CHAPTER 34.
THE REFORMATION, 1856.
Hard Times Were Difficult for Some To Endure.—Recording Church History.—Dedication of Historian's Office.—First Hand-cart Company.—The Reformation Inaugurated.—Death of Jedediah M. Grant.—Suffering of the Hand-cart Companies.—Heber C. Kimball's Dream.
The year 1856 found the people engrossed in the labors incident to pioneer life. They were beginning to appreciate more than ever the wonderful resources of their new Zion. The growing opportunities to accumulate means were absorbing the more progressive classes. The social life of the people, however, was not neglected, and there were picnics and celebrations. The Fourth and the Twenty-fourth were great days. The out door amusements of those times were more enjoyable because of the general surroundings. This year the Fourth was ushered in by the firing of cannon and the ringing of bells. There were processions and orations that pleased and inspired the people. The canyons were near by and they were agreeable resorts in days when there were few groves. These occasions helped the people to forget many of the hardships incident to pioneer life. Some could not easily endure the trials of those days because they had not sufficient faith to penetrate in the least the future. To them all was darkness and hardship. Some were discouraged.
About this time, one of the chief clerks in the Historian's Office became weary of the hardships of those days, was a victim of despair. He entertained doubts of the truth of the work; and though he was treated well by all the brethren, he was nevertheless unhappy and returned to England to take up again the life in which he had been reared. Apostle Woodruff wrote of him thus: "He could not stand the hard times, and did not know whether Mormonism was true or not, so he returned home. He had taken a very honorable course in all his business dealings." The man was respected and spoken well of. He felt that he had made a mistake, but he was honest and honorable. He never sought to shift the burden of his own unhappiness and discontent on to the shoulders of others. He aimed to be fair and wanted to do what was right. The man had not the faith to support him in the trying ordeals of those early years in Utah. It was one circumstance out of many; and like some others who left the Church, he never felt it his duty to bring reproach upon those whose faith he could neither understand nor appreciate. The man was not hindered in the execution of his wishes. He was wished God speed, and his old-time friends would still be friends, even though there might be a great disparity in the matter of faith.
In those days, Elder Woodruff was occupied largely in the historian's office reading Church history to President Young. From the beginning of the Church in Utah, President Young had felt the importance of keeping an accurate and extended history of God's dispensation in the Valleys of the Mountains. Many important things connected with the Church in its infancy had not been recorded, and were then even becoming matters of hearsay.
On the 6th of September, 1856, a large number of missionaries were set apart and the burden of the instructions to them then was the keeping of a journal. The special instructions on that occasion were given to them by Parley P. Pratt and Wilford Woodruff, the latter outlined in a general way what should make up a journal. The record was to be "full, correct, and proper." Matters were to be so fully given that future generations would not be at a loss to understand them. They should be so correct, that credence could be given to what was written, and so proper that inappropriate and irrelevant matters should not fill up and make a journal tedious and of no consequence, except, perhaps, to the one who wrote it. All official acts in the exercise of the authority of the priesthood should be carefully kept. Whenever it became important for the Church to give a history of any event, it should be able to put its hands on the records of those who took part in them.
Parley P. Pratt said: "I have reflected upon this subject for years to know what a man should write, and have come to the conclusion that he should write his official acts in the priesthood. I am sorry that I have not kept more of a journal than I have. I wish I had written every man's name that I ever baptized, or administered to in any manner. In setting forth the hand dealings of God with this people, the elders of the Church become personal witnesses for God, and every event which is a manifestation of God's power in their lives and ministry should be recorded." They fully appreciated the fact that though an event may not be of great importance to-day, it may be valuable to-morrow in the light of all that follows it.
On the 10th of September, Apostle Woodruff and the clerks in the historian's office moved to their new office, which was an imposing building in those days, and which still stands on South Temple Street between State and Main Streets. Elder Woodruff was mouth in the dedication of this building on September 15th, 1856. Elder Woodruff records this blessing in his journal and exclaims therein: "Wilt thou bless, O Lord, with thy holy spirit this building, that we may never profane thy name in this house, or dishonor the holy priesthood, or bring approach upon thy cause, or grieve thy holy spirit in any way. Bring to our remembrance all things necessary to be written in the history of the Church, and cause that papers and documents that are necessary may be brought to us that we may be enabled to compile a correct, useful, and proper history."
On the 26th of the same month, the two first hand-cart companies entered Salt Lake Valley. They were in charge of Edmund Ellsworth and Daniel Duncan McArthur, the former was the husband of President Young's oldest daughter. Elder Ellsworth died some years ago, but Elder McArthur, at this writing, 1909, still lives in St. George in the 86th year of his age. For some years he was president of the St. George stake of Zion. These companies of Saints were met at the mouth of Emigration Canyon to the east of the city and were escorted with much display and honor to the city. President Young and the general authorities went out to meet them. Bands of music enlivened the occasion, and the presence of many Saints gave great distinction to the scene. They had pushed and pulled their hand-carts from the Missouri River, over a thousand miles. They had waded the streams, climbed the mountains, and had made better time than either the ox or the horse teams.