--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - J. H. Ward collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 5 number: 7 published: 1902-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'J. H. Ward, "What Address Will It Be?," *Improvement Era* 5, no. 7 (May 1902): 543–544.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0507unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0507unse start_page: 543 end_page: 544 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1902-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0507unse publication_year: 1902 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1902, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # What Address Will It Be? RESULTS OF OBEDIENCE. 541 wards the "Mormons," so their married life was pleasant, but after some years, he became prejudiced against them, and denied her the privilege of attending meetings with those of her faith, where- upon she felt justified in leaving him. Brother Smith volunteered to go and speak with the husband, and try and persuade him to permit his wife and child to emigrate to Utah. The sister ob- jected, saying she felt confident her husband would only insult him, should he make any such request. President Smith, however thought otherwise, and sent Elder Halvorsen, then president of the Copenhagen conference, to her husband, who fully explained to him that it was no part of the business of our missionaries to dis- rupt homes. He further explained that his wife's heart was set on moving to Utah; that with her religious convictions she could never be contented under existing circumstances; and that he did not believe there could be any happiness in the household under these circumstances. After learning that our missionaries were always instructed never to baptize a woman without the consent of the husband, or children without the consent of parents,and that the president of the Scandinavian mission would not be a'party to aid his wife to emigrate to Utah,unknown to him,the husband gave his consent for her to go. He was captain of a ship, engaged in the merchant marine, and the only request that he made was that his wife and child should not leave until he should be absent with his vessel. He said he could not endure to be present and see them go. It certainly is very plain to every one that this man's heart would have been full of enmity for the Latter-day Saints, and that he would have become a bitter persecutor of the people had Pres- ident Smith consented to his wife's running away from him. Some few people allow their zeal to run away with their judg- ment; but if missionaries will hearken to and obey the instructions of the servants of the Lord, never to baptize women or children or ad- vise them to emigrate contrary to the wishes of husbands and par- ents, the final result will be for the best good of their converts, as the final results of obedience in all cases are grand and glori- ous, ana the result in this case, certainly was gratifying, and no exception to the rule. The husband, while out on the broad sea, in looking through 542 IMPROVEMENT ERA. his trunk, discovered a Book of Mormon. His heart was full of enmity when he discovered this book, and he had an intense ha- tred for it, believing that its contents had been instrumental in robbing him of wife and child, the dearest of all earthly posses- sions to the heart of a true man. His natural impulse was to destroy the book, but upon reflection, he was aware of the fact that it had been packed in his trunk because of the love of a de- voted wife. He, therefore, concluded to read it. After reading it once, he became interested, and read it again and again, with the result that he became convinced by the inspiration of the Spirit to him, as is the case with all honest seekers after truth, that it was in very deed what it purported to be, namely: the history of the dealings of the Lord with the ancient people of America. He believed the inspired words of the prophets therein recorded, and immediately upon his return home, resigned his position, embraced the gospel, emigrated to Utah, and has since been sealed to his wife by the power of the Holy Priesthood. His heart was full of joy and thanksgiving to God, and gratitude to President Smith; and shortly after his arrival in Utah, he assured President Smith that he looked upon him as having been a savior to him and his family. Had President Smith lacked the wisdom to carry out the in- structions given to all of our missionaries, and been over-anxious to aid in sending a convert to Utah, in opposition to the wishes of her husband, the husband would undoubtedly have been an enemy of the Latter-day Saints, looking upon them as having robbed him of wife and child. Being an influential man his influ- ence against the Latter-day Saints would have been quite potent, no doubt, and there is no telling to what extent that injury might have gone. Truly this incident verifies the saying 'of the prophet, that "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken, than the fat of rams."