On the Trails of the Old Kaibab

By Elsie C. Carroll

Previous chapter

Chapter 11

Steve was pacing the floor of the lobby when Helen reached the Lodge. His surprise at seeing her was reassuring, for she wondered if he could have recognized her when he rushed past.

“Steve,” she said, trying to keep her excitement under control, “I have something very important to talk over with you. Are you well enough to ride? I have Maje and perhaps we can get another horse here.”

He was eager to get away.

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From London Outlook, January 21, 1921:

The periodical revival of the ‘Mormon scare’ in the London newspapers brings down upon the credulous Englishman the amused scorn of our American friends. ‘Girl Victim of the Mormons: Lured to Worse than Death in Utah: Mother’s Agony,’ are the headlines in a journal lying before me.

This is all utter and complete poppycock.

I was in Salt Lake City myself two years ago, and while I sympathize with any English girls who are induced to go there, it is for other reasons than those adduced by the anti-Mormon fanatics. …

The present-day Mormons are not objectionable because they are wicked, but because they are too good. There is probably no such religious city in the Western world as Salt Lake City; the most harmless and innocent amusements are frowned upon. It has recently, I am told, become illegal even to smoke a cigarette in Utah!

If English girls have become converts and gone to Utah and their relatives have not heard from them, I hazard the guess that the victims have died – of boredom.

Questions answered in the Juvenile Instructor by, or under the direction of, George Q. Cannon –

Where feelings arise between officers or members of a Sunday School should the parties absent themselves from the school until matters are made right, no matter how long it takes?

When members of the Church have difficulties one with another the duty of each is to seek reconciliation at the earliest possible moment. This is the law of God. If the angry feelings are bitter, those harboring them should certainly not partake of the Sacrament either at Sunday School or at meeting, but it is their manifest duty to themselves, to their brethren and to the Church to seek to overcome these feelings by prayer and strong endeavor, and to adopt those means to bring about a reconciliation advised by the discipline of the Church and the revelations of God.

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Please note that the Arrington Lecture scheduled for September 15, 2011, at 7:00 p.m., and featuring Dr. Richard V. Francaviglia, has been forced to change its location (the fire marshal won’t allow further gatherings in the originally scheduled venue until construction is finished).

NEW LOCATION:

LDS Institute Cultural Center
600 Darwin Avenue, Logan

Free parking tokens for use of the Aggie Terrace Parking Garage will be provided.

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All other details contained in the announcement of this highlight of the Mormon studies year remain unchanged.

Around These Emblems Bowed

By Bertha A. Kleinman

Around these holy emblems bowed,
We come, our Savior, close to Thee,
Where once was pillar and the cloud
Appears Thy sacrifice for me.

Draw Thou my wand’ring thoughts within,
From hurried cares and strife and sin,
Myself subdued — ’tis thus I win,
The price Thou gav’st on Calvary.

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W. Paul Reeve is a Keepa reader, associate professor of history at the University of Utah, and a good friend. His contribution to Mormon Scholars Testify has just been posted on their site, and he as agreed to allow it to be posted here as well.

I am a Believer, but I don’t “Just Believe”

I am a believer, but contrary to the Tony award winning Book of Mormon musical, I don’t “just believe.” My convictions derive from a more complex blend of study and faith than the musical suggests when the fictional Elder Price sings, “I am a Mormon and a Mormon just believes.” In addition to being a Mormon, I am also an historian who teaches and researches Utah history, Mormon history, and the history of the U. S. West. I am a believer, in part, because of my profession, not in spite of it.

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As we wait for — or get our first look at — Daughters in My Kingdom, see what our sisters/grandmothers saw as the breadth and possibility of Relief Society a hundred years ago —

The Scope of the Relief Society.

The Power of Organized Womanhood.

Who can measure the heights of love, the breadth of charity, or sound the depths of knowledge? He only who created the universe. And He alone may compute the majesty and the power of the Society which was established in Nauvoo, March 17, 1842. The scope of our work, the possibilities of our development, are bounded only by woman’s capacities and woman’s eventualities. The Relief society is as broad as eternity, as far-reaching as love. Any woman of excellent character may achieve membership in the society. While all that is true, all that is beautiful, all hope, faith and mercy are enclosed within its boundaries.

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On the Trails of the Old Kaibab

By Elsie C. Carroll

Previous chapter

Chapter 10

The next morning, without seeing Steve, but being again reassured by Fred that he was going to be all right, Helen returned to the Park.

She learned from Wood Russell that Uncle Billy had come to the hotel before going to the ranch and had taken Hawley and several others with him to investigate some clue Lon Dean thought he had regarding the stolen cattle.

Helen had been surprised to learn that Hawley was a deputy sheriff.

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The Mexican Revolution drove many hundreds of Mormon colonists from settlements in northern Mexico to refuge in border towns like El Paso. This El Paso newspaper article from August, 1912, describes the wealth the Mormons created and left behind in Mexico, and welcomes them as “the guests of this community, and the people of El Paso are glad to be able to contribute even a little toward immediate succor in their time of sudden deprivation and temporary distress.”

And speaking of El Paso, scholars of the history of Mormonism in Latin America and the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands should consider the conference to be held in El Paso next July, and its Call for Papers. Juvenile Instructor blogger Jared T. is the primary force behind the organization of that conference, of which Keepa will be reminding you occasionally throughout the next year.

With the fragrant memory of many a perfect day among the pines in the Sierra Madre; of many a pipe which was only half enjoyed because our Mormon friends were abstainers; of many a talk around the fire in camp or in the homes of the people; of many a pleasant meeting with old friends in new surroundings; and of many a hearty and satisfying repast of hot corn bread, juicy rutabaga turnips, greatly mealy baked potatoes, sweet home cured pork, cold buttermilk, real butter, and black sorghum syrup, that the writer of this has enjoyed among conditions of a hospitality that is not surpassed anywhere under God’s blue sky, it is a pleasure right now to testify from personal knowledge to some of the many virtues of the Mormon colonists in Northern Mexico, many of whom are the guests of El Paso pending the settling of the Mexican family quarrel.

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The lesson in the current manual is a collection of disparate topics – marriage, the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, and resurrection – brought under the umbrella idea of the purpose statement: “To help class members recognize the importance of living according to the doctrines of the gospel and receiving priesthood ordinances.” These ideas are too varied to expect to find a lesson from our past that gathered them together. Instead, as supplemental material, here is a lesson from Obert C. Tanner’s 1935 seminary text, The New Testament Speaks, providing the background to Paul’s writing of his epistles to the Corinthians, the source of most of the scripture quoted in the current manual.

PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS

The First Letter to the Corinthians. (I Cor. 13, 15.)

Nowhere else in all Christian literature are we brought face to face with the problems of an early Christian community, as in Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthians. It is as some one has said, “as if Paul had taken the roof off the early Christian churches and allowed us to look within.” Perhaps nowhere were the problems of an early Christian church so many or so intense as in Corinth. For Corinth was a cosmopolitan city. (more…)

For background, see here
previous episode
next episode (to be added when posted)

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(more…)

The 56th Annual Utah State History Conference

September 9 – 11th, 2011

Fort Douglas
32 Potter Street
Salt Lake City

Free
Open to the Public

Full conference program, room assignments, directions/map, and other useful information can be found on the Historical Society’s website

(more…)

Corny stuff from the old church magazines –

Every Ward Knows It

“Pa, what is the longest word in the language?” asked Clarence.

“It is the word a public speaker uses when he says, ‘Just one word more and I will close,’” replied Pa.

A Dangerous Practice

Harriet – “Some terrible things can be caught from kissing.”

Frances – “Yes; you ought to see the poor worm my sister caught!”

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On the Trails of the Old Kaibab

By Elsie C. Carroll

Previous chapter

Chapter 9

Helen had a sense of deflation. All the exhilaration of a half hour ago had been killed by the inexplicable inference in Tess’s look. She still sat on Maje, undecided what to do. She saw Steve walk around to the pens, and knew he had gone to get ready for his “bronco-busting” exhibition. She shuddered. She didn’t want to see it. She wanted to get away – and to cry over something she couldn’t explain.

Turning Maje to the south she rode, unobserved, to the edge of the forest. Not caring where she went, she gave the horse the reins.

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Carolyn Wright Snow (1917-1946) was 12 years old when she gave this talk in the Detroit Branch, Michigan.

I live in Royal Oak, one of the city suburbs in what is known as Greater Detroit. When my parents moved to Royal Oak ten years ago, Mormonism was, in that locality, little known and less approved. In fact, some members of our family were told that the people did not desire our religion brought into the community and especially the schools.

The family of my present teacher of history became interested in our Relief Society and other church functions, and when our history text required a report on Mormonism, my teacher said to the class, “Carol Snow is a little Mormon and can therefore, perhaps, give us the most correct report on the subject in hand. Carol, how much time do you wish?”

I replied, “I think I can cover the subject in an hour.”

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While I haven’t seen any announcement anywhere, and can’t find this item mentioned on lds.org or in the catalog for purchase, the new lesson manual Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith is printed and publicly available at the Church History Library, presumably prepared for use in next year’s Priesthood and Relief Society curriculum.

George Albert Smith (1870-1951) was president of the Church from 1945 to 1951. In his 81 years (he died on his birthday, April 4), he filled a mission to the Southern States (1892-94); was president of the European Mission (1919-21); was called as an apostle (1903); and was sustained as president of the Church in 1945. I think it is interesting that he served in Europe during its recovery from World War I, and directed the Church’s efforts to help the world, primarily Europe, recover from World War II.

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‘Tis Well with Him

By “Mormona”

“‘Tis well with him.” Our lips can say the words,
The while our hearts are aching for our loss;
Ah, well we know that it is well with him,
But still his going seems a heavy cross.

“Thy will be done,” we force ourselves to say,
And try to mean the sacred, humble plea,
But echoes hollow ring along the way
That once was gay and dear – of memory.

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Latter-day Saints in the post-war world –

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East London Branch,
South African Mission
The Primary children made these nets for catching butterflies

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On the Trails of the Old Kaibab

By Elsie C. Carroll

Previous chapter

Chapter 8

As the day of the rodeo drew near, more and more contestants gathered on the Buckskin mountain. Tents sprang up along the tree-bordered foothills of Pleasant Valley. Russell ordered extra supplies. Eating stands were erected at various points near the roping corrals. Additional waitresses and hotel lackeys were hired.

Then spectators began to arrive. Families from towns in northern Arizona and southern Utah had come to make the annual rodeo the occasion for their yearly outings. They came prepared to stay for several days or weeks. Rangers and road workers drifted in from various points of the mountain. Sporting fans from near and far gathered. There were lively betting and speculations.

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Although many of the letters to be posted in this series will no doubt be the odder ones sent to Brigham Young, those constitute only a small portion of his incoming correspondence. Many others, like the one presented below, come from faithful Latter-day Saints who simply wanted to make a connection with their president – and how fortunate we are that some of those connections were made on paper and not only on street corners or in the parlors of the Beehive House!

Early in 1871, Brigham Young gave a talk that touched upon the compatibility of divine revelation and the scientific discoveries of man:

Those principles which the Lord has revealed are the only correct principles that man possesses on the earth. We may imagine to ourselves that we possess a great deal of human wisdom independent of the Lord, but this is a mistake, for every truth that is in the possession of the children of men upon the earth came from God. The sciences understood by man came from God, and when we demonstrate a truth, we demonstrate a portion of the faith, law, or power by which all intelligent beings exist, whether in heaven or on earth, consequently when we have truth in our possession we have so much of the knowledge of God. I delight in this, because truth is calculated to sustain itself; it is based upon eternal facts and will endure, while all else will sooner or later perish. …

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The Freckle-Faced Kid

By Grace Ingles Frost

He was called by his schoolmates “The Freckle-Faced Kid,”
Undowered by nature or wealth,
So the boy dwelt apart,
With a sting at his heart,
And plodded along by himself.

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Late last week LDS Newsroom announced that the promised Relief Society history, Daughters in My Kingdom, was ready for distribution and would be mailed to English-speaking Church units this week, with work proceeding to translate the book into some 25 other languages. As the book is distributed in the next few weeks there will undoubtedly be much Bloggernacle discussion.

This is my first attempt at – what? Not a review, or even a preview, because I haven’t seen the book and know no more about it than what has been publicly reported. Let’s call it an exercise in forecasting what’s coming, and an exercise in revising expectations that, before Friday, I hadn’t even realized I had formed. When the book is in hand and can be given a legitimate review, I will be overjoyed to correct anything I prematurely and wrongly assess here.

As I wrote to a friend over the weekend, my reaction upon reading the press release was that I “was so disappointed that I curled up in my rocking chair and cried until I couldn’t cry any more.”

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On the Trails of the Old Kaibab

By Elsie C. Carroll

Previous chapter

Chapter 7

Steve came in from his ranch to a meeting of the rodeo committee. Helen saw him as he was preparing to go back and was shocked at his appearance. He was thin and haggard, his eyes dark and brooding.

“As I expected,” he told her, “the calves were gone when I had got to the ranch that day we’d seen Lon. You see, because of previous experiences, I always keep a special watch over my unbranded calves. That day, I left Lon on guard. But when some of my other men came in from riding they found both the calves and Lon missing. As usual the search for clues has been useless.”

“You went to Lon when I sent that word about his being at Mrs. Morley’s? Couldn’t he tell you what had happened?”

(more…)

In May, 1884, B.H. Roberts, president of the Southern States Mission, boarded the train in Jackson, Mississippi headed north to Water Valley on his way to hold a conference of the missionaries in that part of the state. He had sent word ahead that he was coming, and expected an elder to meet him upon his arrival in Water Valley, despite his train’s arrival in the middle of the night. He saw no missionaries on the platform, though, when his train pulled in, so he hefted his valise, stepped out of the car, and headed toward a large hotel not far from the railroad track.

A few steps from the track he stepped into a sticky puddle. “Hello, what does this mean?” he asked a nearby railroad employee carrying a lamp. “Oh,” he said, laughing, “that’s where No. 2 leaked” [referring to the last engine to pass]. Roberts cautioned the other passengers about the mess on the platform, then continued on to the hotel.

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Lesson 31: “And So Were the Churches Established in the Faith”

Acts 15:36 – 18
1 and II Thessalonians
1 Corinthians 2

Purpose: To help class members learn from Paul’s teachings about how to share the gospel and how to live as Saints.

Preparation: Secure a map of Greece to display, and learn the location of the cities mentioned in the lesson.

LESSON DEVELOPMENT

1. Paul, Silas, and Timothy preach throughout Macedonia and Greece
2. Paul preaches on Mars’ Hill to the Athenian philosophers
3. Paul writes letters of counsel to the Saints in Thessalonica

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As with so many lessons in the current manual, this lesson cannot settle on a topic. It has the stated purpose “To inspire class members to seek the blessings that come from being unified in Christ, following the Spirit, and being morally clean,” generally unrelated ideas based on scattered verses from the first chapters of 1 Corinthians. Because I teach a class largely composed of members in their 70s and 80s and even 90s, and because we have so very many lessons on chastity (including one in Priesthood/Relief Society only a month ago), I’m dropping that element and going straight to the first one “being unified in Christ,” which of course requires following the Spirit. The lesson below from Lowell C. Bennion, Teachings of the New Testament (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1956) draws on 1 Corinthians and other sources for a much broader discussion of church unity to reinforce this focus of the current manual.

UNITY IN THE CHURCH

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. (Rom. 12:18)

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For background, see here
previous episode
next episode (to be added when posted)

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(more…)

Now We Know

Friend: “Doctor, how do you manage to stand the high cost of living?”

Surgeon: “By cutting out something.”

Oh, Mary, How Could You?

Can you drive with one hand?”

“You bet I can.”

“Then have an apple.”

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On the Trails of the Old Kaibab

By Elsie C. Carroll

Previous chapter

Chapter 6

Helen telephoned to the Lodge at Bright Angel, requesting that Dr. Grosbeck go immediately to Tess Morley’s place to attend to an injured man. She was glad she had not needed to talk to Fred.

As she stood looking at a large map in the dining room endeavoring to get her directions clear for her trip to House Rock Valley, Wood Russell came to her with two letters.

“These came on the bus two hours ago, but we couldn’t find you. Both are marked Important. I hope the delay isn’t serious. And by the way, Dr. Grosbeck was over and asked to have you call him on the phone this evening.”

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Harrison R. Merrill (1884-1938) taught English and journalism at BYU from 1923 until his death in 1938. In 1931 he laid before the world his ideas on men’s fashion, calling for the kind of dress reform that had long been an issue with women’s fashion.

He first touched on the kinds of feathers and furs and shells with which nature blessed the animals, and noted the practicality with which nature adapted those coverings according to the season, such that “automatically it is touched off by the snows of winter or the heat of spring, and, presto! Mr. Rooster or Mr. Beaver has a brand new suit of summer B.V.D.’s or a gorgeous winter turnout of glistening fur.”

Man, on the other hand, “has been given a spark of divinity that makes all such mechanistic things unnecessary. He can wear summer suits in the winter, if he wants to, and he can wear sixteen ounce broadcloth on the Fourth of July if he likes.” Man, however – as in the male of the species; Merrill acknowledges that women do much better on this score – fails to take advantage of the freedom with which he has been blessed, especially when it comes to observing changes in the weather.

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Land-Bound Gulls

By Eleanor Nadeau Fowler

I long had felt that God could not have planned
That spirits such as mine should thus adhere
To simple things. I pommeled restively
The shuttered doors that made my vista drear
And begged release. And then I caught the flash
Of wings as seagulls swerved above a plow.
Their feathers white against the moist dark soil,
They searched for worms and seemed content, somehow –
Though they were destined for exotic shores,
To fling their startled cries against the chill,
High masts of ships, to glide in alien winds –
And watching them, my heart grew strangely still.

(1940)