Headquarters of the Scandinavian Mission

HEADQUARTERS OF THE SCANDINAVIAN MISSION. BY ANDREW JENSON, ASSISTANT CHURCH HISTORIAN.

During my sojourn in Denmark, on my late mission to Europe, I happened to be one of the personnel at the mission headquarters of the Scandinavian Mission on the thirtieth of August, 1902, when the ''grand move," which hereafter undoubtedly will have histori- cal significance, was made from the old quarters, at Lorentzensgade No. 14, to the new mission building just completed at Korsgade No. 11. In my visit to many different missionary fields of the Church a few years ago, I learned that in most countries the mis- sionary headquarters were frequently moved, with a view to finding better localities and facilities for carrying on successful mission- ary work; such was also the case in Denmark, during the first nine years that elapsed after the arrival of the first elders in that land. Persecutions, on the part of the people, and bigotry, on the part of the property-owners, had much to do with this, in the beginning; but when the elders became better known, and their strict honesty and sobriety became an acknowledged fact, the landlords changed their minds and became rather anxious to deal with the Latter-day Saints. Contrary to what they at first had been told, they dis-

covered that the elders always paid their rent regularly, and that they took good care of the property occupied by them — two very essential points to property-owners in all countries. Hence, the experience of the elders in Scandinavia has been very much the same as that of those who have "held the fort" at "Church head- quarters" in Liverpool, England, where the same building has been occupied by our people successively for forty-nine years. "Old 42" in Liverpool, and "old 14" in Copenhagen existed side by side so

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long, and became such proverbial terms to the elders who have labored as missionaries in Europe during the past half century, that it almost seemed a questionable undertaking to change the mission address in the latter city. Yet the change was a very acceptable one. After paying rent to non-believers for so many years, it was indeed a source of great satisfaction to occupy a building that was owned by the Church, and which could be dedi- cated and occupied in a manner consistent with the training of the "household of faith." When Elders Erastus Snow, John E. Forsgren and George P. Dykes arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 14, 1850^ as the first missionaries to Scandinavia, they were met on the wharf by Elder Peter 0. Hansen, their only other fellow missionary, who had ar- rived in the city about a month before. Elder Hansen, who was a native of the country, acted as interpreter for the English- speak- ing brethren, and guided them at once to a hotel, where, in an upper room, which was assigned them, they bowed in prayer be- fore the Lord, and dedicated themselves to his service imploring his protection and blessings upon their labors. Elder Snow writes:

Finding our hotel noisy, and a favorite resort for gaming and such company as would be anything but agreeable to us, we resolved to seek a private boarding-house, or rent a room in a more retired place. We spent most of the afternoon in rambling over the city and its environs, making observations, called upon several families to try their spirits and examine rooms, etc., but found no place where the "ark seemed to rest." That night was a sleepless one to me, though the other brethren rested. I had been very seasick coming up the Cattegat, and my nerves were in

a state of feverish excitement; and the gaming at the billiard tables could be distinctly heard in our sleeping apartment, and carriages to and from the hotel dashing over the pavement immediately under my win- * * * dow till dawn of day. Sometimes I walked the room, and then threw myself again upon my bed, and I prayed earn- estly that God would direct our footsteps to a peaceful home and an up- right family, where his Spirit would delight to dwell, and abide upon us and them.

The next day, (June 15,) the elders again started out in search of suitable quarters, and the first place they visited that

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morning was No. 196 (now No. 21) Bredgade, near the centre of the city, where a Lauritz B. Mailing resided. Of him the brethren made arrangements for both board and lodging. They rented a furnished room for seven rigsdaler (about $3.50) per month, and agreed to pay three rigsdaler ($1.50) each week for board in the family which consisted of Mr. Mailing and wife and a young wo- man of refinement who was related to the family. In this hired room, which thus became the first headquarters of the Scandinavian mission, the elders commenced to bear testimony of the restored gospel to people who came to converse with them; and among those who soon became deeply interested in their teachings and who sub- sequently became numbered among the early converts, were Mr. Mailing and his wife. Mr. Mailing carried on a business as a wheelright and carriage maker, and was a leading and respected citizen. His connection with the Church, however, only lasted for a short time. Elder Snow lived in Mr. Mailing's house about eleven months, (the other brethren also a part of this time,) or until he had fin- ished the publication of the Book of Mormon, and left Copenhagen on a visit to England. This he did May 24, 1851. After his return from England, August 3, 1851, Elder Snow received a hearty invitation to make his home with one of the con- verts, Brother Rasmus Petersen, who carried on a grocery business at No. 37 Gammeltorv. With this family. Elders Snow and Fors- gren lived about six months, or until toward the close of January, 1852, when Brother Petersen and wife sailed from Copenhagen, emigrating to Zion. But in the interim Brother Petersen was ordered out by his landlord and compelled to move, because he was a "Mormon," and when he rented new quarters at No. 80 Brolseggerstrsede, the Elders continued to live with him in the new home. Thus No. 80 Brolaeggerstr^de, third story, became the first office of Skandinaviens Stjerne, the Church organ of the Latter-day Saints in Scandinavia, in the Danish-Norwegian language. Here the first five numbers were issued. Brother Petersen and wife were among the "celebrated twenty-eight souls" who went to Utah as the first fruits of preaching the gospel in Scandinavia. They both remained faithful members of the Church

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until the time of their death, which occurred in Pleasant Grove, Utah, a few years ago. In the meantime, Elder Peter 0. Hansen, who had obtained the sanction of Elder Snow to marry, took unto himself a wife, and after Rasmus Petersen's departure for Zion, Elder Snow joined with Brother Hansen in renting rooms at No. 54 CompagnistraBde, fifth story,' which now became the headquarters of the mis- sion, and the oflice of Skandinaviens Stjerne, until April,

1853, when new quarters were secured at No. 28 Gothersgade, third floor, where the business of the mission was transacted for about six months. A hall for meeting purposes was hired in the same property, which was located on the corner of Gothersgade and Kongens Nytorv, in the rear of Hotel Skandinavien. The old buildings stood there as a remnant of old Copenhagen until 1902, when they were taken down to give room for more pretentious structures. Under date of September 21, 1853, Elder John Van Cott, president of the Scandinavian mission, wrote to the editor of the Millennial Star, that he had succeeded in obtaining more suitable quarters for the office of Skandinaviens Stjerne, on favorable terms. This was in Gothersgade No. 29, fourth floor, where the mission office remained for upwards of two years. Skandinaviens Stjerne bearing date of December 15, 1855, announces that the office was moved to Store Strandstrsede, No. 78, but this place only remained mission headquarters a few months, as another move was made on April 15, 1856, and the place selected this time was Lorentzensgade, No 504 A 5, first story (now St. Pauls Gade, No. 9). Here the business of the mission and the editorial work of the periodical was carried on until October, 1857, when it was HD/a across the street to No. 504 D 5 (now St. Pauls Gade No, 14) first floor, where the headquarters remained for two years. In October, 1859, Elder C!arl Widerborg, president of the mission, hired another set of rooms on the second floor of the same property which were then used as headquarters for the mission until August 30, 1902, when the move to the new mission building in Korsgade took place. In 1860, the houses in Lorentzensgade were re-numbered, after which the office address became "Lorentzens- gade No. 14, Iste Sal tilvenstre" instead of, as heretofore.

752 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

"No. 504 D 5, Iste Sal tilvenstre;" and in 1891, the name of the street was changed to St. Pauls Gade, to correspond with the name of a modern Lutheran church which several years before had been built further up the street and named in honor of St. Paul, the great apostle to the gentiles. By the foregoing, it will be seen that the headquarters of the Scandinavian mission remained in the same place about forty three years and in the same street upwards of forty-six years. The premises occupied so long consisted of what in some parts of America would be called a flat, located on the second floor of a and consisted of four good-sized rooms and five-story building, a kitchen, of which two rooms fronted the street and the others the yard. The rooms having windows to the street were airy, well lighted and comfortable; the largest of the two being used as a general office, and at the same time as the editorial room, where Skandinaviens Stjerne, and (since 1877) Nordstjernan, were brought forth, as well as books and pamphlets needed for missionary pur- poses. The smaller room was at once the private office and bed- room of the president of the mission. One of the rooms faciag the yard served the double purpose of dining room and store room for printed matter, and the other room was for many years called the office of the Copenhagen conference, but served mainly as a sleeping department. In a communication which I wrote to the Deseret News, under date of August 30, 1902, the following occurs:

Some of us missionaries who have had occasion to make "No. 14" our temporary home a number of times will never forget the place, not- withstanding its discomforts, and many are the sweet recollections which we have of the past in connection with it. How many of the elders from Zion have not met here for the first time in their lives to lay the foundation fOr an acquaintance that has lasted through life, and to form a friendship and an attachment for each other that will reach into eternity ? Nor is this feeling confined to us who are numbered among the sons of Scandinavia. Many of our brothers from other lands, and especially from America, at old "No. 14" have received their first correct impressions of a people whom the Lord has destined to become an im- portant factor in the progress of the great latter-day work. Among the leading men of the Church who have visited that historic dwelling, may

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be mentioned Amasa M, Lyman, Charles C. Rich, George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith, John Henry Smith, Erastus Snow, Brigham Young, Jr., Francis M. Lyman, Daniel H. Wells, George Teasdale, and many others. Perhaps at some remote day, in the future, when the kingdom of God is established upon the earth, when the people of Denmark universally shall accept the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and when they learn to ap- preciate that which is for their best good, a monument surmounted by a bust of the late Apostle ErastusSnow may be erected on the spot to commemorate the fact that the Latter-day Saints had their mission head- quarters there from 1859 to 1902. * * * Three very large loads embraced our goods and chattels which we moved from St. Pauls Gade No. 14. Before leaving our old home, we engaged in prayer and thanks- giving to our heavenly Father for his many mercies and blessings toward us in a place where we had spent so many years in peace. We took pos- session of our new quarters at 8 o'clock this evening, ate our first meal at 9:30, and retired to rest about 11 o'clock. For the benefit of those who may come after us, among whom may perhaps be some of our own children, grandchildren, etc., I will record the names of those who first occupied the new mission house in Copen- hagen, as a dwelling, who moved in on the thirtieth of August, 1902, and slept the following night in the rooms assigned them. They were: Anthon L. Skanchy, president of Scandinavian mission, Chr. D, Fjeld- sted and Andrew Jenson, special missionaries, Peter Christensen, presi- dent of the Copenhagen conference, Carl H. Carlson, secretary of the mission and writer for Nordstjernan, Carl A. Carlson, his assistant, Joachim C. Anderson, clerk at the ofiice pro tern., and Sister Anna Margrethe Nielsen, the housekeeper. Two other brethren (elders from Zion), who labored in Copenhagen as missionaries, also assisted in mov- ing, namely, Jorgen S. Jorgenson and Lars P. Nielsen.

I expect soon to write a short descriptive article of the new mission house in Copenhagen.