On this day in Mormon History
http://TodayInMormonHistory.com/
-- 185 years ago today - May 22, 1839 --
Parley P. Pratt, King Follett, and two others are given a change of venue. They leave Richmond, Mo., in handcuffs and are taken to Columbia, Boone County, Mo. (1)
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-- 180 years ago today - May 22, 1844 --
[Nauvoo Neighbor]
Story: State Convention Held -- Editorial -- Due to rain, many other groups were not represented at the convention. But the convention was successful, and Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon both were well received.
- Story: "Lynching and the Mormons" -- Editorial -- Describes a lynching, supposedly carried out by the Saints in Nauvoo, of a colored man. ... (2)
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-- 165 years ago today - May 22, 1859 (Morning) --
[Brigham Young Sermon]
Jesus has been upon the earth a great many more times than you are aware of. ... there is no true government on earth but the government of God, or the holy Priesthood. Shall I tell you what that is? In short, it is a perfect system of government'"a kingdom of Gods and angels and all beings who will submit themselves to that government. There is no other true government in heaven or upon the earth. Do not blame me for believing in a pure and holy government. ... Every time you kick 'Mormonism,' you kick it up stairs: you never kick it down stairs. ... (3)
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-- 155 years ago today - May 22, 1869 --
[Wilford Woodruff Journal]
I attended the school of the prophets. President Young G. A. Smith D. H. Wells W Woodruff G Q Cannon & G D Watt & president Joseph Young all spoke upon the Case of John Pack. Joseph Young sen did not vote to Cut off John Pack with th[e?] [rest]. Presidet B Young said that inasmuch as he did not vote that Cut the thread of union between those who did vote & him. (He required ie President B Young) that his Brother Phineas should give up his ticket & keep away from the school Because of trading with outsiders. (4)
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-- 150 years ago today - May 22, 1874 --
General Alexander W. Doniphan, a friend to the Mormons during the difficult days of persecution in Missouri, visits Salt Lake City and is greeted warmly by Church leaders.
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-- 140 years ago today - May 22, 1884 --
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal]
President Taylor told the People to record that the Lord was well pleased with the [Logan] Temple the people had built and accepted of the Dedication at the Hands of his People, and if they wished to ornament it they were at Liberty to do so and this is the word of the Lord unto you. And the Lord will Condescend to reveal unto us Evry Principle that is necessary for us from time to time. (4)
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-- 140 years ago today - May 22, 1884 (Thursday) --
Nellie White, who refused to answer certain questions in the Third District Court, was sent to the Penitentiary. (5)
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-- 140 years ago today - Thursday May 22, 1884 --
[John Nuttle Diary]
President John Taylor directed the Temple Recorder to place on the records of the Temple as follows "That the Lord is well pleased and has accepted this House, and our labors in its Dedication, also the labors of the people in its building and beautifying - and whatever the Saints may feel to place into it, to ornament and embellish it, will also be acceptable. I state this as the Word of the Lord. ...
When President Taylor afterwards made pertinent remarks on the subject of adoption. said he had been considering this subject and had the matter and the Keys thereof before him, and in a short time he would make it plain to all, in that there need could (sic) be no misunderstanding. ... I feel like shouting Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Glory to God. For His Kingdom and people shall triumph I say it in the name of the Israels God. Amen - All present responded Amen - Prest. Taylor & Cannon & Elder Nuttall then proceeded up to the sealing room when Prest Taylor explained further in regard to the ordinance of Adoption and concluded to postpone any action on that ordinance for the present and until he shall he shall give further instructions pertaining thereto. Everything now being in working order at the Temple the President & brethren left & prepared for starting to Salt Lake this afternoon -
... it was rumored that Prest Jos F Smith & Coun D H Wells were wanted by the Grand Jury as witnesses in some Polygamy cases before them. (6)
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-- 130 years ago today - Mon., May 22, 1894 --
[Apostle Abraham H. Cannon Journal]
Bro. Durrans; of Parowan received in a dream. H dreamed that he saw a Navajo blanket floating down a river, and as he watched it, he suddenly saw several Indians appear on it. They came to the shore where he stood, and one of them placed an instrument to his mouth something like a clarionet, on which he played the tune which was rendered, with the exception of one high note which he could not reach. Bro. Durrans arose and wrote out the piece, Some time thereafter a birthday party was given at his house when one of the brethren spoke in tongues. In the course of his remarks he said that this tune was the one used by the ancient Nephites, just before the last remnant was slain at the hill Cumorah about the year 421 A.D. It was a kind of lamentation. (7)
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-- 65 years ago today - Fri May 22, 1959 --
[David O. McKay Office Journal]
[Note by secretary:] It was very evident to all present that it was extremely difficult for the grieving President to conduct the funeral services. However, he brought his emotions under control, and handled the situation masterfully--the services proceeded smoothly and efficiently. His emotions, however, were near the breaking point when he publicly said farewell to President Richards. There was hardly a dry eye in the whole audience. General Authorities on the stand were seen wiping their eyes with their handkerchiefs as the President said: "Goodbye for the present, Stephen L, my beloved friend. We shall miss you--Oh! how we shall miss you! But we will continue to carry on until we meet again. God bless you, Irene, and your choice sons and daughters. During this inevitable separation may there ever echo in your hearts, as if they had come from the voice of your beloved husband and father, the words of the Savior to his disciples when he had to leave them =. . . ." (8)
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-- 50 years ago today - May 22, 1974-Wednesday --
[Leonard Arrington]
I recognize also that there is not full agreement among Latter-day Saint leaders as to items that ought to be included in our books. Not long ago I was in a study group, made up of important Church leaders (but no General Authorities were present) in which there was a dispute over the wisdom of telling seminary students that Brigham Young once chewed tobacco. One person contended that the story of his victory over the habit was faith promoting, and besides the fact of his use of tobacco is so well known that the student will find it out sooner or later and he will have more confidence in the material presented if this is told to him in advance. Another person disagreed completely and said that students will use this knowledge as an excuse for their own sins. There are arguments on both sides of this and other questions. Whatever we do will not be accepted completely by everybody but we do seek for credibility and for general confidence.
To say this another way, I recognize that some of our history cannot and should not be told. Judgment and discretion should be exercised. I recognize also that our history needs to be told honestly so that our people will have confidence in reading it-we must allow for the human equation. I regret the widespread tendency of our fine members and their youth to read books like No Man Knows My History, Nightfall at Nauvoo, and 26th Wife under the assumption that they are getting the real lowdown on our history and that our own works do not carry conviction as being the real story. (9)
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-- 45 years ago today - May 22, 1979-Tuesday --
[Leonard Arrington]
Today I sat next to Laury Cracroft in Rotary. He told me a number of interesting things. In 1939 when Vardis Fisher's book Children of God first appeared, the editor of the Utah literary magazine, The Pen, thought the book should be reviewed and asked Laury [a student] to do it. It was depression time, but Laury managed to get some money and buy the book from the Paris [Salt Lake City department store] and proceeded to review it for the Pen. He stated that the book would not of course be well received in Salt Lake City and within the Mormon community. Having said that, he then proceeded to describe and summarize the book. The next day after it appeared, he was called in by the dean of men at the U of U and told that he would almost certainly be kicked out of the university. He was warned by two or three administrative officials and received some nasty phone calls. When the Pen put out a special centennial edition in 1950, they included articles that had appeared in the Pen by
Bernard de Voto, Vardis Fisher, Wallace Stegner, Fawn Brodie, and one other person he couldn't recall, and himselfthis review. The next day after the Pen appeared there was [a] piece on the front page of the Deseret News-or maybe on the editorial page-criticizing strongly this edition of the Pen and using very strong language like "the U has no business publishing articles by all these apostates and anti-Mormons." [[Apostle Spencer W. Kimball "exploded" when he saw the Pen, according to Kimball and Kimball Jr., Spencer W. Kimball, 262.]]
Laury began to receive hostile telephone calls once more; in fact, many. He talked to one of his neighbors, Lou Callister, a prominent attorney. Lou said, "You have got a strong case, Laury. Clearly they have libeled you, and you have a good basis for suing. I wouldn't like to handle your case, but if you can't find anyone else, I'll do it." Laury's wife [Kathryn] complained so much about the telephone calls that she told him he should do something. So he went to Dr. [John A.] Widtsoe who was, he thought, a calm and reasonable man, and told him the story. Dr. Widtsoe said he would take up the matter with Deseret News and other officials and he thought they would work out something that would be satisfactory. Shortly thereafter persons from the Deseret News called him up and asked him to come over to discuss it. He said, "You're the ones that have given me the trouble; don't you think you ought to come to my office instead of yours? You're the ones that have caused it."
So they came over to his office, and they agreed to run a retraction on the first page in the location near where the other was-or maybe on the editorial page-a retraction worded by Laury himself. They did run it the next day. Below it, however, they did try to give some explanation or justification for the same. But this satisfied Laury, and the matter was essentially closed. ...
There's one other aspect to the story. At the time the article was published-I think on the Tuesday following the Sunday on which it appeared-Laury was to be proposed to be a member of Rotary. Laury thought this might result in persons voting against him, so he phoned up his sponsor and asked him whether he thought it would be proper for him to resign. The
sponsor said, "Definitely, it would be in your interest to resign." So Laury was fully prepared to do that. He mentioned this when he had his conversation with Dr. Widtsoe. Shortly thereafter he received a telephone call from Richard L. Evans, who was president of Salt Lake Rotary at the time. Brother Evans said, "Your resignation from having your name submitted has not been accepted and will not be. Your name will be submitted as if nothing had happened. There will not be a single person vote against you. You will be approved, and I welcome you next week to Rotary as a full-fledged member." Laury said, "I know you have done wonders, Brother Evans, but you can't possibly promise all this. I know there are people who will vote against me on the basis of that editorial." Brother Evans replied, "Laury, this is a fix, and when I fix things, you can depend on the fact that they are fixed!" Laury said, "How can you possibly work it out?" He said, "There will be four people
working until the next Rotary meeting and we will phone every single member of Rotary, and we will make sure that everyone votes for you. So don't worry about it." It happened, of course, and Laury was made a member and later became the president of the club.
I asked Laury who in the Deseret News had written the editorial making the libelous assertions. He said it was Mark Petersen, and Mark Petersen had always been against him in subsequent dealings that have taken place.
Two or three weeks ago in my Tuesday meeting with Elder [G. Homer] Durham, he started out by telling me that I had some special friend. He didn't know who the friend was, but it was a sister. The sister had written a letter to the First Presidency complaining that my picture was not with those of other Church Historians of the past. After Elder [Howard W.] Hunter there is a picture of Elder [Alvin R.] Dyer, and then Elder [Joseph] Anderson and then Elder Durham. The First Presidency had replied to this sister that they would investigate the matter. The First Presidency then wrote a letter to Elder Durham which verified that I had been selected as a Church historian, that I was a proper occupant of that office, and suggested to Brother Durham that either my picture ought to be put up or they would like a letter of explanation of why it shouldn't be. Elder Durham read the letter to me. He then said that it was the feeling that they should not put up my photo with the
others but simply provide an explanation next to the exhibit which would explain that in 1972 when the Historical Department was organized, that the managing director-a general authority-was regarded as the proper successor to Howard Hunter as Church Historian and Recorder. He asked me if I had any objections to that. I assured him that I had none, that the least of my thoughts was having my picture on the wall, and that it didn't matter a bit to me and never would, and I thought what he planned to do was just fine. He said he would then write a letter to the First Presidency explaining what they had done and justify it and tell them that of course I agreed with this.
I learned today, from her, that the person who had written the letter was Julie Harris of our book acquisition and cataloging staff. She seemed rather proud of having done so, and said she still believes that my picture should be there. (10)
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1 - Conkling, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology
2 - http://boap.org/LDS/Nauvoo-Neighbor
3 - The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses
4 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
5 - Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology
6 - Diary Excerpts of L. John Nuttall, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
7 - Abraham H. Cannon Journal Excerpts, http://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Record-Journals-Abraham-1889-1896/dp/B000MFD1K4
8 - McKay, David O., Office Journal
9 - Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018
10 - Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018
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