Life of Heber C. Kimball, an apostle

by Orson F. Whitney

"Elder Rigdon, when addressing the brethren upon the importance of building this house, spake to this effect: That we should use every effort to accomplish this building by the time appointed; if we did the Lord would accept it at our hands; and on it depends the salvation of the Church, and also of the world. Looking at the sufferings and poverty of the Church, he frequently went upon the walls of the building, both by night and day, and wept, crying aloud to the Almighty to send means whereby we might accomplish the building.

"After we returned from our journey to the West, the whole Church united in this great undertaking, and every man lent a helping hand. Those who had not teams went to work in the stone quarry and prepared the stones for drawing to the house.

"The Prophet, being our foreman, would put on his tow frock and tow pantaloons and go into the quarry. The Presidency, High Priests and Elders all alike assisting. Those who had teams assisted in drawing the stone to the house. These all laboring one day in the week, brought as many stones to the house as supplied the masons through the whole week. We continued in this manner until the walls of the house were reared. The committee who were appointed by revelation to superintend the building were Hyrum Smith, Reynolds Cahoon and Jared Carter. They used every exertion in their power to forward the work."

During the winter of 1834-5, Heber attended the theological school established in Kirtland. Here originated the lectures on faith, contained in the book of Doctrine and Covenants. It was the custom, at these meetings, to call upon a certain number to speak for the edification of the others. Heber, on one occasion, was invited to address them on the subject of faith. Every passage of scripture bearing on the theme having been quoted by previous speakers, and not wishing to repeat what they had said, he was left to depend entirely upon the Spirit. He began by relating the following anecdote, the incident of which had occurred in his own family:

"My wife, one day, when going out on a visit, gave my daughter Helen Mar charge not to touch the dishes, for if she broke any during her absence she would give her a whipping when she returned. While my wife was absent my daughter broke a number of the dishes by letting the table leaf fall, and then she went out under an apple tree and prayed that her mother's heart might be softened, that when she returned she might not whip her. Her mother was very punctual when she made a promise to her children, to fulfill it, and when she returned she undertook, as a duty, to carry this promise into effect. She retired with her into her room, but found herself powerless to chastise her; her heart was so softened that it was impossible for her to raise her hand against the child. Afterwards, Helen told her mother she had prayed to the Lord that she might not whip her."

Heber paused in his simple narrative. Tears glistened in the eyes of his hearers; the Prophet Joseph was weeping like a child. He told the brethren that that was the kind of faith they needed; the faith of a little child, going in humility to its Parent, and asking for the desire of its heart. He said the anecdote was well-timed.

A grammar school was opened in Kirtland the same winter, taught by Sidney Rigdon and William E. McLellin. Most of the Elders, including the Prophet, attended this school. Some of them were very apt pupils and made rapid headway. Heber's progress, however, was only moderate. Grammar, as a study, afforded him little delight. The mysteries of syntax seemed to elude his mental grasp, as the will-o'-the-wisp the eye and hand of its pursuer. A lover of choice language, and, when loftily inspired, a user of much that was beautiful and sublime; a never-failing fountain of poetic thought and imagery; the technicalities of his mother tongue nevertheless seemed to baffle him. His forte lay elsewhere. He was a philosopher, rather than an orator. Many excelled him in speaking, but few, as thinkers, were his equals. If, in the gift of speech, the power of expression, he fell below many of his confreres, he had thoughts, ideas, inspirations, toward which, as eagles toward the sun, their loftiest oratory soared in vain. His words, though humble, were as sparks of prophecy from the Spirit's flaming forge; his inspired utterances, casual as they sometimes seemed, were like oracles and decrees of fate.

"I used to tell Brother Heber I never wanted him to say anything but good of me," an Apostle once remarked, significantly, in the hearing of the writer.

Some six weeks after the establishment of the grammar school, a meeting of the Camp of Zion was called to assemble, to receive what was termed "a Zion's blessing." At this meeting it was announced by the Prophet that "those who went to Zion with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, it was the will of God that they should be ordained to the ministry and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh—even fifty-six years should wind up the scene."

Foremost of these evangelists, were to be chosen twelve men, to be known as the Twelve Apostles.