Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow / One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

by Eliza R. Snow

As knowledge and efficiency are obtained gradually, we may expect that the experience we are getting now, in learning how to build up cities in our present condition—conforming as near as possible to the holy order of God, is designed to prepare us to return to Missouri, from whence we were driven, and there build up cities and temples to the name of the Most High, upon which His glory will descend. A condition of willingness to conform our will to the Divine will is what we need.

It might not be deemed policy to enter into covenants by deed, in our property matters, at present, though it may be hereafter. So long as the emotions of our souls prompt us to exclaim, in the language of Joshua, that "I and my household will serve the Lord"—so long as this willingness dwells in our hearts, to give ourselves up entirely to the service of God, we are in the proper condition to ask the Father to hasten the day when His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. And further, when the proper time comes to require the use of our property in the interests of the great work we are engaged in, the bare mention of it will be sufficient.

But, we ask, should not the Bishop who operates in our temporal matters be a very wise and good man? Certainly he should, and a man of honor and integrity, full of the Holy Ghost, loving his neighbor as himself, and loving the Lord our God with all his might, mind and strength. On this, we are told, "hang all the law and the prophets." Blessed is he in whom these two principles are developed, for such an one is without condemnation; he stands the peer of him referred to in the Scriptures, by the Savior, as one "without guile." The people will soon learn to confide in such a man, as he can establish unmistakable proof before God and before his brethren that he obeys these commandments in which are included all that the Prophets ever lived for.

We will suppose further, that such an individual as I have described, who really had obeyed these commandments, was placed to preside over a city of a thousand people, all of whom were also living in the advanced condition referred to; he must bear in mind his important position, high responsibilities and who appointed him to this position—he or they in whom God had vested the authority. Why is such a man called to act as president over a people? Is it in order to acquire an influence and then to use that influence directly for his own aggrandizement? No; but, on the contrary, he is called to act in such a position on the same principle as the Priesthood was given to the Son of God, that he should make sacrifice. For himself? No; but to become the servant, not the master, of his brethren, and to work for their interest and welfare—not to exercise the influence thus obtained to benefit himself, his family, relatives and personal friends; but esteeming all as his brethren, and as having rights in common with himself, and, therefore, seeking to bless and benefit all equally according to the talents and worthiness they may possess, and thus by so doing develop in himself that fatherly feeling which always exists in the bosom of the Father.

At the present time it is too often the case that the men who are called to act in such positions, instead of thus acting according to their holy calling, use their influence, their Priesthood, the sacred powers conferred upon them, for their own benefit and that of their children and personal friends. This is highly improper; it is wrong and displeasing in the sight of God; and of this sin we are called to repent by putting it away from us, and beginning to live the lives of Latter-day Saints, according the sacred covenants we have entered into.

When you find a man who takes the same interest in those over whom he presides as he does in himself and family, you will naturally begin to have confidence in that individual. But as soon as you find that his feelings by day and by night, and the course of his conduct is such as tend directly to benefit himself and his family, you will say: "What interest has he for us? We must look out for ourselves." But where a man works for the community, he becomes truly a father to that people, working for them with the same feeling, desire and interest as he would for himself. It might be said of him, as it should be said of all men, that he loves his brethren, or in other words, "his neighbor as himself." Now let the man who acts as the presiding Elder of his ward manifest by word and action these fatherly feelings towards those he presides over, and how soon we would begin to perceive perfect confidence restored.

Possibly such a man might not possess financiering abilities, and possibly the people might not have confidence in his abilities to manage or direct temporal affairs. This is quite supposable, for good, sound principled men are not always endowed with great financiering capacities. Yet, from the fact of his having established himself in the hearts of the people, and being known by them for his integrity and honesty, and a disposition to work for the interests of God and the people, willing to make any sacrifice that might be required of him, he possesses their confidence, and when once in possession of a trust so sacred, what then might he do in order to satisfy the minds of the people, which are more or less progressive? Let him call to his aid those of his brethren who are the most capable, letting them share in his responsibilities. Because, you will find, as a general thing, that talent is diffused through the many, and rarely combined in single individuals; and it only needs opportunity in order to be developed. He might say to one, "Here, Brother B., you are better adapted to fill this or that position than I am;" and to another, "You are the man best fitted to this department;" and so on until he gets the talents of all brought out, and instead of diminishing the public confidence in himself such a course would add to it. Further, he would be doing for his brethren that which the United Order designs to do for all, namely, to afford opportunity to develop the gifts with which nature has endowed us. Therefore, I say that all these matters can be got along with, provided we have the sure and safe foundation, which must be based on honesty and integrity to God and the true interests of His kingdom and people.

With a people of one heart and mind, possessed of the same feelings and aspirations as we were when we first embraced the Gospel, in connection with our present knowledge and experience in the practical workings of building up the kingdom, how easy it would be to establish our home industries or mercantile institutions, and carry them on successfully. Every one would be on hand, like Israel when in the desert, and journeying to the land of Canaan, they were required to build a movable tabernacle for certain sacred purposes, and the people brought their offerings, etc., even more than were sufficient, and Moses had to cry out to the people to stop. So it could be with us, as far as willingness on the part of the people was concerned to take an active part in any general movement that might be projected. Whatever means or time or property might be devoted by the community for the establishing of any certain enterprise, would be done in good faith, for every heart would be inspired with confidence, every one considering his interest identified with that of the whole.

But it takes time to get the people into this condition. Here, in this southern country, we understand that the people have been endeavoring to work together in the United Order, meeting with more or less disappointment. Because of reverses or failures in our attempts to successfully operate in our temporal affairs, we should not allow such disappointment to detract from the principle itself, but rather let us attribute our misfortunes to human weakness, regarding the principle as divine, revealed for our special benefit and blessing, and in every instance of apparent failure, let us be resolved to "try again."

The principles of plural marriage were revealed for the benefit and exaltation of the children of men; but how much unhappiness has arisen through failure on the part of some who have contracted this order of marriage to conform to the laws that govern it. But does it arise through any defect in the order of the marriage system? O, no; but from ignorance and the folly and wickedness of those individuals who enter into it, who abuse rather than righteously obey it. So in regard to the principles of the United Order. Its principles also are sacred, and I assure you we will never go back to Jackson County, Missouri, there to build up the New Jerusalem of the latter days, until there is a perfect willingness on our part to conform to its rules and principles. Many years have transpired since we received the revelation of the United Order, and in one sense, that long period of time bespeaks negligence on our part in not more fully obeying it. The very principles of that Order, in my estimation, were given for our temporal and spiritual salvation. In order to derive the benefit that God designed should flow from them, they must be established and systematized on the principle of righteousness, each person learning to love his neighbor as himself. For us to undertake to deal with them on any other principle, would virtually open the way to bitter disappointment.