Could anybody tell me that I did not know, as a boy in old Brother Doremus's school, that I got a solid shock of electricity? Not a bit of it. I know that I received the electric shock; there is no doubt of it in my mind. Likewise, I know that the gift of tongues is in this church. Why? Because when I was ruined financially, working till midnight, every night, struggling to maintain my honor and my credit, when I came home one morning—between 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning—my wife, whose body now lies in the tomb, was sitting up waiting for me, and I chided her for it; she turned and by the gift of tongues, and having the interpretation thereof herself, she gave me a wonderful and marvelous blessing, every word of which has been fulfilled. I knew well that she was giving me a blessing, as I sat there and wept like a child, while she was addressing me, without understanding a single word that she said, I know that God testified to me that she was giving me a blessing just as well as I know that I received the electric shock.
When I was a boy, playing upon the floor in a Relief society meeting,—my mother being the president of a Relief society, (I grew up in the Relief society, and I have often said I am entitled to be a member, a charter member almost)—in that meeting I heard Grandma Whitney sing some of the most beautiful songs I have ever listened to, and they were all sung in an unknown tongue. After she finished Sister Eliza R. Snow (who wrote the famous "Mormon" hymn, "O My Father," which refers to our heavenly mother) gave a blessing to each of those present. I heard President Smith say that he attended a concert given by our Tabernacle choir at the World's fair, in Chicago; and one of the songs, "O My Father," was sung by Robert C. Easton. When it came to the part, "Truth is reason, truth eternal, Tells me I've a mother there," a man sitting by, said, "I have believed that all my life, but I daren't say so." Well, we dare say it and have said it all over the world. The sister who, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, wrote that hymn, gave to each one of the good sisters in that Relief society meeting a blessing. Zina D. Young gave the interpretation. After this blessing had been given to each of the good sisters, Sister Snow turned to the child on the floor and gave him a blessing, and Aunt Zina interpreted it, and the blessing was a prediction that I should live to occupy the position that I am occupying here today as one of the leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am the recipient of a blessing predicted by the gift of tongues and fulfilled twenty years afterward. I could go on and relate incident after incident of a like character.
In the letter of this man that I referred to, there were some things that reminded me very much of the conversion of Karl G. Maeser. What led the former to more thoroughly investigate the gospel, after leaving Utah, was the reading of an attack on the Latter-day Saints, which threatened to destroy the whole structure; and he was disappointed with the attack, and so went on with his investigation. When I was a youngster—I am getting away from the Maeser incident, but I will return—when I was a youngster I read the book entitled Nelson on Infidelity. Mr. Nelson said that he was ready and willing to loan any young man any number of volumes in favor of the infidel idea, if the young man would only read the other side; and further he said in substance: "The reason I am ready and willing to loan any number of books on the infidel side, is that if the young man will read the answer he will discover that his champion is lying; and every time a man discovers that his leader is lying, it weakens his faith in him even when he tells the truth. During my three years' presidency of the European mission, I never found any of the ministers over there who did not warn all their flock against the literature and the teachings of the Latter-day Saints; yet I never warned our missionaries, some of whom had never spoken in public before, against the literature of any religion. In all the world, for eighty years, the ministers of Christendom have never converted even one poor, down-trodden, ignorant "Mormon" missionary; but we have captured ministers; we have captured their divines and their leading men; and Wilford Woodruff captured all their churches in one community and baptized sixteen hundred people, including most of their ministers, and all in eight months."
Now, coming back to Karl G. Maeser, who was a professor in a German university. He had that discriminating, analytical German mind which searches down to the bottom of things. He read in an illustrated magazine that the "Mormons" were barbarians, an adulterous, wicked lot of people; that a man opposed to them, took his life in his hands, when he walked the streets of Salt Lake. That reminds me of something else (I will have to leave Maeser for a moment). There was a gentleman who went to Washington from Utah and tried to get the seat in Congress belonging to George Q. Cannon. He told all such stories, and when he had finished all that Brother Cannon said was: "He is still alive. If what that man has said were true, we would have buried him long ago." When Ben Butler visited Salt Lake City, the anti-"Mormons" gave him a dinner (five dollars a plate) and told him that the "Mormons" ought to be disfranchised; and that all those who opposed them were taking their lives in their hands. Ben replied in substance: "I believe what you have said. I have a remedy. The United States is broad. Leave this d—d country and don't take any chances, gentlemen, of getting killed."
Karl G. Maeser read a vicious attack upon the "Mormons"—about the "Danites" and the "Destroying Angels," and so on, and so forth. Then he found in the same article that the "Mormons" were industrious, that they were frugal, that there was not a poor-house in all the territory of Utah, that the fifteen per cent of Gentile population, among them then furnished eighty-five per cent of the criminals, according to United States statistics, compiled by the Gentiles themselves. He found that there was not one saloon in the entire territory of Utah, and that the only place where whiskey was sold was in Salt Lake City; and, to the disgrace of the city government, they were selling it. That is what he found on the temperance question. He found that there was not a single house of ill fame in the whole of Utah. He found that the people went to bed at night with their front and back doors open. After reading all this he said to himself: "The man who wrote this illustrated article for the magazine is a liar. The fruits of honesty, industry sobriety, and brotherly love do not grow among immoral and wicked people," so he sent for some tracts, investigated the gospel and embraced it. On the night of his baptism, which occurred at midnight, he looked up to heaven and said, in substance: "O, God, if what I have done tonight meets with your approval, and you will give to me the witness of the Spirit that this gospel, that I believe, is in very deed the truth, that I may know it, I pledge my life, if need be, to its promulgation and its advancement."
From Canada on the north to Mexico on the south there are thousands, yes, tens of thousands, who can bear witness that this pledge, made at Dresden, Germany, at midnight, was fulfilled by one of the most devoted, unselfish, and self-sacrificing mortals who ever embraced the gospel of Christ. For if any man ever gave his life, his heart, and his soul for the advancement of this cause, Karl G. Maeser did so. God heard and answered that prayer. Walking from the river in which he was baptized, Karl G. Maeser was conversing upon the principles of the gospel with the late Apostle Franklin D. Richards, and Brother William Budge was acting as interpreter. Brother Richards talking in English and Brother Maeser in German. They began their walk of several miles to return home. After walking a short distance Brother Maeser announced to Brother Budge that he need not interpret the answers, that he understood them. Immediately thereafter, Brother Franklin said, "You need not interpret those questions; I understand them." They walked for miles, Franklin D. Richards answering questions in English, Karl G. Maeser asking them in German, neither knowing the other's language, yet by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, both understanding each other. Do you tell me that I don't know that we have the gift of tongues in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? As well tell me that I do not know that I am standing here before you today. I have this testimony from the lips of a man, than whom no more honest, no more upright, no truer man ever drew the breath of life. When these two men reached the bridge that spans the river Elbe, on their way into the city of Dresden, they were separated, and when they reached the other side of the bridge Brother Maeser again began asking questions, but Brother Richards could not then understand him, nor could Brother Maeser understand anything further that was said in reply; and they were obliged to revert to Brother Budge's interpretation. Then Brother Maeser turned to Brother Richards and said, "What does this mean, we could understand each other for miles, and now we can't understand?" "Brother Maeser," said Apostle Richards, "the Lord has given to you a portion of the fruit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as restored in our day. For some wise reason he has allowed you to enjoy one of the manifestations of the Spirit accompanying the true gospel of Christ." Brother Maeser told me, with tears rolling down his cheeks, although it had been nearly 50 years since he had that manifestation, that he realized that God had heard and answered his prayers. At the close of the incident I have related, Brother Maeser looked up again into heaven, and he said: "O God, my Father in heaven, I will fulfil my promise to give my life to this cause"; and he did it. He became the grand old man, educationally, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—a man without a thought of personal aggrandizement, without a thought of seeking honor for himself, personally, but with only a desire to save souls, to build up the kingdom of God, and to promulgate this gospel at home and abroad.
I rejoice in the fact that in every land and in every clime, wherever this gospel message has penetrated, the fruits of the gospel have been enjoyed—the healing of the sick, speaking in tongues, the interpretation of tongues, every gift and grace, and every power that was ever enjoyed by the former-day Saints, are enjoyed by the Latter-day Saints. I rejoice in knowing that I myself stand here today a living witness to the healing power of Almighty God, that is in the Church of Christ. Given up by eight doctors to die, yet under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, the man who is now the prophet of God, on the earth, said as he blessed me that I should live, and I do live, notwithstanding the doctors said that blood poisoning in the third and last stage had set in, in my case. My family physician told me to send for my reporter, and tell my last little story, because I was doomed to die. Did I send for the reporter? No. Perfect faith gave me to know I should live. Although my doctor told me I should die, Sister Grant and I knew to the contrary. She received a visit from my wife, whose body lies in the tomb, the same wife who enjoyed the gift of tongues and its interpretation. After her death, she came to my home, before I was operated upon, and told my wife no matter how seriously ill I was, I should not die, that I should live, because my mission was not yet ended; that I should yet lift up my voice in many lands, and many climes, proclaiming the restitution of the gospel to the earth. So, when the doctors said I must die, Sister Grant and I had no dear, because we knew better. I asked how long I could live; the doctors said, "not over three days." At the end of three days, I was better, and they could not understand it. So they had the poisonous pus from my body analysed again; and lo and behold, according to their verdict, I ought to have been dead two days; but I was getting better. I was promised by the gift of tongues, that I should lift up my voice in many lands and many climes, proclaiming this gospel. At the time of this operation, I was promised by the visitation of my deceased wife that I should not die, that my mission was not ended. Since then I have been in Japan; I have been in Canada; I have been in Mexico; I have preached from Portland, Me., to Portland, Or.; from Canada on the north to Mexico on the south. I have been over the British Isles, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales—in Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium, proclaiming that God lives; and yet, according to the doctors, I ought to have been dead. I have thus seen fulfilled the promise made by that visitation of my wife, that I should live and proclaim this gospel. I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is his prophet, and that "Mormonism," so called by the world, is indeed the gospel of life and salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ, again restored to the earth. God help us, who have this testimony, to live in conformity with its doctrines, is my prayer, in the name of our Lord and Master. Amen.
[A Busy Life]
[CHAPTER I.]
ANSON CALL'S BIRTH AND CHARACTER—INVESTIGATED "MORMONISM" TO DISPROVE IT, AND BECAME CONVERTED—IMPEDIMENT IN HIS SPEECH CURED WHEN ADMINISTERED TO—AN ANTI-"MORMON" MISSOURIAN—BUY FARMS IN CALDWELL COUNTY—THE PROPHET VISITS MISSOURI—ADVISES ABANDONMENT OF HOMES—MOB TRIES TO PREVENT THEIR REMOVAL—FLEE BY NIGHT—ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN AND FAR WEST BESIEGED.