE MOUNTAINS
Although the surveying of the original site for Salt Lake City stands as a lasting monument to the handiwork of Orson Pratt, his influence on the future of the city and the intermountain country was of greater importance but not so easily discerned. Prior to his martyrdom in 1844 Joseph Smith had proposed several schemes for establishing the Latter-day Saints in the Far West. The majority of the Church members, however, were still anticipating that Jackson County, Missouri would soon be re-established as the rallying point for those who were to build the new Zion. It was due primarily to the study, interpretation, preaching and writing of Elder Orson Pratt that the doctrine of "Gathering" as it has been known in the Church for the last hundred years was popularized.
The difference in character between Brigham Young and Brother Pratt is nowhere more clearly shown than in the sermons they delivered during their brief sojourn in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in the summer of 1847. Brigham Young devoted most of his public utterances to practical affairs—land, water, timber, brick-making, farming, fencing, logging, Indian relations —but not so with Orson Pratt. Although he had traveled the same weary miles as the other members of the party and had faced the same realities, his thoughts had been reacting in a religious rather than an economic manner. Reference has already been made to the admonitions he directed toward the other pioneers during the month of May when he urged them to spend part of their resting time in a study of useful information. Apparently he had done so, particularly in a search of the Bible for passages that, indicated the future of latter-day Israel. The more he read and studied, the more he saw unfolding before him the fulfillment of biblical prophecies in the westward movement of the Church. While living in the Mississippi Valley the Saints had been quite unaware of the references to the mountains as a place of gathering. Now it was very obvious that the destiny of the latter-day Church was to populate the mountainous areas of this continent.
Sunday, July 25 th, he delivered a lengthy address, taking as his text "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings . . . for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." (Isaiah 52:7, 8.) The following Sunday he was again called to speak and greatly elaborated this theme, quoting various passages from Isaiah, Psalms, Genesis, etc. He argued that as the literal descendants of Joseph this vast land of mountains was the rightful heritage of modern Israel, according to the promise of Jacob.
On August 26, 1847 some of the pioneer band, Orson Pratt being among their number, commenced the return trip to Winter Quarters, where they arrived in October of that year. Elder Pratt found his wives and children well. During the autumn and winter of 1847-1848 he engaged in various Church activities and assisted at the reorganization of the First Presidency of the Church, When the companies of emigrating Saints were organized in the spring of 1848 to trek to the mountain valleys, Orson Pratt was not with them. Brigham Young, sensing the need to make a vigorous drive to gather scattered Israel from the British Isles, had directed him to preside over the branches of the Church in "England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and adjacent countries."
Leaving two wives at Kanesville, Iowa, he departed with his first wife and three children for New York in the month of May. Arriving in Liverpool, England on July 26th, he assumed the presidency of the British Mission a few days later. The mission records indicate a total membership of 17,902 but actually about half of them were in a state of apostacy, due to some unfortunate circumstances which had arisen.
Since delivering the sermon on the gathering that he had preached in the Great Salt Lake Valley during the previous summer, his mind had dwelt on this problem and he had made a thorough study of the Bible and found a wealth of prophecies which verified his earlier conclusion. Shortly after he became president of the Church in the British Isles a conference was held at Manchester. He was the principle speaker at each session of this conference and confined his remarks almost exclusively to the elaboration of the doctrine of the new Zion that was to be established in the mountains of western America. At this time he presented a fully developed doctrinal interpretation based on the text "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountains . . ." (Isaiah 40:9.) So carefully had he organized this message that in the ensuing years scarcely any additional verses or interpretations were added by other Church leaders to this doctrine. Portions of these discourses were published in the Millennial Star[1] and later elaborated and published in pamphlet form under the title of New Jerusalem. This pamphlet was subsequently translated in the Dutch, German and Scandinavian languages and became a very popular bit of missionary literature. It was the beginning of the popular Works of Orson Pratt.
Brigham Young had instructed Elder Pratt to do three things: first, to effectively organize his missionary force to make the greatest number of converts; second, to straighten out the difficulties that had caused bitterness and apostacy among the Saints; third, to ship as many emigrants from Britain to America as he could, especially artisans whose skills would be invaluable in making the Saints an. economically self-sustaining people in the Rocky Mountains. Calling many local members to give up their work and labor as full time missionaries in conjunction with a few from America, aided the first phase of this assignment. The second was accomplished by his vigorous preaching of the Christian doctrines of peace and harmony and the messages contained in the Millennial Star. This periodical sold for three pence a copy. He proposed to reduce the price to one penny by greatly increasing its circulation. The Saints were urged to continue to pay the regular three pennies, but they would get three instead of one copy. The two extra were to be given to neighbors or friends, as part of the missionary effort. This cooperation, plus their introduction on the public news stands of the Kingdom, increased the sale to the extent that it became a widely read publication purchased by a great number of non-Mormons. To accomplish the third assignment he reorganized the emigration system which had previously been used. By chartering sailing vessels and having the Church Office at Liverpool act as the shipping agent, it was possible to fix the price for an adult passage from Liverpool to New Orleans at about three pounds, twelve shillings and sixpence ($17.20) . The fare for a child was about one pound less. From New Orleans to Council Bluffs, Iowa, the fare was slightly more than the ocean voyage. Orson Pratt operated a store at the Church headquarters in Liverpool where the saints could buy at wholesale prices utensils they would need for the voyage, as well as extra luxuries they might wish to enjoy on the long sea journey, such as butter, sugar, tea, coffee molasses, raisins, cheese, preserves, etc.[2] The organization of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company in 1849, for which Orson acted as agent and trustee, assisted by loaning money to those who were in need of aid to get to Utah. Through these co-operative arrangements the actual cost of emigrating to the New World was reduced to a minimum.
While the majority of the converts to the Church came from the laboring classes there were quite a number who possessed some wealth. Elder Pratt encouraged these to assist the wise, skillful and ingenious artisans, mechanics, manufacturers, potter, etc. . . " among the Saints to emigrate and build industries in the newly-founded abode of modern Israel.[3] Feeling the need for more literature to properly present the story of the Restoration, he set himself the task of writing pamphlets which could be sold in the stalls of the British Isles. During the two and a half years that he presided over the mission, in addition to writing most of the matter that was printed in the sixteen pages of the bi weekly Millennial Star, he became a pamphleteer of the first order. Fifteen pamphlets, containing some 198,000 words, were produced. Some were strictly doctrinal, others were defenses of certain teachings of the Church while others were of a philosophical or scientific nature. Several hundred thousands of these publications were sold and netted him sufficient money to support his two families at Kanesville, as well as to save a large sum to pay for his future emigration Utah.
In addition to directing this emigration and caring for his own writing and publishing, he published a number of pamphlets for missionaries and Church members. He also found time to study philosophy, physics and astronomy as his writings indicate.[4] Much of the foundation upon which his later reputation as a philosopher and scientist rested was acquired during this time. One stands amazed at the tremendous vitality and genius of this man of God during these years. He had transformed the British Mission into the great backbone of the missionary system of the Church and prepared it for its role as the mother of a vast European Mission field.
Shortly before Orson Pratt and his family departed from Liverpool in January, 1851, the Saints honored him at a farewell party. They presented him with a scroll engrossed with a summary of his activities during the twenty-nine months that he had presided as their president. These items became were mentioned: The paid circulation of the Millennial Star had been increased from 3700 to 22,000; not less than 5500 people had emigrated to America under its agency; and 21,000 persons had become members of the Church.[5] With characteristic modesty he received the report but did not boast of the achievement. Never has the missionary system of the Church had such far-reaching results. To Orson Pratt it was but the work of God who had set his hand to gather his "Lost Sheep" in the "Last Days."
[1] Millennial Star X, p. 263.
[2] Millennial Star, X, p. 90.
[3] Millennial Star, XII, p. 251.
[4] These will be discussed in an ensuing article
[5] Millennial Star, XIII, pp. 43. 44.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
VII. STRENGTHENING ZION IN THE MOUNTAINS
Although the surveying of the original site for Salt Lake City stands as a lasting monument to the handiwork of Orson Pratt, his influence on the future of the city and the intermountain country was of greater importance but not so easily discerned. Prior to his martyrdom in 1844 Joseph Smith had proposed several schemes for establishing the Latter-day Saints in the Far West. The majority of the Church members, however, were still anticipating that Jackson County, Missouri would soon be re-established as the rallying point for those who were to build the new Zion. It was due primarily to the study, interpretation, preaching and writing of Elder Orson Pratt that the doctrine of "Gathering" as it has been known in the Church for the last hundred years was popularized.
The difference in character between Brigham Young and Brother Pratt is nowhere more clearly shown than in the sermons they delivered during their brief sojourn in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in the summer of 1847. Brigham Young devoted most of his public utterances to practical affairs—land, water, timber, brick-making, farming, fencing, logging, Indian relations —but not so with Orson Pratt. Although he had traveled the same weary miles as the other members of the party and had faced the same realities, his thoughts had been reacting in a religious rather than an economic manner. Reference has already been made to the admonitions he directed toward the other pioneers during the month of May when he urged them to spend part of their resting time in a study of useful information. Apparently he had done so, particularly in a search of the Bible for passages that, indicated the future of latter-day Israel. The more he read and studied, the more he saw unfolding before him the fulfillment of biblical prophecies in the westward movement of the Church. While living in the Mississippi Valley the Saints had been quite unaware of the references to the mountains as a place of gathering. Now it was very obvious that the destiny of the latter-day Church was to populate the mountainous areas of this continent.
Sunday, July 25 th, he delivered a lengthy address, taking as his text "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings . . . for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." (Isaiah 52:7, 8.) The following Sunday he was again called to speak and greatly elaborated this theme, quoting various passages from Isaiah, Psalms, Genesis, etc. He argued that as the literal descendants of Joseph this vast land of mountains was the rightful heritage of modern Israel, according to the promise of Jacob.
On August 26, 1847 some of the pioneer band, Orson Pratt being among their number, commenced the return trip to Winter Quarters, where they arrived in October of that year. Elder Pratt found his wives and children well. During the autumn and winter of 1847-1848 he engaged in various Church activities and assisted at the reorganization of the First Presidency of the Church, When the companies of emigrating Saints were organized in the spring of 1848 to trek to the mountain valleys, Orson Pratt was not with them. Brigham Young, sensing the need to make a vigorous drive to gather scattered Israel from the British Isles, had directed him to preside over the branches of the Church in "England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and adjacent countries."
Leaving two wives at Kanesville, Iowa, he departed with his first wife and three children for New York in the month of May. Arriving in Liverpool, England on July 26th, he assumed the presidency of the British Mission a few days later. The mission records indicate a total membership of 17,902 but actually about half of them were in a state of apostacy, due to some unfortunate circumstances which had arisen.
Since delivering the sermon on the gathering that he had preached in the Great Salt Lake Valley during the previous summer, his mind had dwelt on this problem and he had made a thorough study of the Bible and found a wealth of prophecies which verified his earlier conclusion. Shortly after he became president of the Church in the British Isles a conference was held at Manchester. He was the principle speaker at each session of this conference and confined his remarks almost exclusively to the elaboration of the doctrine of the new Zion that was to be established in the mountains of western America. At this time he presented a fully developed doctrinal interpretation based on the text "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountains . . ." (Isaiah 40:9.) So carefully had he organized this message that in the ensuing years scarcely any additional verses or interpretations were added by other Church leaders to this doctrine. Portions of these discourses were published in the Millennial Star[1] and later elaborated and published in pamphlet form under the title of New Jerusalem. This pamphlet was subsequently translated in the Dutch, German and Scandinavian languages and became a very popular bit of missionary literature. It was the beginning of the popular Works of Orson Pratt.
Brigham Young had instructed Elder Pratt to do three things: first, to effectively organize his missionary force to make the greatest number of converts; second, to straighten out the difficulties that had caused bitterness and apostacy among the Saints; third, to ship as many emigrants from Britain to America as he could, especially artisans whose skills would be invaluable in making the Saints an. economically self-sustaining people in the Rocky Mountains. Calling many local members to give up their work and labor as full time missionaries in conjunction with a few from America, aided the first phase of this assignment. The second was accomplished by his vigorous preaching of the Christian doctrines of peace and harmony and the messages contained in the Millennial Star. This periodical sold for three pence a copy. He proposed to reduce the price to one penny by greatly increasing its circulation. The Saints were urged to continue to pay the regular three pennies, but they would get three instead of one copy. The two extra were to be given to neighbors or friends, as part of the missionary effort. This cooperation, plus their introduction on the public news stands of the Kingdom, increased the sale to the extent that it became a widely read publication purchased by a great number of non-Mormons. To accomplish the third assignment he reorganized the emigration system which had previously been used. By chartering sailing vessels and having the Church Office at Liverpool act as the shipping agent, it was possible to fix the price for an adult passage from Liverpool to New Orleans at about three pounds, twelve shillings and sixpence ($17.20) . The fare for a child was about one pound less. From New Orleans to Council Bluffs, Iowa, the fare was slightly more than the ocean voyage. Orson Pratt operated a store at the Church headquarters in Liverpool where the saints could buy at wholesale prices utensils they would need for the voyage, as well as extra luxuries they might wish to enjoy on the long sea journey, such as butter, sugar, tea, coffee molasses, raisins, cheese, preserves, etc.[2] The organization of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company in 1849, for which Orson acted as agent and trustee, assisted by loaning money to those who were in need of aid to get to Utah. Through these co-operative arrangements the actual cost of emigrating to the New World was reduced to a minimum.
While the majority of the converts to the Church came from the laboring classes there were quite a number who possessed some wealth. Elder Pratt encouraged these to assist the wise, skillful and ingenious artisans, mechanics, manufacturers, potter, etc. . . " among the Saints to emigrate and build industries in the newly-founded abode of modern Israel.[3] Feeling the need for more literature to properly present the story of the Restoration, he set himself the task of writing pamphlets which could be sold in the stalls of the British Isles. During the two and a half years that he presided over the mission, in addition to writing most of the matter that was printed in the sixteen pages of the bi weekly Millennial Star, he became a pamphleteer of the first order. Fifteen pamphlets, containing some 198,000 words, were produced. Some were strictly doctrinal, others were defenses of certain teachings of the Church while others were of a philosophical or scientific nature. Several hundred thousands of these publications were sold and netted him sufficient money to support his two families at Kanesville, as well as to save a large sum to pay for his future emigration Utah.
In addition to directing this emigration and caring for his own writing and publishing, he published a number of pamphlets for missionaries and Church members. He also found time to study philosophy, physics and astronomy as his writings indicate.[4] Much of the foundation upon which his later reputation as a philosopher and scientist rested was acquired during this time. One stands amazed at the tremendous vitality and genius of this man of God during these years. He had transformed the British Mission into the great backbone of the missionary system of the Church and prepared it for its role as the mother of a vast European Mission field.
Shortly before Orson Pratt and his family departed from Liverpool in January, 1851, the Saints honored him at a farewell party. They presented him with a scroll engrossed with a summary of his activities during the twenty-nine months that he had presided as their president. These items became were mentioned: The paid circulation of the Millennial Star had been increased from 3700 to 22,000; not less than 5500 people had emigrated to America under its agency; and 21,000 persons had become members of the Church.[5] With characteristic modesty he received the report but did not boast of the achievement. Never has the missionary system of the Church had such far-reaching results. To Orson Pratt it was but the work of God who had set his hand to gather his "Lost Sheep" in the "Last Days."
[1] Millennial Star X, p. 263.
[2] Millennial Star, X, p. 90.
[3] Millennial Star, XII, p. 251.
[4] These will be discussed in an ensuing article
[5] Millennial Star, XIII, pp. 43. 44.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. August 1947. pg. 361-364.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS CIVIC AND ECCLESIASTICAL FUNCTIONS
ON October 7, 1851, Orson Pratt's outfit consisting of thirteen wagons, each drawn by two yoke of oxen—all of which had been purchased with money that his pamphlets had netted him during his mission—arrived in Salt Lake valley. During his sojourn abroad he had not only given able direction to the missionary and emigration work of the Church but had found time to study astronomy and mathematics and had commenced to become acquainted with the philosophical systems of the world. These studies had convinced him that one of the greatest needs of the Church was leadership. He believed that leadership and education went hand in hand and therefore interested himself in popularizing the learning of the world as well as the teachings of the gospel. Feeling that no educational system could be successful without qualified teachers and an enlightened public that was convinced of the necessity of supporting a school system, he worked to make the non-functioning University of Deseret a living organization. Twenty days after his arrival in the valley he commenced teaching mathematics in the "Parent School" of the University of Deseret, using the Thirteenth Ward School House for a class room.[1] Finding many people who were interested in the knowledge he had acquired concerning the astronomical wonders of the universe, he commenced a series of lectures on astronomy and its religious implications in the Council House on December 15, 1851.[2]
These educational efforts were listed as functions of the "Parent School" of the University of Deseret, which indicates that it was technically an adult educational program. It was in this area that Orson Pratt believed the beginning must be made to establish the trained leadership that a lay-led Church demanded and throughout his life practically all of his efforts for the diffusion of knowledge were devoted to this age-level.
There is an interesting story told among the members of the Orson Pratt family concerning the public reaction to their illustrious ancestor's efforts during the winter of 1851-1852. The members of his classes felt that some remuneration should be given him for his efforts --the journey to the West in 1851 apparently exhausted his financial resources—and by popular subscription raised a fund of nearly five thousand dollars. (Prices were high at the time, due to the California "Gold Rush" and most of the amount was in livestock.) Elder Pratt, manifesting his characteristic disregard for material wealth, refused to accept the proffered gift and recommended that it be given to Brigham Young to assist in the cause of public education. According to this suggestion, the gift was placed at the disposal of Brigham Young who, realizing that Pratt's four wives and families were in need of more adequate housing, used the gift to purchase two dwellings for them.[3]
During this first winter in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, Orson Pratt also served as a member of the territorial legislature. Throughout the remainder of his life, he was a member of the territorial legislature at almost every session that convened while he was residing in the territory and often presided as the speaker of the house of representatives. These two activities—interest in public adult education and leadership for progressive and good government— were two characteristics of his life to which he devoted much time and talent throughout his career in the Utah period of his existence.
During the spring of 1852 Brigham Young took Orson Pratt with him on an exploration trip into southern Utah for the purpose of determining likely sites for the establishment of settlements. Other brethren had scouted the country and suggested possible sites. Brigham Young then went personally to investigate their desirability. Pratt took with him sufficient scientific equipment to determine the latitudinal and longitudinal location as well as to determine the elevation above sea level and to inspect the vegetational possibilities for supporting an agricultural colony.
A special conference of the Church was called to meet in Great Salt Lake City during the last week of August, 1852. On August 28th Orson Pratt was appointed to preside over "all branches of the Church in the United States and British provinces, east of the Rocky Mountains, with headquarters at Washington, D. C."[4] The following day when the conference convened, Brigham Young announced that Elder Orson Pratt had a message to deliver to the conference. The fact that he chose Orson for this particular task indicates that he felt he was the most qualified man in the Church to present the doctrine that was then to be announced, Brigham Young and Orson Pratt were very different by nature, one being a practical organizer, the other being a philosophical thinker, dreamer and idealist who was quite impractical and disinterested in material things. As a result they often had periods of disagreement and at times Brigham Young publicly belittled Elder Pratt's mental interests. However, when he faced momentous problems or challenging issues, he relied on the integrity, mental ability and scholarship of Brother Pratt. Such a demand had now arisen and this humble man was selected to deliver the message rather than the president of the Church. The burden of the message was the doctrine of plural marriage.
Although plural marriage had been instituted by the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1841, and the revelation concerning the eternity of the marriage covenant which included the doctrine of plurality of wives had been committed to writing in 1843, the revelation had never been published nor had the doctrine been officially announced or publicly preached prior to 1852. At this conference Orson Pratt gave a lengthy and well-organized discourse of the subject which was the first public sermon ever preached concerning the doctrine. He read the revelation we now know as Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants and reviewed the history of marriage from ancient times, pointing out that plurality of wives had been a characteristic of God's chosen people in ancient times and was rightfully an obligation devolving upon his latter-day people of the covenant. In this discourse the doctrine was explained and justified solely on religious grounds.[5]
Brigham Young was obviously determined to publicize the doctrine and called Church leaders to establish Church periodicals in New York City, Washington, D. C, San Francisco and St. Louis, to acquaint the world with the doctrine. Orson Pratt was given the assignment at Washington, D. C, which was the most important of all, as it carried with it a two-fold assignment. First, the elected representatives of all of the states and territories were to be contacted that they might inform their constituent bodies of this new Mormon marriage system. Secondly, he was to acquaint the diplomatic representatives of all foreign countries represented in Washington of this practise that they might know what Mormon missionaries in their home lands would be preaching and that their people might be informed of this doctrine.
On October 6th Orson Pratt left Salt Lake and crossed the plains in the autumn storms, reaching Washington late in the year. Immediately he published a prospectus which was distributed to all members of Congress, the president and his cabinet, the members of the Supreme Court and staffs of the various legations, telling of a proposed new religious publication. In January he published the first issue of a new periodical which he named The Seer. He continued to issue this magazine at Washington for eighteen months, after which he discontinued it because it failed to receive much public support. It was also re-published in Liverpool, England and continued to operate for two months longer than the original in Washington. Orson Pratt wrote practically every word that was printed in each of its issues. About half of each issue was devoted to dissertations under the title of "Pre-existence" and the other half to expositions of doctrine concerning "Celestial Marriage." In these writings Elder Pratt pushed the borders of Mormon theology and doctrine farther back than any of the contemporary leaders had done and extended the frontiers of our theology and doctrine farther beyond the confines of mortality than others had taken time to do. We are indebted for much of our present-day doctrinal teachings concerning these matters to this pioneer thinking of Elder Pratt.[6]
During the summer of 1853 Orson made a hurried business trip to England to arrange for the publishing of a work which he entitled History of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors by his Mother, Lucy Mack Smith. The manuscript had been secured at Nauvoo while he was on his way to Washington the previous fall and he published it as a private venture. He later discovered that its real authorship and authenticity had been misrepresented to him and warned the readers to use its contents with caution.[7] While in Liverpool he took care of the financial arrangements concerning the re-publishing of The Seer and also journeyed to Birmingham where he married his seventh wife, Sarah Louise Lewis on June 21st.
Returning from this eastern mission, Elder Pratt arrived home in Salt Lake on August 27, 1854 and on September 3rd gave a sermon in the Old Tabernacle in which he reported his proselyting and publication endeavors in the nation's capitol. He felt that his work had been unsuccessful and that he had failed to arouse either interest or enthusiasm for the cause of celestial marriage or the Church in general.
[1] Deseret News. II, November 15, 1851.
[2] Ibid, II, Numbers 4 to 18 contained these lectures, indicating that their reception must have been so favorable that the editors considered them worthy of general distribution.
[3] This incident was related by and its authenticity vouched for in 1931 by Pratt's daughter and son-in-law, Libby Pratt Eldredge and J, U. Eldredge, Sr.
[4] Deseret News II, No. 23. Sept. 18, 1852, contains the report of this conference.
[5] The complete sermon was later published in Journal of Discourses l:55ff.
[6] In later years Brigham Young pointed out numerous speculative errors in these writings and had Elder Pratt make a public renunciation of some of them. See Deseret News X: pp. 162, 163 for a report of this recanting.
[7] See his warning in Deseret News V; No. 16 (March 21, 1855) and Brigham Young's condemnation of it in Millennial Star, XVII: p. 28.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS CIVIC AND ECCLESIASTICAL FUNCTIONS
ON October 7, 1851, Orson Pratt's outfit consisting of thirteen wagons, each drawn by two yoke of oxen—all of which had been purchased with money that his pamphlets had netted him during his mission—arrived in Salt Lake valley. During his sojourn abroad he had not only given able direction to the missionary and emigration work of the Church but had found time to study astronomy and mathematics and had commenced to become acquainted with the philosophical systems of the world. These studies had convinced him that one of the greatest needs of the Church was leadership. He believed that leadership and education went hand in hand and therefore interested himself in popularizing the learning of the world as well as the teachings of the gospel. Feeling that no educational system could be successful without qualified teachers and an enlightened public that was convinced of the necessity of supporting a school system, he worked to make the non-functioning University of Deseret a living organization. Twenty days after his arrival in the valley he commenced teaching mathematics in the "Parent School" of the University of Deseret, using the Thirteenth Ward School House for a class room.[1] Finding many people who were interested in the knowledge he had acquired concerning the astronomical wonders of the universe, he commenced a series of lectures on astronomy and its religious implications in the Council House on December 15, 1851.[2]
These educational efforts were listed as functions of the "Parent School" of the University of Deseret, which indicates that it was technically an adult educational program. It was in this area that Orson Pratt believed the beginning must be made to establish the trained leadership that a lay-led Church demanded and throughout his life practically all of his efforts for the diffusion of knowledge were devoted to this age-level.
There is an interesting story told among the members of the Orson Pratt family concerning the public reaction to their illustrious ancestor's efforts during the winter of 1851-1852. The members of his classes felt that some remuneration should be given him for his efforts --the journey to the West in 1851 apparently exhausted his financial resources—and by popular subscription raised a fund of nearly five thousand dollars. (Prices were high at the time, due to the California "Gold Rush" and most of the amount was in livestock.) Elder Pratt, manifesting his characteristic disregard for material wealth, refused to accept the proffered gift and recommended that it be given to Brigham Young to assist in the cause of public education. According to this suggestion, the gift was placed at the disposal of Brigham Young who, realizing that Pratt's four wives and families were in need of more adequate housing, used the gift to purchase two dwellings for them.[3]
During this first winter in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, Orson Pratt also served as a member of the territorial legislature. Throughout the remainder of his life, he was a member of the territorial legislature at almost every session that convened while he was residing in the territory and often presided as the speaker of the house of representatives. These two activities—interest in public adult education and leadership for progressive and good government— were two characteristics of his life to which he devoted much time and talent throughout his career in the Utah period of his existence.
During the spring of 1852 Brigham Young took Orson Pratt with him on an exploration trip into southern Utah for the purpose of determining likely sites for the establishment of settlements. Other brethren had scouted the country and suggested possible sites. Brigham Young then went personally to investigate their desirability. Pratt took with him sufficient scientific equipment to determine the latitudinal and longitudinal location as well as to determine the elevation above sea level and to inspect the vegetational possibilities for supporting an agricultural colony.
A special conference of the Church was called to meet in Great Salt Lake City during the last week of August, 1852. On August 28th Orson Pratt was appointed to preside over "all branches of the Church in the United States and British provinces, east of the Rocky Mountains, with headquarters at Washington, D. C."[4] The following day when the conference convened, Brigham Young announced that Elder Orson Pratt had a message to deliver to the conference. The fact that he chose Orson for this particular task indicates that he felt he was the most qualified man in the Church to present the doctrine that was then to be announced, Brigham Young and Orson Pratt were very different by nature, one being a practical organizer, the other being a philosophical thinker, dreamer and idealist who was quite impractical and disinterested in material things. As a result they often had periods of disagreement and at times Brigham Young publicly belittled Elder Pratt's mental interests. However, when he faced momentous problems or challenging issues, he relied on the integrity, mental ability and scholarship of Brother Pratt. Such a demand had now arisen and this humble man was selected to deliver the message rather than the president of the Church. The burden of the message was the doctrine of plural marriage.
Although plural marriage had been instituted by the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1841, and the revelation concerning the eternity of the marriage covenant which included the doctrine of plurality of wives had been committed to writing in 1843, the revelation had never been published nor had the doctrine been officially announced or publicly preached prior to 1852. At this conference Orson Pratt gave a lengthy and well-organized discourse of the subject which was the first public sermon ever preached concerning the doctrine. He read the revelation we now know as Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants and reviewed the history of marriage from ancient times, pointing out that plurality of wives had been a characteristic of God's chosen people in ancient times and was rightfully an obligation devolving upon his latter-day people of the covenant. In this discourse the doctrine was explained and justified solely on religious grounds.[5]
Brigham Young was obviously determined to publicize the doctrine and called Church leaders to establish Church periodicals in New York City, Washington, D. C, San Francisco and St. Louis, to acquaint the world with the doctrine. Orson Pratt was given the assignment at Washington, D. C, which was the most important of all, as it carried with it a two-fold assignment. First, the elected representatives of all of the states and territories were to be contacted that they might inform their constituent bodies of this new Mormon marriage system. Secondly, he was to acquaint the diplomatic representatives of all foreign countries represented in Washington of this practise that they might know what Mormon missionaries in their home lands would be preaching and that their people might be informed of this doctrine.
On October 6th Orson Pratt left Salt Lake and crossed the plains in the autumn storms, reaching Washington late in the year. Immediately he published a prospectus which was distributed to all members of Congress, the president and his cabinet, the members of the Supreme Court and staffs of the various legations, telling of a proposed new religious publication. In January he published the first issue of a new periodical which he named The Seer. He continued to issue this magazine at Washington for eighteen months, after which he discontinued it because it failed to receive much public support. It was also re-published in Liverpool, England and continued to operate for two months longer than the original in Washington. Orson Pratt wrote practically every word that was printed in each of its issues. About half of each issue was devoted to dissertations under the title of "Pre-existence" and the other half to expositions of doctrine concerning "Celestial Marriage." In these writings Elder Pratt pushed the borders of Mormon theology and doctrine farther back than any of the contemporary leaders had done and extended the frontiers of our theology and doctrine farther beyond the confines of mortality than others had taken time to do. We are indebted for much of our present-day doctrinal teachings concerning these matters to this pioneer thinking of Elder Pratt.[6]
During the summer of 1853 Orson made a hurried business trip to England to arrange for the publishing of a work which he entitled History of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors by his Mother, Lucy Mack Smith. The manuscript had been secured at Nauvoo while he was on his way to Washington the previous fall and he published it as a private venture. He later discovered that its real authorship and authenticity had been misrepresented to him and warned the readers to use its contents with caution.[7] While in Liverpool he took care of the financial arrangements concerning the re-publishing of The Seer and also journeyed to Birmingham where he married his seventh wife, Sarah Louise Lewis on June 21st.
Returning from this eastern mission, Elder Pratt arrived home in Salt Lake on August 27, 1854 and on September 3rd gave a sermon in the Old Tabernacle in which he reported his proselyting and publication endeavors in the nation's capitol. He felt that his work had been unsuccessful and that he had failed to arouse either interest or enthusiasm for the cause of celestial marriage or the Church in general.
[1] Deseret News. II, November 15, 1851.
[2] Ibid, II, Numbers 4 to 18 contained these lectures, indicating that their reception must have been so favorable that the editors considered them worthy of general distribution.
[3] This incident was related by and its authenticity vouched for in 1931 by Pratt's daughter and son-in-law, Libby Pratt Eldredge and J, U. Eldredge, Sr.
[4] Deseret News II, No. 23. Sept. 18, 1852, contains the report of this conference.
[5] The complete sermon was later published in Journal of Discourses l:55ff.
[6] In later years Brigham Young pointed out numerous speculative errors in these writings and had Elder Pratt make a public renunciation of some of them. See Deseret News X: pp. 162, 163 for a report of this recanting.
[7] See his warning in Deseret News V; No. 16 (March 21, 1855) and Brigham Young's condemnation of it in Millennial Star, XVII: p. 28.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. September 1947. pg. 411-414, 447.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
IX. PIONEERING AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
MANY critics of Brigham Young have claimed that he was afraid of the results that education would produce among the Mormon people and for that reason kept the most intellectual among the Church leaders out in the mission field most of the time. They point to the many varied and numerous missionary assignments given to Orson Pratt as the most obvious example of their contention.[1] A careful study of the lives of these men indicate that they did engage in some actual pioneering but the results they achieved indicated to Brigham Young that they were more valuable to the building of the new Zion as missionaries than they were on the frontiers as empire-builders. Brigham Young was not afraid of the growth of education but was aware of the obligation resting upon the Church to preach the gospel to all nations and he was too practical to place an inefficient pioneer on the frontier when that same person would be an effective proselyter in the mission field. This fact accounts for the absence of Orson Pratt from the Territory of Utah during much of its formative period. However, a study of his life reveals that from 1847 to the time of his demise he spent much more than half of his time in Utah and during those years actually engaged, although without any startling success, in colonization work.
In the autumn of 1855 Elder Pratt spent some time with Jesse W. Fox in determining and later surveying the northern boundary of Utah in the vicinity of the Green River. In 1860 he was again given an assignment that had to do with the actual toil of pioneering. In company with six other men he settled the town of Lakeview in Tooele County, where he apparently established a part of his family and engaged in livestock raising and farming, until Church needs called him to other fields of activity.
His last assignment to do pioneer work was with Erastus Snow in the settlement of the "Dixie" area of southern Utah. These two were called as leaders of the so-called "cotton mission" late in the year 1861 and conducted a large party of people acquainted with cotton culture to the southern portions of the territory. Elder Pratt was the senior apostle and theoretically the leader of the expedition. He moved part of his family to the Dixie region and located the sites of several settlements, from Rockville to the Santa Clara river, and particularly St. George. Apparently Erastus Snow was the man of real leadership in such pioneer colonization and he soon became recognized as the true leader. Orson's chief contributions to this "cotton mission" during the two years he was part of its leadership appears to have been his surveying of townsites and farm lands and the laying out of the irrigation systems and various flood control methods for the Virgin River.
While Elder Pratt resided in Utah, with the exception of these colonization ventures, he was actively engaged in promoting the cause of public education in addition to his ecclesiastical assignments. We have seen that upon his return from England in 1851 he immediately organized the "Parent School" of the University of Deseret and gave a series of public lectures on astronomy. In similar fashion his further years spent in the territory were characterized by such activities. The local papers carried notices and advertisements of classes he was teaching at his home or in one of the ward meeting houses, but he dreamed of a glorious Church sponsored university. In 1853, when Salt Lake was nothing more than a group of adobe and log cabins grouped about muddy streets, he wrote:
"It is in contemplation to erect a magnificent University in which the higher departments of science will be extensively taught; that Utah, being filled with the knowledge of heaven and earth, may be as a great light upon the mountains which shall be seen by the nations afar off. . . ."[2]
Not content to let this remain a dream, he seized upon every opportunity to arouse public opinion in behalf of educational growth. He was instrumental in organizing and served as director of the Polysophical Society, Universal Scientific Society and the Deseret Theological Institute.^ All three of these efforts failed because the people were too vitally concerned with securing the basic needs for the preservation of their lives and education was looked upon as a luxury that would have to wait until there was leisure time and economic wealth that could sustain such enterprises. Another factor that militated against the establishment of higher education was the fact that Brigham Young opposed Pratt's efforts, feeling that higher educational efforts were as yet unneeded in the Mormon communities.
The failure of these two men to see eye to eye in this respect presents us with one of the lovable attributes of Orson's character. In public discourse he often pled with the Saints to spend more time in study and the acquisition of knowledge, both from the scriptures and from the learning of the world. Frequently, following such a plea, Brigham Young would make comments upon Pratt's ideas that belittled his efforts in the eyes of the people. For example, in 1855 Orson Pratt made such a plea in a public gathering[3] in the old tabernacle. Brigham Young then arose and said:
"Professor Orson Pratt has told you that there are many books in the world and I tell you that there are many inhabitants in the world; he tells you that there is something in all of these books, and I tell you that each of these inhabitants has a name: he tells you that it would be well to learn this something, and I tell you that it would be quite as useful for you to learn the names of these inhabitants. Were I to live as long as Methuselah, and were I to learn every hour of my life something new from these books, and were I able to remember all that I learned, I should not after all know as much as I could learn in five minutes from revelation."[4]
Similar rebukes, equally sharp, were given on other occasions but instead of retaliating or speaking disrespectfully of his ecclesiastical chief, Pratt forgave him. At such times he asked the members of his family to petition God in their secret prayers to open Brigham Young's mind that he might understand his ambitions to improve the educational level of Zion. He was tolerant and forgiving toward men who disagreed with him, but had courage to persevere toward the goal he dreamed would ultimately be achieved.
In 1860 another attempt was made to further higher learning, this time with the approval and support of Brigham Young. The institution was to be known as the Union Academy and Pratt was to head it, assisted by two teachers.[5] An appropriation of $2500.00 had been made for its support and so desirous was Brother Pratt to promote scientific study on the college level that no tuition fees were to be charged those who studied algebra, surveying, astronomy, chemistry, minerology and geology—these were the subjects he taught—and instruments and chemicals were to be furnished free. Apparently the rigorous physical demands of thirteen years contest with the arid valleys of the mountains had so anesthetized the public's interest in higher education that even such a liberal offer, coupled with Brigham Young's encouragement, failed to arouse public interest. Only twenty students enrolled and as none of them were sufficiently advanced in standing to qualify for the advanced courses, Orson Pratt went off to Tooele County to assist in the founding of Laketown.
This same year, however, another honor came to him. He was elected chancellor of the University of Deseret, and although this institution was non-functional at the time, the position also carried with it the responsibility for the supervision of the elementary schools in the territory. In this capacity he worked for the improvement of methods and better textbooks for instruction.
For many years Orson Pratt was the dominant figure in the movement that produced and attempted to popularize the Deseret Alphabet. When he went to England as a missionary in the summer of 1848 he found many people interested in reforming the English language by use of a phonetic alphabet. Pitman, the father of Pitmanic shorthand, was one of the leaders in this movement. Pratt found time between 1848 and his return to Utah in 1851 to attain some proficiency in writing the Pitman characters. When he arrived in Utah he found Brigham Young and others interested in a similar project and the regents of the nominally existing but inactive University of Deseret fostered the plan. They were not satisfied with the Pitman method so made some modifications of it and had type cast for the so-called Deseret Alphabet. Attempts were made to popularize it by publishing lessons in the weekly Deseret News.
Although Orson was absent from the territory when the new Alphabet was announced, and historians have attributed its invention to various Individuals (it was probably the joint product of a number of men) there Is much evidence to indicate that it was Orson Pratt who was its chief exponent and the designer of its symbols. This was because he envisioned the day when great multitudes of converts would come from other lands, speaking foreign tongues. He believed that an orthographic reform of this type would enable them to read English without being forced to undergo the tedious process of learning the numerous rules of pronunciation and its still more numerous exceptions. In 1867 the University of Deseret put forth new life and one of its first activities was to revive the phonetic alphabet as a public service, as the foreign language situation had now become acute in the territory. Some elementary readers were arranged by Pratt, and in 1869 he went to New York and transcribed the entire Book of Mormon into these characters and then proof-read the work. It bears on its title-page the imprint, "Published by the University of Deseret."
The alphabet was doomed to failure because it was too difficult to read and write, it did not lend itself to written script and it did not teach the foreigners to read regular English literature, so that its mastery was of little value. Elder Pratt and others believed the basic idea was good, however, and the regents of the university, of whom Pratt was one, decided to abolish their peculiar alphabet and adopt the Pitman system, thereby gaining the benefit of all the published works then in use. In order to give this phonetic language some religious literature, Pratt was sent to England in 1877 to transcribe the Book of Mormon in Pitman characters, he had scarcely commenced this work when the death of Brigham Young called him home and the project was completely abandoned.
Orson Pratt, although he did not live to see his dream of a "magnificent university" realized, deserves a place of honor in the history of the founding of higher education in Utah. He was probably the most valiant and persistent advocate of formal learning in the pioneer period. His work as territorial school supervisor assisted in laying a foundation for elementary education that in time led to a need for secondary and ultimately collegiate education, His great contention was that high er education was the greatest safe guard of any commonwealth and was a paying investment in terms of the improved, trained and enlightened leadership it could provide, even in a pioneer environment.
[1] Remy and Brenchley, A journey to Great Salt Lake City Vol. 2,—pp. 176, 177. is a good example of this contention.
[2] The Seer. 1, p. 163.
[3] See by way of example the report in Deseret News V, p. 36.
[4] Remy and Brenchley, A Journey to Great Salt Lake City. Vol. 2. pp. 176-177.
[5] Statement made by his daughter, Libby Pratt Eldredge in 1931.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
IX. PIONEERING AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
MANY critics of Brigham Young have claimed that he was afraid of the results that education would produce among the Mormon people and for that reason kept the most intellectual among the Church leaders out in the mission field most of the time. They point to the many varied and numerous missionary assignments given to Orson Pratt as the most obvious example of their contention.[1] A careful study of the lives of these men indicate that they did engage in some actual pioneering but the results they achieved indicated to Brigham Young that they were more valuable to the building of the new Zion as missionaries than they were on the frontiers as empire-builders. Brigham Young was not afraid of the growth of education but was aware of the obligation resting upon the Church to preach the gospel to all nations and he was too practical to place an inefficient pioneer on the frontier when that same person would be an effective proselyter in the mission field. This fact accounts for the absence of Orson Pratt from the Territory of Utah during much of its formative period. However, a study of his life reveals that from 1847 to the time of his demise he spent much more than half of his time in Utah and during those years actually engaged, although without any startling success, in colonization work.
In the autumn of 1855 Elder Pratt spent some time with Jesse W. Fox in determining and later surveying the northern boundary of Utah in the vicinity of the Green River. In 1860 he was again given an assignment that had to do with the actual toil of pioneering. In company with six other men he settled the town of Lakeview in Tooele County, where he apparently established a part of his family and engaged in livestock raising and farming, until Church needs called him to other fields of activity.
His last assignment to do pioneer work was with Erastus Snow in the settlement of the "Dixie" area of southern Utah. These two were called as leaders of the so-called "cotton mission" late in the year 1861 and conducted a large party of people acquainted with cotton culture to the southern portions of the territory. Elder Pratt was the senior apostle and theoretically the leader of the expedition. He moved part of his family to the Dixie region and located the sites of several settlements, from Rockville to the Santa Clara river, and particularly St. George. Apparently Erastus Snow was the man of real leadership in such pioneer colonization and he soon became recognized as the true leader. Orson's chief contributions to this "cotton mission" during the two years he was part of its leadership appears to have been his surveying of townsites and farm lands and the laying out of the irrigation systems and various flood control methods for the Virgin River.
While Elder Pratt resided in Utah, with the exception of these colonization ventures, he was actively engaged in promoting the cause of public education in addition to his ecclesiastical assignments. We have seen that upon his return from England in 1851 he immediately organized the "Parent School" of the University of Deseret and gave a series of public lectures on astronomy. In similar fashion his further years spent in the territory were characterized by such activities. The local papers carried notices and advertisements of classes he was teaching at his home or in one of the ward meeting houses, but he dreamed of a glorious Church sponsored university. In 1853, when Salt Lake was nothing more than a group of adobe and log cabins grouped about muddy streets, he wrote:
"It is in contemplation to erect a magnificent University in which the higher departments of science will be extensively taught; that Utah, being filled with the knowledge of heaven and earth, may be as a great light upon the mountains which shall be seen by the nations afar off. . . ."[2]
Not content to let this remain a dream, he seized upon every opportunity to arouse public opinion in behalf of educational growth. He was instrumental in organizing and served as director of the Polysophical Society, Universal Scientific Society and the Deseret Theological Institute.^ All three of these efforts failed because the people were too vitally concerned with securing the basic needs for the preservation of their lives and education was looked upon as a luxury that would have to wait until there was leisure time and economic wealth that could sustain such enterprises. Another factor that militated against the establishment of higher education was the fact that Brigham Young opposed Pratt's efforts, feeling that higher educational efforts were as yet unneeded in the Mormon communities.
The failure of these two men to see eye to eye in this respect presents us with one of the lovable attributes of Orson's character. In public discourse he often pled with the Saints to spend more time in study and the acquisition of knowledge, both from the scriptures and from the learning of the world. Frequently, following such a plea, Brigham Young would make comments upon Pratt's ideas that belittled his efforts in the eyes of the people. For example, in 1855 Orson Pratt made such a plea in a public gathering[3] in the old tabernacle. Brigham Young then arose and said:
"Professor Orson Pratt has told you that there are many books in the world and I tell you that there are many inhabitants in the world; he tells you that there is something in all of these books, and I tell you that each of these inhabitants has a name: he tells you that it would be well to learn this something, and I tell you that it would be quite as useful for you to learn the names of these inhabitants. Were I to live as long as Methuselah, and were I to learn every hour of my life something new from these books, and were I able to remember all that I learned, I should not after all know as much as I could learn in five minutes from revelation."[4]
Similar rebukes, equally sharp, were given on other occasions but instead of retaliating or speaking disrespectfully of his ecclesiastical chief, Pratt forgave him. At such times he asked the members of his family to petition God in their secret prayers to open Brigham Young's mind that he might understand his ambitions to improve the educational level of Zion. He was tolerant and forgiving toward men who disagreed with him, but had courage to persevere toward the goal he dreamed would ultimately be achieved.
In 1860 another attempt was made to further higher learning, this time with the approval and support of Brigham Young. The institution was to be known as the Union Academy and Pratt was to head it, assisted by two teachers.[5] An appropriation of $2500.00 had been made for its support and so desirous was Brother Pratt to promote scientific study on the college level that no tuition fees were to be charged those who studied algebra, surveying, astronomy, chemistry, minerology and geology—these were the subjects he taught—and instruments and chemicals were to be furnished free. Apparently the rigorous physical demands of thirteen years contest with the arid valleys of the mountains had so anesthetized the public's interest in higher education that even such a liberal offer, coupled with Brigham Young's encouragement, failed to arouse public interest. Only twenty students enrolled and as none of them were sufficiently advanced in standing to qualify for the advanced courses, Orson Pratt went off to Tooele County to assist in the founding of Laketown.
This same year, however, another honor came to him. He was elected chancellor of the University of Deseret, and although this institution was non-functional at the time, the position also carried with it the responsibility for the supervision of the elementary schools in the territory. In this capacity he worked for the improvement of methods and better textbooks for instruction.
For many years Orson Pratt was the dominant figure in the movement that produced and attempted to popularize the Deseret Alphabet. When he went to England as a missionary in the summer of 1848 he found many people interested in reforming the English language by use of a phonetic alphabet. Pitman, the father of Pitmanic shorthand, was one of the leaders in this movement. Pratt found time between 1848 and his return to Utah in 1851 to attain some proficiency in writing the Pitman characters. When he arrived in Utah he found Brigham Young and others interested in a similar project and the regents of the nominally existing but inactive University of Deseret fostered the plan. They were not satisfied with the Pitman method so made some modifications of it and had type cast for the so-called Deseret Alphabet. Attempts were made to popularize it by publishing lessons in the weekly Deseret News.
Although Orson was absent from the territory when the new Alphabet was announced, and historians have attributed its invention to various Individuals (it was probably the joint product of a number of men) there Is much evidence to indicate that it was Orson Pratt who was its chief exponent and the designer of its symbols. This was because he envisioned the day when great multitudes of converts would come from other lands, speaking foreign tongues. He believed that an orthographic reform of this type would enable them to read English without being forced to undergo the tedious process of learning the numerous rules of pronunciation and its still more numerous exceptions. In 1867 the University of Deseret put forth new life and one of its first activities was to revive the phonetic alphabet as a public service, as the foreign language situation had now become acute in the territory. Some elementary readers were arranged by Pratt, and in 1869 he went to New York and transcribed the entire Book of Mormon into these characters and then proof-read the work. It bears on its title-page the imprint, "Published by the University of Deseret."
The alphabet was doomed to failure because it was too difficult to read and write, it did not lend itself to written script and it did not teach the foreigners to read regular English literature, so that its mastery was of little value. Elder Pratt and others believed the basic idea was good, however, and the regents of the university, of whom Pratt was one, decided to abolish their peculiar alphabet and adopt the Pitman system, thereby gaining the benefit of all the published works then in use. In order to give this phonetic language some religious literature, Pratt was sent to England in 1877 to transcribe the Book of Mormon in Pitman characters, he had scarcely commenced this work when the death of Brigham Young called him home and the project was completely abandoned.
Orson Pratt, although he did not live to see his dream of a "magnificent university" realized, deserves a place of honor in the history of the founding of higher education in Utah. He was probably the most valiant and persistent advocate of formal learning in the pioneer period. His work as territorial school supervisor assisted in laying a foundation for elementary education that in time led to a need for secondary and ultimately collegiate education, His great contention was that high er education was the greatest safe guard of any commonwealth and was a paying investment in terms of the improved, trained and enlightened leadership it could provide, even in a pioneer environment.
[1] Remy and Brenchley, A journey to Great Salt Lake City Vol. 2,—pp. 176, 177. is a good example of this contention.
[2] The Seer. 1, p. 163.
[3] See by way of example the report in Deseret News V, p. 36.
[4] Remy and Brenchley, A Journey to Great Salt Lake City. Vol. 2. pp. 176-177.
[5] Statement made by his daughter, Libby Pratt Eldredge in 1931.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. October 1947. pg. 470-474, 495.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
X. SCIENTIFIC SPECULATIONS
At the time Orson Pratt joined the Church in 1830 he had learned the first principles of surveying. This introduction to technical study appears to have whetted his appetite for further study in the field of the exact sciences. During the next thirty years, without the aid of a teacher or any formal schooling, he learned the elementary and higher branches of mathematics and became a creative and speculative mathematician and scientist. We have already mentioned the service he rendered on the pioneer trek to the Great Basin in 1847 and his various surveying activities and assistance in connection with establishing irrigation projects. The pursuit of exact science had become a hobby or avocation with him and continued so to the end of his life.
While teaching mathematics at Nauvoo and also in the Parent School of the University of Deseret, Orson had become aware of the difficulty most students had in solving complicated algebraic equations. He spent much time during the period of about two decades in attempting to find easier methods than those taught in the text books. At last he believed that he had discovered a new approach to this problem and while engaged in missionary activity in Europe in 1866, published a work that he entitled, New and Easy Method of Solution of the Cubic and Biquadratic Equations. In the preface to the book he declared that he had interested himself in these problems.
". . . to discover, if possible, some simpler method of solution . . . and bring these two equations in closer alliance to the Quadratic, rendering them suitable to be incorporated in all elementary treatises of Algebra."
He then enumerated eight points or discoveries that he felt could be used to simplify this department of mathematics. Up to the present time, as far as we have been able to determine, no one has made a complete and unbiased critical evaluation of all eight of these points.[1] An investigation of his solution of the cubic equation illustrates that he had actually discovered a new method, but it was of little value because there was already another one, known as Horner's method, that was in use (based on Cardan's or Tartaglia's Formula) that has continued as the standard to this day. Pratt's discovery was apparently no shorter thon Horner's, and as his method was already in the textbooks, Orson's solution has never been accepted or had any lasting influence on the study of mathematics, either at home or abroad. It is highly probable that the eight short-cuts he mentioned and published were his own discovery but among them there appear to be no simple methods that were not already known and in use at the time his book was published. It is probable that he was unacquainted with the latest methods in the field, so found new solutions, but others had already placed theirs in textbooks, where they have remained and are still used.
In later years Orson turned his attention to differential and integral calculus and endeavored to simplify the customary methods used in that branch of mathematics. He believed he had made some worthwhile discoveries and wrote a treatise upon the subject, but it was never published and after his death became lost. "Writers have described it as containing "original principles"[2] but as no other mathematician ever evaluated the findings, no judgment can be made concerning his supposed "new principles."
The study of mathematics inevitably led Orson Pratt into contact with astronomy. During the early years of the eighteen-forties he had become intensely interested in the workings of the universe and read voraciously, devouring all astronomical literature that he could acquire. During these same years he was growing in his understanding of the universe through his contacts with Joseph Smith and his intensified study of the new scriptures possessed by the Church.[3] These taught him that all heavenly bodies were originally organized by an eternal God who dwells on his central "celestialized" planet and controls the universe in accordance with eternally-established laws. As this intellectual and spiritual growth continued, Elder Pratt's mind, ever seeking to simplify processes, commenced to seek for a simple rule or law that would account for the ordered operations of the universe. During the last forty years of his life he directed his astronomical studies toward the solution of a twofold problem: First, what is the law which governs celestial dynamics secondly, what is the underlying cause of all celestial laws?
During the autumn of 1845 he published his first treatise on speculative science, attempting to account for the laws that govern the planets and stars throughout the immensity of space. He propounded his views by contrasting them to the teachings of Sir Isaac Newton. A few extracts will indicate his idea:
Newtonian System—Matter is entirely passive and incapable of moving itself.
Author's System—Matter is active, and capable of moving itself.
Newtonian System—An atom cannot move itself, but it can move a universe of worlds toward itself.
Author's system—An atom can move itself, but cannot move anything toward it.[4]
Newtonian System—An atom cannot act where it is, but it can act in every place where it is not.
Author's System—An atom can act where it is, but cannot act any place where it is not.[5]
It is obvious that at this point he was moving out of the realm of celestial physics into the realm of metaphysics or philosophy, but it was part of his search for an underlying law that would explain the workings of the universe. This idea he called his hypothesis of "Intelligent self-moving Matter" and it became the basis for his later philosophical interpretation of the creation of the universe.[6]
During the years that followed he delved further into these studies, did much calculating of astronomical tables and time-periods, and finally announced that on November 11, 1854 he had actually discovered the Law of Planetary Rotation.[7] He thought he had discovered a relationship between the mass and the diameter (or density) and the period of rotation. Hence, if the density were known, the diurnal period could be calculated mathematically. He stated this law as follows:
"The squares of the cube roots of the densities of the planets are as their periods of rotation." Or, what amounts to the same thing,
"The squares of the cube roots of the masses of the planets divided by the squares of the diameters are as their periods of rotation."
Apparently Orson failed to check the accuracy of his supposed discovery by experimentation and further application to those other planets for which a period of rotation had been established. Had he done so he would have discovered that his Law was greatly in error. For example, according to his "Law" the diurnal period of Mercury would be slightly more than twenty-four hours, whereas twentieth century astronomers place it at approximately eighty-eight days.[8]
Pratt's "Law of Planetary Rotation" does not offer a solution to the problem and modern astronomers are inclined to believe that there is no such simple law that could account for all the varied movements and irregularities of the solar system. Unless all modern astronomical calculations are found to be in error, it must be concluded that his "Law" has no scientific value.[9]
Sometime during the third quarter of the nineteenth century a small observatory was erected within the walls of the temple block in Salt Lake City. It was a square adobe structure with sections of the roof that could be removed for observation of the sky. Here Elder Pratt set up a telescope and it became his laboratory and place of study during such times as he could spare from religious, political and economic duties. After many years of this leisure-time interest, he finally published his astronomical findings in a book entitled Key to the Universe, or a New Theory of its Mechanism. Two editions appeared of this work, one in Salt Lake City and the other in Liverpool, England, both printed in 1879. In addition to containing his "Law of Planetary Rotation" it developed further the ideas he had published in 1845, attacking the soundness of the Newtonian System. He proposed two concepts for explaining the mechanism of the universe. First, "A continuous orbital propulsion, arising from the velocity of gravity and its consequent aberrations." Second, "A resisting ethereal medium of variable density." This work appears to have aroused some interest in scientific circles but Brother Pratt died about two years later, after a lingering illness, and never had time to either adequately defend his theory or to make corrections or modifications that other astronomers might have suggested. The theories of Pratt have never made any impression on the science of the world. However, all scientists admit that the ultimate has not yet been learned and if Einstein's theory of Relativity overthrows the presently accepted Newtonian System, it is possible that Orson Pratt may have approximated a truer postulate than has been supposed.
The greatest criticism of Pratt's scientific work is that he did not follow-up and test his postulates with experimentation. For this we cannot condemn him. He had never had the advantage of either careful laboratory training or the experimental nature of research. Neither did he have the facilities, time or means to set up the apparatus necessary to test his ideas. He lived in a world unacquainted with the electronic and protonic theories of matter and it is obviously unfair to judge his work in the light of the most recent developments based on these theories.
Many traditions have grown up in Mormon circles respecting this unique and versatile man and his learning. Such statements as the following are commonly heard repeated even today: "Orson Pratt was one of the world's greatest scientists," "He discovered the law that governs the rotation of the planets," "His textbooks on mathematics and astronomy were used in the universities of England, France, Germany and the United States," "Professor Richard Anthony Proctor said 'there are but four great mathematicians in the world and Orson Pratt is one of them,' " and "Elder Pratt was offered $5000.00 to teach one of the English universities (or to lecture before a scientific society) but refused on the grounds that his missionary calling would not permit him to do so." The evidence does not support these contentions. It is true that at one time he literally had "all England by the ears," but it was not his science, but his theology and philosophy that aroused interest. There is no available evidence to indicate that his published works on science were ever used anywhere outside of Mormon communities for study. He failed to influence in any degree the accumulated body of mathematical information now used in the world. David R. Allen, formerly professor of mathematics at the University of Utah, who had an opportunity to critically evaluate Pratt's efforts in a scientific sense, viewed him as follows:
"Orson Pratt was a great mathematician and astronomer for his time and place; but he cannot meet the extravagant claims made for him by his relatives and friends among the Latter-day Saints."[10]
Because he was the only real mathematician during the pioneer period of the Church, there has been a tendency to elevate him to a position of international prominence which he never attained. It must be remembered that all his knowledge had been acquired without the aid of a teacher or schools. After having mastered what others had written on these subjects, he was not content to stop his quest for knowledge. He then undertook to penetrate into fields where others had not gone, constantly endeavoring to simplify the process of learning for others. His new theory of solving cubic and biquadratic equations and his theory of the mechanism of the universe’s movements were attempts to simplify the study of its activities. He had the feeling of a true teacher — he endeavored to push back the frontiers of knowledge, wanted to share his insight with others and remained mentally alert and growing throughout his life.
[1] An unpublished dissertation by William J. Christensen in the library of the University of Utah, entitled, A Critical Review of Orson Pratt St.'s Published Scientific Books, written in 1929, discusses three of his eight principles about the cubic and biquadratic equations but passes over the others. His conclusion is that Pratt's discoveries have not in any way influenced the development of the mathematical field.
[2] See Jenson. L. D. S. Biographical Encyclopedia I; 9--; Evans, The Heart of Mormonism. p. 415.
[3] See Book of Abraham 3:1-18 and Doctrine and Covenants 88:36-38.
[4] He uses the word "atom" here in the same sense that the ancient Greek philosophers and others did, as a descriptive name for a basic divisible particle of matter. He probably meant what present-day physicists term a molecule.
[5] Millennial Star, 6:174.
[6] His philosophical interpretation of life and the universe will be discussed in the next installment.
[7] Deseret News 5:165, 172. This same material forms Chapter XII of Key to the Universe. Even today the periods of rotation of the various planets cannot be calculated by any given law. See Astronomy by F. R. Moulton. p. 242.
[8] Professor Walter Bartky of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Chicago reviewed Pratt's theory during the month of November, 1931, and found it to be inaccurate. His findings indicate that his law runs counter to everything now known about planetary rotation.
[9] F. S. Moulton, Astronomy, p. 242.
[10] Letter to the author, dated at Berkley, California. Sept. 21, 1931.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
X. SCIENTIFIC SPECULATIONS
At the time Orson Pratt joined the Church in 1830 he had learned the first principles of surveying. This introduction to technical study appears to have whetted his appetite for further study in the field of the exact sciences. During the next thirty years, without the aid of a teacher or any formal schooling, he learned the elementary and higher branches of mathematics and became a creative and speculative mathematician and scientist. We have already mentioned the service he rendered on the pioneer trek to the Great Basin in 1847 and his various surveying activities and assistance in connection with establishing irrigation projects. The pursuit of exact science had become a hobby or avocation with him and continued so to the end of his life.
While teaching mathematics at Nauvoo and also in the Parent School of the University of Deseret, Orson had become aware of the difficulty most students had in solving complicated algebraic equations. He spent much time during the period of about two decades in attempting to find easier methods than those taught in the text books. At last he believed that he had discovered a new approach to this problem and while engaged in missionary activity in Europe in 1866, published a work that he entitled, New and Easy Method of Solution of the Cubic and Biquadratic Equations. In the preface to the book he declared that he had interested himself in these problems.
". . . to discover, if possible, some simpler method of solution . . . and bring these two equations in closer alliance to the Quadratic, rendering them suitable to be incorporated in all elementary treatises of Algebra."
He then enumerated eight points or discoveries that he felt could be used to simplify this department of mathematics. Up to the present time, as far as we have been able to determine, no one has made a complete and unbiased critical evaluation of all eight of these points.[1] An investigation of his solution of the cubic equation illustrates that he had actually discovered a new method, but it was of little value because there was already another one, known as Horner's method, that was in use (based on Cardan's or Tartaglia's Formula) that has continued as the standard to this day. Pratt's discovery was apparently no shorter thon Horner's, and as his method was already in the textbooks, Orson's solution has never been accepted or had any lasting influence on the study of mathematics, either at home or abroad. It is highly probable that the eight short-cuts he mentioned and published were his own discovery but among them there appear to be no simple methods that were not already known and in use at the time his book was published. It is probable that he was unacquainted with the latest methods in the field, so found new solutions, but others had already placed theirs in textbooks, where they have remained and are still used.
In later years Orson turned his attention to differential and integral calculus and endeavored to simplify the customary methods used in that branch of mathematics. He believed he had made some worthwhile discoveries and wrote a treatise upon the subject, but it was never published and after his death became lost. "Writers have described it as containing "original principles"[2] but as no other mathematician ever evaluated the findings, no judgment can be made concerning his supposed "new principles."
The study of mathematics inevitably led Orson Pratt into contact with astronomy. During the early years of the eighteen-forties he had become intensely interested in the workings of the universe and read voraciously, devouring all astronomical literature that he could acquire. During these same years he was growing in his understanding of the universe through his contacts with Joseph Smith and his intensified study of the new scriptures possessed by the Church.[3] These taught him that all heavenly bodies were originally organized by an eternal God who dwells on his central "celestialized" planet and controls the universe in accordance with eternally-established laws. As this intellectual and spiritual growth continued, Elder Pratt's mind, ever seeking to simplify processes, commenced to seek for a simple rule or law that would account for the ordered operations of the universe. During the last forty years of his life he directed his astronomical studies toward the solution of a twofold problem: First, what is the law which governs celestial dynamics secondly, what is the underlying cause of all celestial laws?
During the autumn of 1845 he published his first treatise on speculative science, attempting to account for the laws that govern the planets and stars throughout the immensity of space. He propounded his views by contrasting them to the teachings of Sir Isaac Newton. A few extracts will indicate his idea:
Newtonian System—Matter is entirely passive and incapable of moving itself.
Author's System—Matter is active, and capable of moving itself.
Newtonian System—An atom cannot move itself, but it can move a universe of worlds toward itself.
Author's system—An atom can move itself, but cannot move anything toward it.[4]
Newtonian System—An atom cannot act where it is, but it can act in every place where it is not.
Author's System—An atom can act where it is, but cannot act any place where it is not.[5]
It is obvious that at this point he was moving out of the realm of celestial physics into the realm of metaphysics or philosophy, but it was part of his search for an underlying law that would explain the workings of the universe. This idea he called his hypothesis of "Intelligent self-moving Matter" and it became the basis for his later philosophical interpretation of the creation of the universe.[6]
During the years that followed he delved further into these studies, did much calculating of astronomical tables and time-periods, and finally announced that on November 11, 1854 he had actually discovered the Law of Planetary Rotation.[7] He thought he had discovered a relationship between the mass and the diameter (or density) and the period of rotation. Hence, if the density were known, the diurnal period could be calculated mathematically. He stated this law as follows:
"The squares of the cube roots of the densities of the planets are as their periods of rotation." Or, what amounts to the same thing,
"The squares of the cube roots of the masses of the planets divided by the squares of the diameters are as their periods of rotation."
Apparently Orson failed to check the accuracy of his supposed discovery by experimentation and further application to those other planets for which a period of rotation had been established. Had he done so he would have discovered that his Law was greatly in error. For example, according to his "Law" the diurnal period of Mercury would be slightly more than twenty-four hours, whereas twentieth century astronomers place it at approximately eighty-eight days.[8]
Pratt's "Law of Planetary Rotation" does not offer a solution to the problem and modern astronomers are inclined to believe that there is no such simple law that could account for all the varied movements and irregularities of the solar system. Unless all modern astronomical calculations are found to be in error, it must be concluded that his "Law" has no scientific value.[9]
Sometime during the third quarter of the nineteenth century a small observatory was erected within the walls of the temple block in Salt Lake City. It was a square adobe structure with sections of the roof that could be removed for observation of the sky. Here Elder Pratt set up a telescope and it became his laboratory and place of study during such times as he could spare from religious, political and economic duties. After many years of this leisure-time interest, he finally published his astronomical findings in a book entitled Key to the Universe, or a New Theory of its Mechanism. Two editions appeared of this work, one in Salt Lake City and the other in Liverpool, England, both printed in 1879. In addition to containing his "Law of Planetary Rotation" it developed further the ideas he had published in 1845, attacking the soundness of the Newtonian System. He proposed two concepts for explaining the mechanism of the universe. First, "A continuous orbital propulsion, arising from the velocity of gravity and its consequent aberrations." Second, "A resisting ethereal medium of variable density." This work appears to have aroused some interest in scientific circles but Brother Pratt died about two years later, after a lingering illness, and never had time to either adequately defend his theory or to make corrections or modifications that other astronomers might have suggested. The theories of Pratt have never made any impression on the science of the world. However, all scientists admit that the ultimate has not yet been learned and if Einstein's theory of Relativity overthrows the presently accepted Newtonian System, it is possible that Orson Pratt may have approximated a truer postulate than has been supposed.
The greatest criticism of Pratt's scientific work is that he did not follow-up and test his postulates with experimentation. For this we cannot condemn him. He had never had the advantage of either careful laboratory training or the experimental nature of research. Neither did he have the facilities, time or means to set up the apparatus necessary to test his ideas. He lived in a world unacquainted with the electronic and protonic theories of matter and it is obviously unfair to judge his work in the light of the most recent developments based on these theories.
Many traditions have grown up in Mormon circles respecting this unique and versatile man and his learning. Such statements as the following are commonly heard repeated even today: "Orson Pratt was one of the world's greatest scientists," "He discovered the law that governs the rotation of the planets," "His textbooks on mathematics and astronomy were used in the universities of England, France, Germany and the United States," "Professor Richard Anthony Proctor said 'there are but four great mathematicians in the world and Orson Pratt is one of them,' " and "Elder Pratt was offered $5000.00 to teach one of the English universities (or to lecture before a scientific society) but refused on the grounds that his missionary calling would not permit him to do so." The evidence does not support these contentions. It is true that at one time he literally had "all England by the ears," but it was not his science, but his theology and philosophy that aroused interest. There is no available evidence to indicate that his published works on science were ever used anywhere outside of Mormon communities for study. He failed to influence in any degree the accumulated body of mathematical information now used in the world. David R. Allen, formerly professor of mathematics at the University of Utah, who had an opportunity to critically evaluate Pratt's efforts in a scientific sense, viewed him as follows:
"Orson Pratt was a great mathematician and astronomer for his time and place; but he cannot meet the extravagant claims made for him by his relatives and friends among the Latter-day Saints."[10]
Because he was the only real mathematician during the pioneer period of the Church, there has been a tendency to elevate him to a position of international prominence which he never attained. It must be remembered that all his knowledge had been acquired without the aid of a teacher or schools. After having mastered what others had written on these subjects, he was not content to stop his quest for knowledge. He then undertook to penetrate into fields where others had not gone, constantly endeavoring to simplify the process of learning for others. His new theory of solving cubic and biquadratic equations and his theory of the mechanism of the universe’s movements were attempts to simplify the study of its activities. He had the feeling of a true teacher — he endeavored to push back the frontiers of knowledge, wanted to share his insight with others and remained mentally alert and growing throughout his life.
[1] An unpublished dissertation by William J. Christensen in the library of the University of Utah, entitled, A Critical Review of Orson Pratt St.'s Published Scientific Books, written in 1929, discusses three of his eight principles about the cubic and biquadratic equations but passes over the others. His conclusion is that Pratt's discoveries have not in any way influenced the development of the mathematical field.
[2] See Jenson. L. D. S. Biographical Encyclopedia I; 9--; Evans, The Heart of Mormonism. p. 415.
[3] See Book of Abraham 3:1-18 and Doctrine and Covenants 88:36-38.
[4] He uses the word "atom" here in the same sense that the ancient Greek philosophers and others did, as a descriptive name for a basic divisible particle of matter. He probably meant what present-day physicists term a molecule.
[5] Millennial Star, 6:174.
[6] His philosophical interpretation of life and the universe will be discussed in the next installment.
[7] Deseret News 5:165, 172. This same material forms Chapter XII of Key to the Universe. Even today the periods of rotation of the various planets cannot be calculated by any given law. See Astronomy by F. R. Moulton. p. 242.
[8] Professor Walter Bartky of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Chicago reviewed Pratt's theory during the month of November, 1931, and found it to be inaccurate. His findings indicate that his law runs counter to everything now known about planetary rotation.
[9] F. S. Moulton, Astronomy, p. 242.
[10] Letter to the author, dated at Berkley, California. Sept. 21, 1931.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. November 1947. pg. 513-516, 530.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
XI. PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS
In his adolescent years, before joining the Church, Orson Pratt had traveled extensively in New York and the New England States. Being of a curious frame of mind, he had taken advantage of every opportunity to acquaint himself somewhat with the various forms of philosophic thought that were most popular in early nineteenth century America. During the fourteen years he was associated with Joseph Smith he frequently visited the eastern seaboard while engaged in missionary work. The nature of his proselyting activities in this region forced him to become familiar with the different metaphysical theories held by those among whom he preached. So deeply had he become saturated with this thought as a result of his studies, that when the Prophet gave an endearing or characteristic epithet to each of his apostles, Pratt was named "The Gauge of Philosophy.”[1]
Joseph Smith never formulated a systematic philosophy as such, but from his sermons, revelations and translations one can be constructed. It defies classification with any existing system of philosophy, although it contains elements in common with many existing systems. It has its fundamental thought and skeletal system built upon a conception of eternally-existing matter in a God-controlled universe; eternal intelligence which is personified and individualized; and immortal spirits that are the invisible counterpart of each living person. B. H. Roberts refers to this philosophical system with the very descriptive title of "Eternalism."[2]
Although Elder Pratt had taken an active part in championing these views while the Prophet was alive, it was not until after his death that he really exerted himself in developing a philosophy of Mormonism. When Joseph Smith was martyred the leadership of the Church passed to Brigham Young, but his leadership was largely confined to the practical affairs and mechanics of Church organization and development. The theological and philosophical leadership was taken over by Orson Pratt. He it was who first gathered together the odds and ends of the prophet's utterances and writings and expanded them into more unified systems of theology and philosophy. B. H. Roberts refers to him as "... the philosopher of the movement."
Upon several statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Brother Pratt constructed his thought-systems. Most prominent were:
"There is no such thing as immaterial matter; all spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes."[3]
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”[4]
"Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence or light of truth, was not created or made, either indeed can be."
"The Glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth."[5]
Various others concerning the eternal principle of free agency and the concept of God's control of the immensity of space, such as the teachings found in Doctrine and Covenants 29:34-41 and 88:34-40 directed him in the expansion of our concepts of God's power, purpose and goal in the universe and man's relationship to these factors.
When Orson Pratt went to England in the summer of 1848 he commenced an administrative period in the British Mission that has never since been surpassed in its fruitfulness of converts and literary productions. He wrote a number of pamphlets that were sold in the book and news stalls of Great Britain and apparently they were widely read. His story of the First Vision and the Restoration, coupled with his writings concerning the Millennium and literal resurrection caused theologians and religious philosophers to commence an attack against him. Early in 1 849 a Mr. T.W.P. Taylder published a pamphlet entitled, "The Materialism of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints, Examined and Exposed." Orson, who loved nothing more than a stimulating mental struggle, immediately set to work and produced a very skillfully planned and almost devastating pamphlet which he entitled "Absurdities of Immaterialism, or A Reply to T. W. P. Taylder's Pamphlet." It was a 32-page write-up, containing approximately 27,000 words. This was his first written production in which he had dealt with principles that were in the realm of philosophy, physics and metaphysics.
The success of this pamphlet as an answer to the opposition caused Orson to set himself to work upon another manuscript, not designed to be read as a specific piece of Mormon propaganda, as it refrains from preaching Mormonism, but purely as a philosophical treatise. It was published in January, 1851 under the caption, "Great First Cause, or the Self-Moving Forces of the Universe." This sixteen page pamphlet, containing about 13,000 words, was the most popular and widely read production that ever came from the pen of Brother Pratt. Several hundred thousands of them were sold and it was due to the fame of this treatise that he was invited in later years to speak before philosophical bodies and gained admission into the intellectual circles of Great Britain.
A reading of these two pamphlets reveals the fact that Elder Pratt, in addition to his many religious activities, had read widely in the field of philosophy and contemporary science. He was familiar with the basic thoughts of ancient Greek and Roman writers as well as the more recent and contemporary philosophers. His philosophy is ultrateleological in its composition.[6] Behind the "design" in nature he saw much more than mere chance or blind force. Several factors controlled this "Design." First, there was eternally existing intelligence and free agency. Second, there existed the Supreme God of all assisted by the resurrected Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, all of whom were tangible realities composed of definite matter of one type or another. Third, there were the inexhaustible stores of matter, both the "coarser" and the "finer" that could be acted upon. Fourth, there were the organized creations of God, manifesting themselves on all hands and exerting influence upon each other. Fifth, there were the eternally existing spirits of men, possessed of free will, who could cooperate with God in the accomplishment of his purposes. Pratt's emphasis on the "moral freedom of intelligence" in connection with mankind, bears many relationships to Immanuel Kant's conception of "The moral law within me." However, he went further and attributed it to the controlling power of the intelligence of the eternal spirit resident in man, actuated by an eternal drive or urge toward moral righteousness.
When the British theologians attacked the Mormon teaching of the materialistic reality of the three members of the Godhead, Orson argued skillfully that some type of matter was necessary for existence, otherwise there would have to be a condition present of something that was existing but had no reality. This he insisted was a contradiction in terms. He finally concluded this argument by asserting that fundamentally there was no difference between an atheist and an immaterialistic theologian. He wrote:
"Therefore, the immaterialist is a religious Atheist; he only differs from other classes of Atheists by clothing an indivisible unextended NOTHING with the powers of a God. One class believes in no God; the other class believes that NOTHING is god, and worships it as such. . . . The most profound philosopher in all the ranks of modern Christianity cannot extricate the Immaterialists from atheism."[7]
Another point at which the opposition had directed an attack against the Mormon point of view was in regard to the insistence that man is technically a dual being in mortality, consisting of a mortal body motivated by a divine spirit that was much older and assumably mature in stature, even though the mortal body might be that of an infant. They based their objection on the grounds that two particles of matter cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Pratt answered this by resorting to his scientific knowledge:
"All organized substances are porous in a high degree, that is, their volume consists partly of material particles and partly of interstitial spaces, which spaces are either absolutely void and empty or filled with some substance of a different species from the body in question. The mortal body being porous, there is room for the material spirit to exist in close connection with its component parts, and this too without infringing upon the impenetrability of substance."[8] He answered the second objection with the assertion that when a spirit entered the body of an infant its magnitude was compressed from the size of its full-grown stature, to that of the infant body it was to possess. Through this process of compression the memory was suspended, so that no remembrance of the pre-existent state survived.[9]
Orson Pratt taught that the primary unit of all existing matter was to be found in the intelligence that was eternally inherent in each "atom" of matter. He described God the Father as follows:
"The substance of his person occupies space the same as other matter. The substance of his person, like other matter, cannot be in two places at the same instant. It requires time for him to transport himself from place to place. It matters not how great the velocity of his movements, time is an essential ingredient to all motion, whether rapid or slow."[10]
Elder Pratt had followed his logical reasoning back step by step until he had advocated many strange doctrines, such as the idea that God had not only created spirits for mankind but for animals, insects, flowers, vegetables and trees, all of which would be resurrected and inherit degrees of glory. This writing had been done when he was in England or Washington, D.C. where he did not have the benefit of constructive criticism from the presidency or other apostles of the Church.
In spite of the fact that a few doctrines, contained in a few paragraphs of his writings, were condemned, the vast majority of his teachings are commonly accepted to this day. Orson Pratt's influence is strongly discernible in the thought and theology of the Latter-day Saints.
[1] Times and Seasons 5:758.
[2] A Comprehensive History of the Church 2:381-412.
[3] Doc. and Cov. 131:7.
[4] Ibid, 130:22.
[5] Ibid, 93:29, 36.
[6] The word teleology is an anglicized form of a Greek word meaning "design." It is used to convey the idea that there is a planned course in nature, not a mere haphazard development according to chance or capriciousness.
[7] "Absurdities of Immaterialism," p. 11.
[8] Ibid. p. 8, 9.
[9] Seer 1:158.
[10] "The Kingdom of God," I, p. 4.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
XI. PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS
In his adolescent years, before joining the Church, Orson Pratt had traveled extensively in New York and the New England States. Being of a curious frame of mind, he had taken advantage of every opportunity to acquaint himself somewhat with the various forms of philosophic thought that were most popular in early nineteenth century America. During the fourteen years he was associated with Joseph Smith he frequently visited the eastern seaboard while engaged in missionary work. The nature of his proselyting activities in this region forced him to become familiar with the different metaphysical theories held by those among whom he preached. So deeply had he become saturated with this thought as a result of his studies, that when the Prophet gave an endearing or characteristic epithet to each of his apostles, Pratt was named "The Gauge of Philosophy.”[1]
Joseph Smith never formulated a systematic philosophy as such, but from his sermons, revelations and translations one can be constructed. It defies classification with any existing system of philosophy, although it contains elements in common with many existing systems. It has its fundamental thought and skeletal system built upon a conception of eternally-existing matter in a God-controlled universe; eternal intelligence which is personified and individualized; and immortal spirits that are the invisible counterpart of each living person. B. H. Roberts refers to this philosophical system with the very descriptive title of "Eternalism."[2]
Although Elder Pratt had taken an active part in championing these views while the Prophet was alive, it was not until after his death that he really exerted himself in developing a philosophy of Mormonism. When Joseph Smith was martyred the leadership of the Church passed to Brigham Young, but his leadership was largely confined to the practical affairs and mechanics of Church organization and development. The theological and philosophical leadership was taken over by Orson Pratt. He it was who first gathered together the odds and ends of the prophet's utterances and writings and expanded them into more unified systems of theology and philosophy. B. H. Roberts refers to him as "... the philosopher of the movement."
Upon several statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Brother Pratt constructed his thought-systems. Most prominent were:
"There is no such thing as immaterial matter; all spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes."[3]
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”[4]
"Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence or light of truth, was not created or made, either indeed can be."
"The Glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth."[5]
Various others concerning the eternal principle of free agency and the concept of God's control of the immensity of space, such as the teachings found in Doctrine and Covenants 29:34-41 and 88:34-40 directed him in the expansion of our concepts of God's power, purpose and goal in the universe and man's relationship to these factors.
When Orson Pratt went to England in the summer of 1848 he commenced an administrative period in the British Mission that has never since been surpassed in its fruitfulness of converts and literary productions. He wrote a number of pamphlets that were sold in the book and news stalls of Great Britain and apparently they were widely read. His story of the First Vision and the Restoration, coupled with his writings concerning the Millennium and literal resurrection caused theologians and religious philosophers to commence an attack against him. Early in 1 849 a Mr. T.W.P. Taylder published a pamphlet entitled, "The Materialism of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints, Examined and Exposed." Orson, who loved nothing more than a stimulating mental struggle, immediately set to work and produced a very skillfully planned and almost devastating pamphlet which he entitled "Absurdities of Immaterialism, or A Reply to T. W. P. Taylder's Pamphlet." It was a 32-page write-up, containing approximately 27,000 words. This was his first written production in which he had dealt with principles that were in the realm of philosophy, physics and metaphysics.
The success of this pamphlet as an answer to the opposition caused Orson to set himself to work upon another manuscript, not designed to be read as a specific piece of Mormon propaganda, as it refrains from preaching Mormonism, but purely as a philosophical treatise. It was published in January, 1851 under the caption, "Great First Cause, or the Self-Moving Forces of the Universe." This sixteen page pamphlet, containing about 13,000 words, was the most popular and widely read production that ever came from the pen of Brother Pratt. Several hundred thousands of them were sold and it was due to the fame of this treatise that he was invited in later years to speak before philosophical bodies and gained admission into the intellectual circles of Great Britain.
A reading of these two pamphlets reveals the fact that Elder Pratt, in addition to his many religious activities, had read widely in the field of philosophy and contemporary science. He was familiar with the basic thoughts of ancient Greek and Roman writers as well as the more recent and contemporary philosophers. His philosophy is ultrateleological in its composition.[6] Behind the "design" in nature he saw much more than mere chance or blind force. Several factors controlled this "Design." First, there was eternally existing intelligence and free agency. Second, there existed the Supreme God of all assisted by the resurrected Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, all of whom were tangible realities composed of definite matter of one type or another. Third, there were the inexhaustible stores of matter, both the "coarser" and the "finer" that could be acted upon. Fourth, there were the organized creations of God, manifesting themselves on all hands and exerting influence upon each other. Fifth, there were the eternally existing spirits of men, possessed of free will, who could cooperate with God in the accomplishment of his purposes. Pratt's emphasis on the "moral freedom of intelligence" in connection with mankind, bears many relationships to Immanuel Kant's conception of "The moral law within me." However, he went further and attributed it to the controlling power of the intelligence of the eternal spirit resident in man, actuated by an eternal drive or urge toward moral righteousness.
When the British theologians attacked the Mormon teaching of the materialistic reality of the three members of the Godhead, Orson argued skillfully that some type of matter was necessary for existence, otherwise there would have to be a condition present of something that was existing but had no reality. This he insisted was a contradiction in terms. He finally concluded this argument by asserting that fundamentally there was no difference between an atheist and an immaterialistic theologian. He wrote:
"Therefore, the immaterialist is a religious Atheist; he only differs from other classes of Atheists by clothing an indivisible unextended NOTHING with the powers of a God. One class believes in no God; the other class believes that NOTHING is god, and worships it as such. . . . The most profound philosopher in all the ranks of modern Christianity cannot extricate the Immaterialists from atheism."[7]
Another point at which the opposition had directed an attack against the Mormon point of view was in regard to the insistence that man is technically a dual being in mortality, consisting of a mortal body motivated by a divine spirit that was much older and assumably mature in stature, even though the mortal body might be that of an infant. They based their objection on the grounds that two particles of matter cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Pratt answered this by resorting to his scientific knowledge:
"All organized substances are porous in a high degree, that is, their volume consists partly of material particles and partly of interstitial spaces, which spaces are either absolutely void and empty or filled with some substance of a different species from the body in question. The mortal body being porous, there is room for the material spirit to exist in close connection with its component parts, and this too without infringing upon the impenetrability of substance."[8] He answered the second objection with the assertion that when a spirit entered the body of an infant its magnitude was compressed from the size of its full-grown stature, to that of the infant body it was to possess. Through this process of compression the memory was suspended, so that no remembrance of the pre-existent state survived.[9]
Orson Pratt taught that the primary unit of all existing matter was to be found in the intelligence that was eternally inherent in each "atom" of matter. He described God the Father as follows:
"The substance of his person occupies space the same as other matter. The substance of his person, like other matter, cannot be in two places at the same instant. It requires time for him to transport himself from place to place. It matters not how great the velocity of his movements, time is an essential ingredient to all motion, whether rapid or slow."[10]
Elder Pratt had followed his logical reasoning back step by step until he had advocated many strange doctrines, such as the idea that God had not only created spirits for mankind but for animals, insects, flowers, vegetables and trees, all of which would be resurrected and inherit degrees of glory. This writing had been done when he was in England or Washington, D.C. where he did not have the benefit of constructive criticism from the presidency or other apostles of the Church.
In spite of the fact that a few doctrines, contained in a few paragraphs of his writings, were condemned, the vast majority of his teachings are commonly accepted to this day. Orson Pratt's influence is strongly discernible in the thought and theology of the Latter-day Saints.
[1] Times and Seasons 5:758.
[2] A Comprehensive History of the Church 2:381-412.
[3] Doc. and Cov. 131:7.
[4] Ibid, 130:22.
[5] Ibid, 93:29, 36.
[6] The word teleology is an anglicized form of a Greek word meaning "design." It is used to convey the idea that there is a planned course in nature, not a mere haphazard development according to chance or capriciousness.
[7] "Absurdities of Immaterialism," p. 11.
[8] Ibid. p. 8, 9.
[9] Seer 1:158.
[10] "The Kingdom of God," I, p. 4.
Lyon, T. Edgar. "Orson Pratt - A Biographical Study." Instructor. December 1947. pg. 565-568, 580.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
XII. CHURCH HISTORIAN AND SCRIPTORIAN
When Orson Pratt accepted the restored gospel in 1830 he commenced a study of the scriptures, both ancient and modern, that was to continue throughout his life. Most of his preaching was based on scriptures and his many tracts and pamphlets were almost entirely scriptural in nature. Along with this scriptural study he appears to have developed a very pleasing pulpit technique by which he was able to sway audiences with his pleasing personality, sincerity and eloquence. During the winter of 1834-1835 while he was preaching his way from Missouri to Kirtland, Ohio, he stopped in Brookville, Iowa. The following review of his missionary activities that appeared in the Brookville Inquirer is interesting as a reaction to his speaking ability:
"On last Saturday evening, for the first time, in this place, a gentleman, and a minister belonging to this sect (the Latter-day Saints or Mormons) preached in the courthouse, to a very respectable audience.
"By request, he tarried over Sabbath, and at 2 o'clock again opened public worship by an able address to the Throne of the Most High. He spoke for about an hour and a half to a large audience, during which time he explained many important passages of the prophecies contained in the Old and New Testaments, and applied them according to their literal meaning. . . .
"After he had closed his discourse, on Sabbath afternoon, he remarked that if 'no one had anything to say, the meeting would be considered closed. Rev. Daniel St. John, a clergyman of the universal order, ascended the pulpit and in his usual eloquent strain held forth for considerable time, taking exceptions to some of the positions of the preceding speaker. . . . An interesting debate of about three hours ensued in which each had four hearings, and at the request of the audience, a division was called for on the merits of the argument, and carried in favor of the Latter-day Saint by an overwhelming vote. . . .
"If a man may be called eloquent who transfers his own views and feeling into the breasts of others — if a knowledge of the subject, and to speak without fear—are a part of the more elevated rules of eloquence, we have no hesitancy in saying ORSON PRATT was eloquent.”[1]
It was this eloquence, coupled with his great scriptural knowledge that made him one of the outstanding speakers in the Church during its first half century. Often he was called upon to be the official spokesman for the Church at great public gatherings, both political and religious. In 1870 Rev. John P. Newman, chaplain of the United States Senate and also pastor of the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington D. C, came to Salt Lake thinking he would embarrass Brigham Young by having a public debate with him on the biblical authority for plural marriage. Orson Pratt was assigned to this task and not only made an extremely able exposition of the scriptures in question, but also manifested a knowledge of the Hebrew language he had learned at Kirtland thirty-five years earlier, as well as some Greek and Latin. At the conclusion of this famous three-day debate, the members of the Church were convinced that their eloquent apostle had won an overwhelming victory.
At the General Conference of the Church in the spring of 1874 Elder Pratt was sustained as General Church Recorder and Historian, a position which he held until his death more than seven years later. Up to this time the many historical records of the Church had not been integrated into a uniform type and the newly appointed Church Historian undertook to bring some order out of the chaotic condition that then existed. During the period that he held this office "He superintended the compilation of over thirty-thousand foolscap pages of documentary history of the Church.”[2] This work has proved to be of great value for the study of the growth and development of the latter-day Church.
One of the greatest and most lasting contributions that Orson Pratt made to the Church was the result of his devotion to the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. During the pioneering period of the Church the various editions of the Doctrine and Covenants had followed the pattern, in form and content, of the Nauvoo edition of 1844. There were vital revelations and teachings of the Prophet Joseph that had never been incorporated in this volume of latter-day revelations and Brother Pratt felt that they should be preserved as part of our scriptural heritage. Coupling it with his work as Recorder and Historian for the Church, he searched out from among the records and documents at his disposal a number of important items and with the approval of the General Authorities of the Church, expanded the Doctrine and Covenants from 111 sections to its present 136. This edition was issued in Salt Lake City in 1876, and it also contained another innovation. Originally the various sections of this book had been printed in long paragraphs, so that it was extremely difficult to refer to a text and find it quickly or to be definite just which part of a paragraph was intended to be quoted. Orson's interest in scripture led him to make a system of short verses that could be numbered and thus facilitate the use of these sacred-writings.
The new arrangement of these scriptures having soon proved popular, Pratt then undertook a similar re-arrangement of the Book of Mormon. This Nephite record had been printed in many editions but had followed an old system of very long chapters with numbered paragraphs that were also quite lengthy. Having completed a new division into shorter chapters and verses, he started for England in December of 1878 to have stereotype plates made and new editions of the Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon printed with these changes. In addition to this textual revision, he sought out thousands of cross references and notes that became incorporated in the new editions of these two books as footnotes. This colossal work he did, as well as proof-reading the new revisions of these scriptures, in less than eight months. During this same period in England he revised and published his speculative scientific work, Key to the Universe. To accomplish all these things in such a short time, he was forced to work eighteen and twenty hours a day. While engaged in this strenuous work he first became aware that his normal, abundant physical vitality was being undermined by diabetes.
He returned from this last assignment in September, 1879 and resumed his duties as Church Historian. In 18 80 he prepared for publication the souvenir memorial that was issued in this "Jubilee Year" commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the Church. He was also honored at this time as one of the fifteen living pioneers that had composed the original company to enter the valley. These exertions were taxing his reserve energy to the utmost and he soon collapsed under the strain. During the last year of his life he was confined to his home most of the time, only being able to make brief visits to his office or to deliver an occasional address. Realizing that his end was near, he dictated this epitaph for his tombstone: "My body sleeps but a moment; but my testimony lives and shall endure forever." He passed away on October 3, 1881, in his seventy-first year, at his home on the corner of 3rd North and 3rd West Streets, Salt Lake City, Utah. He was survived by sixteen sons and sixteen daughters out of the forty-five that had been born to him, and by forty-three grandchildren.
Between December, 1830 when he went on his first mission and September, 1879, when he returned from his last official mission for the Church, Orson Pratt had spent a total of nineteen years engaged in missionary work for the advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth. During this time he had undertaken twenty-one distinct missions. To fulfill these assignments he had crossed the Atlantic Ocean sixteen times and preached the gospel in England, Scotland, Austria, Canada, California, Panama and most of the northern states of the Union.
Elder Pratt had been one of the great pillars of the Restoration, having been the first prolific pamphleteer that the Church produced. He was the first elder to preach the restored gospel in Canada, Scotland and Austria. He was the first member of the pioneer group to view Salt Lake Valley and the first Latter-day Saint to publish books in the field of astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and celestial dynamics. Wilford "Woodruff said of him that he had:
". . . traveled more miles, preached more sermons, studied and written more upon the gospel and upon science than any other man in the Church."[3]
Tullidge refers to him appropriately as "The Paul of Mormonism."[4]
A more recent evaluation of him is given by John Henry Evans:
"In the first century of 'Mormonism' there is no leader of the intellectual stature of Orson Pratt. This is not to set up a yard-stick against which to measure men. It is merely an effort to point out a difference, which helps to assess the individual members of that very remarkable group of persons whom the new Faith attracted to itself during the first fifty years of its existence.
"When everything is said and done, it will be found that Orson Pratt traveled more miles on land and sea delivering the Word; that he brought more people into the Fold through his spoken and written message; that, with the exception of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, he was in the vanguard of more understakings; and that he was more prolific in his written defense of the Faith—than any other man that can be mentioned. We are speaking now of one man in whom all these activities are combined.
"Orson Pratt was a leader, a pioneer, a preacher, a writer; and there were other leaders, pioneers, preachers, and authors. But Orson Pratt was also a philosopher and thinker, and in this respect he stood alone among his brethren during the first one hundred years of the Faith.”[5]
[1] Reprinted in Latter-day Saints Messenger and Advocate, 1:77.
[2] Contributor XII:422.
[3] Whitney, History of Utah. IV:29.
[4] Life of Brigham Young, Appendix, p. 74,
[5] The Heart of Mormonism. pp. 411. 412.
Orson Pratt—A Biographical Study
T. Edgar Lyon
XII. CHURCH HISTORIAN AND SCRIPTORIAN
When Orson Pratt accepted the restored gospel in 1830 he commenced a study of the scriptures, both ancient and modern, that was to continue throughout his life. Most of his preaching was based on scriptures and his many tracts and pamphlets were almost entirely scriptural in nature. Along with this scriptural study he appears to have developed a very pleasing pulpit technique by which he was able to sway audiences with his pleasing personality, sincerity and eloquence. During the winter of 1834-1835 while he was preaching his way from Missouri to Kirtland, Ohio, he stopped in Brookville, Iowa. The following review of his missionary activities that appeared in the Brookville Inquirer is interesting as a reaction to his speaking ability:
"On last Saturday evening, for the first time, in this place, a gentleman, and a minister belonging to this sect (the Latter-day Saints or Mormons) preached in the courthouse, to a very respectable audience.
"By request, he tarried over Sabbath, and at 2 o'clock again opened public worship by an able address to the Throne of the Most High. He spoke for about an hour and a half to a large audience, during which time he explained many important passages of the prophecies contained in the Old and New Testaments, and applied them according to their literal meaning. . . .
"After he had closed his discourse, on Sabbath afternoon, he remarked that if 'no one had anything to say, the meeting would be considered closed. Rev. Daniel St. John, a clergyman of the universal order, ascended the pulpit and in his usual eloquent strain held forth for considerable time, taking exceptions to some of the positions of the preceding speaker. . . . An interesting debate of about three hours ensued in which each had four hearings, and at the request of the audience, a division was called for on the merits of the argument, and carried in favor of the Latter-day Saint by an overwhelming vote. . . .
"If a man may be called eloquent who transfers his own views and feeling into the breasts of others — if a knowledge of the subject, and to speak without fear—are a part of the more elevated rules of eloquence, we have no hesitancy in saying ORSON PRATT was eloquent.”[1]
It was this eloquence, coupled with his great scriptural knowledge that made him one of the outstanding speakers in the Church during its first half century. Often he was called upon to be the official spokesman for the Church at great public gatherings, both political and religious. In 1870 Rev. John P. Newman, chaplain of the United States Senate and also pastor of the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington D. C, came to Salt Lake thinking he would embarrass Brigham Young by having a public debate with him on the biblical authority for plural marriage. Orson Pratt was assigned to this task and not only made an extremely able exposition of the scriptures in question, but also manifested a knowledge of the Hebrew language he had learned at Kirtland thirty-five years earlier, as well as some Greek and Latin. At the conclusion of this famous three-day debate, the members of the Church were convinced that their eloquent apostle had won an overwhelming victory.
At the General Conference of the Church in the spring of 1874 Elder Pratt was sustained as General Church Recorder and Historian, a position which he held until his death more than seven years later. Up to this time the many historical records of the Church had not been integrated into a uniform type and the newly appointed Church Historian undertook to bring some order out of the chaotic condition that then existed. During the period that he held this office "He superintended the compilation of over thirty-thousand foolscap pages of documentary history of the Church.”[2] This work has proved to be of great value for the study of the growth and development of the latter-day Church.
One of the greatest and most lasting contributions that Orson Pratt made to the Church was the result of his devotion to the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. During the pioneering period of the Church the various editions of the Doctrine and Covenants had followed the pattern, in form and content, of the Nauvoo edition of 1844. There were vital revelations and teachings of the Prophet Joseph that had never been incorporated in this volume of latter-day revelations and Brother Pratt felt that they should be preserved as part of our scriptural heritage. Coupling it with his work as Recorder and Historian for the Church, he searched out from among the records and documents at his disposal a number of important items and with the approval of the General Authorities of the Church, expanded the Doctrine and Covenants from 111 sections to its present 136. This edition was issued in Salt Lake City in 1876, and it also contained another innovation. Originally the various sections of this book had been printed in long paragraphs, so that it was extremely difficult to refer to a text and find it quickly or to be definite just which part of a paragraph was intended to be quoted. Orson's interest in scripture led him to make a system of short verses that could be numbered and thus facilitate the use of these sacred-writings.
The new arrangement of these scriptures having soon proved popular, Pratt then undertook a similar re-arrangement of the Book of Mormon. This Nephite record had been printed in many editions but had followed an old system of very long chapters with numbered paragraphs that were also quite lengthy. Having completed a new division into shorter chapters and verses, he started for England in December of 1878 to have stereotype plates made and new editions of the Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon printed with these changes. In addition to this textual revision, he sought out thousands of cross references and notes that became incorporated in the new editions of these two books as footnotes. This colossal work he did, as well as proof-reading the new revisions of these scriptures, in less than eight months. During this same period in England he revised and published his speculative scientific work, Key to the Universe. To accomplish all these things in such a short time, he was forced to work eighteen and twenty hours a day. While engaged in this strenuous work he first became aware that his normal, abundant physical vitality was being undermined by diabetes.
He returned from this last assignment in September, 1879 and resumed his duties as Church Historian. In 18 80 he prepared for publication the souvenir memorial that was issued in this "Jubilee Year" commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the Church. He was also honored at this time as one of the fifteen living pioneers that had composed the original company to enter the valley. These exertions were taxing his reserve energy to the utmost and he soon collapsed under the strain. During the last year of his life he was confined to his home most of the time, only being able to make brief visits to his office or to deliver an occasional address. Realizing that his end was near, he dictated this epitaph for his tombstone: "My body sleeps but a moment; but my testimony lives and shall endure forever." He passed away on October 3, 1881, in his seventy-first year, at his home on the corner of 3rd North and 3rd West Streets, Salt Lake City, Utah. He was survived by sixteen sons and sixteen daughters out of the forty-five that had been born to him, and by forty-three grandchildren.
Between December, 1830 when he went on his first mission and September, 1879, when he returned from his last official mission for the Church, Orson Pratt had spent a total of nineteen years engaged in missionary work for the advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth. During this time he had undertaken twenty-one distinct missions. To fulfill these assignments he had crossed the Atlantic Ocean sixteen times and preached the gospel in England, Scotland, Austria, Canada, California, Panama and most of the northern states of the Union.
Elder Pratt had been one of the great pillars of the Restoration, having been the first prolific pamphleteer that the Church produced. He was the first elder to preach the restored gospel in Canada, Scotland and Austria. He was the first member of the pioneer group to view Salt Lake Valley and the first Latter-day Saint to publish books in the field of astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and celestial dynamics. Wilford "Woodruff said of him that he had:
". . . traveled more miles, preached more sermons, studied and written more upon the gospel and upon science than any other man in the Church."[3]
Tullidge refers to him appropriately as "The Paul of Mormonism."[4]
A more recent evaluation of him is given by John Henry Evans:
"In the first century of 'Mormonism' there is no leader of the intellectual stature of Orson Pratt. This is not to set up a yard-stick against which to measure men. It is merely an effort to point out a difference, which helps to assess the individual members of that very remarkable group of persons whom the new Faith attracted to itself during the first fifty years of its existence.
"When everything is said and done, it will be found that Orson Pratt traveled more miles on land and sea delivering the Word; that he brought more people into the Fold through his spoken and written message; that, with the exception of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, he was in the vanguard of more understakings; and that he was more prolific in his written defense of the Faith—than any other man that can be mentioned. We are speaking now of one man in whom all these activities are combined.
"Orson Pratt was a leader, a pioneer, a preacher, a writer; and there were other leaders, pioneers, preachers, and authors. But Orson Pratt was also a philosopher and thinker, and in this respect he stood alone among his brethren during the first one hundred years of the Faith.”[5]
[1] Reprinted in Latter-day Saints Messenger and Advocate, 1:77.
[2] Contributor XII:422.
[3] Whitney, History of Utah. IV:29.
[4] Life of Brigham Young, Appendix, p. 74,
[5] The Heart of Mormonism. pp. 411. 412.