--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Horner, John M. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 8 number: 2 published: 1904-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'John M. Horner, "Looking Back. II," *Improvement Era* 8, no. 2 (December 1904): 112–116.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0802unse 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: improvementera0802unse start_page: 112 end_page: 116 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0802unse publication_year: 1904 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 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Looking Back. II LOOKING BACK. BY HON. JOHN M. HORNER. II. I have stated that I have been treated by my fellow citizens with respect and honor, since my financial loss and physical affliction, far beyond any thought that had ever come to me. I will relate one circumstance that happened to me in this country. I was elected a Noble for a six-year term to the legislature of this kingdom, as it then existed. All the members of the legislature had assembled in Honolulu, two or more days before the meeting of the legislature, so as to be sure to be present on the opening day, when the king officiated. Some days before the opening of the legislature, it entered the heart of the queen to make a feast to which all members of the legislature and other dignitaries, including the king and princesses, were invited. The table was near fifty feet in length, and loaded with all the delicacies which the palate of man should desire. The guests were closely seated at the table. The king and queen were seated near one end of the table, and it so happened that my seat was near the other end. All was quiet, awaiting the king's pleasure. The king, quietly, partly filled a glass with liquor, then deliberately arose to his feet, holding the glass before him, and to the surprise of all, said: "Here's to Mr. Horner!" A guest at the table enquired: "Which Mr. Horner? There are three Mr. Homers here." The king answered: "The Mr. Horner of Hamakua, Hawaii, who writes on temperance." This turned all eyes on me, causing me to look down at my plate. LOOKING BACK. 113 The king continued: "Mr. Horner, I look upcn you as the champion temperance advocate of my kingdom. Continue to write; it does good: I read and enjoy all you write." Thus the king continued in his eulogistic way for quite a time. When he concluded Mr. Horner was called to answer. Having no thought of this surprise, I had no prepared speech, so with flushed face I reluctantly arose, bowed to their majesties, and the great ones before me. I thanked his majesty for his kind reference to myself, and for the great eulogy to temperance, as I failed not to perceive that it was of the principle of temperance, not the temperance advocate, that his majesty had so kindly spoken. Then I continued: "My position here today, in the presence of your majesties, and other great ones of this kingdom, carries my memory back to my boyhood days. My folks had gone from home on a Sunday morning, and left me to keep house. The morning — was cool, and I was sitting in the chimney-corner, we had no stoves in those days — reading the Proverbs of Solomon. One read, 'Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.' I had a little argument with SolomoD, at the time, about the truth of this proverb. As I informed him, it would not matter how diligent I might be in business, I could never stand before a king, since there was no king nearer than three thousand miles east, and five thousand miles west, and kings never visit my country. I must testify that I have been diligent in business, and I now call all who are present to witness the truth of this proverb, at least in my case. I stand, here before their majesties and this honored company — 'not before mean men' — and not out of idle curiosity, but by invitation of her majesty." I have not been at the headquarters of the Saints since the martyrdom of the prophet. I was in Nauvoo two different years before. The first time I stopped, (it was summer) I was introduced to the prophet, on the street, by Brother Erastus Snow; he shook my hand, talked some, and, as he left, he said: "Brother Horner, you are a fine-looking man, come and see me." The last time, I remained only a short time, since the convention which I attended and which nominated the Prophet for President of the United 114 IMPROVEMENT ERA. States, appointed me as one of its delegates to New Jersey— my native state — to lecture and to endeavor to elect him for this exalted place; and to persuade the people to purchase and to free all the slaves of the South, thus getting rid of slavery by the year 1860. That was the Prophet's counsel to the nation. What blood and treasure would have been saved had that counsel been heeded! Much more loss, misery and death, the world of man would steer clear of, if some of his other counsels were heeded. Most of the twelve apostles were in Nauvoo when I was there. The first time that I saw Brigham Young, he was working at a carpenter's bench, in the street, near his unfinished house. The fact was, he had been building himself a house, but was called away on a mission before finishing it. He had now returned, and was again working to finish his building. How fortunate were the Latter-day Saints, when driven from the habitations of men to the mountains, that they had for a leader a mechanic, who was also an architect, to plan the building of temples, tabernacles, churches, schools, colleges, universities, and residences for the people! We are also taught that our Savior was the son of a carpenter, and worked with his father at the carpenter's bench. With these worthy examples, the young men of Zion should not feel humiliated, if counseled to master some mechanical business for their own good, and the good of Zion. I started with the rest of my company, in 1846, from New York in the ship Brooklyn, for California, where the Church was expected to stop and where it did stop. But it stopped in eastern, and I in western, California, and the fates have since kept me away from it. The Great Father has been merciful to me, in bringing me through dangers, both seen and unseen, which cannot be named here. I will be eighty-three years old the 15th day of June, 1904, yet I am permitted to do my reading and writing without glasses. I have never used any. I am thankful, and surprised that I have passed through so many death-dealing accidents, and yet live. I have thought more than once, when recovering from some accident, that my good guardian angel was close by when the accident happened. I have not performed my spiritual duties to my satisfaction, which I regret, believing I would have been a more valuable man LOOKING BACK. 115 to the world, and to myself, than I have been, had I paid more attention to the spiritual. I have been diligent in business, and, as the world goes, a good man. I have dealt with others as I would be dealt by. The Great Father is the only one I have wronged by not always paying my tithing, or, I should say that I have wronged myself by not paying an honest tithing. However, before President Woodruff left us, I had sincerely repented of that unchristian act, and began to pay tithing again; and made a solemn resolve with myself that I would pay an honest tithe the remainder of my life. I have since done so, and felt well pleased after doing it. Then came President Snow who promised all delinquent tithe payers forgiveness, if they would thereafter pay an honest tithe. For this I was doubly thankful; first, for the forgiveness; and second, because I had already repented, and was in that line of duty. I may say I have had only two severe losses, and great suffering of mind and body in consequence. The first has already been written. The latter I will now briefly state. It commenced in 1901, with a severe drought, for this region where weekly rains are usual. It continued long enough to dry up all springs and holes of water, and to drain out all cisterns, water tanks, and reservoirs. All grass dried up. We hauled water for our plantation help, and work stock; but for ranch stock, no water was in reach. Only by driving them thirty miles could they obtain water, and there was no feed, nor room for three thousand head. So thirty head of horses and nearly two hundred head of horned stock died. Those which escaped death were set back nearly one year in growth, and nearly one half of the following year's increase was lost. Before the dry, windy weather ceased, fires were started in six different places of the neighborhood, consuming some of our cane and that of our neighbors. A few thousand acres of forest were killed, and many more acres of pasture lands burnt over. Our output of sugar, from the effect of the drought, fell off thirty-one hundred tons. The above losses did not worry us so much, as the fear we had of a calamity that, fortunately, never happened. This fear was caused by the thought of the possibility of a fire starting in the cane on the windward side of the plantation. Had it so started, our residences, quarters for two hundred and fifty laborers, stables 1 16 IMPRO VEMENT ERA for one hundred and fifty horses, and at least five hundred acres of cane must have been swept away. The worst affliction of all: just before the drought ceased, my beloved wife, whom I had married the day before we left New Jersey for California, in 1846, sickened and died. Soon after this, a grand-son— a bright lad, the joy of our. household— sickened, and in about three days, died.The above mental and physical troubles had been so heavy on me, that soon after they were over, slight physical unpleasantness began to manifest itself with me. I only had very little suffering, until a fainting in the field one day, required attention. A doctor was called, he administered to me, and from my explanations, concluded there was not much the matter with me. He stated that I would be all right in a few days, but, instead, in a few days, severe fainting pains set in. The disease was so complicated and severe, with my advanced age, that but little hope of my recovery was entertained, either by myself or others. I was resigned. But after much suffering, and long and careful nursing, day and night, I began to get easier, and my pulse was encourag- ing. So, the doctor, upon enquiry — he being a stranger— ascertained that I had been a strictly temperate man all my life, and he felt much encouraged, so expressing himself. He was, at the same time, doctoring a man about one mile distant who was less than half my age, but he had been intemperate all his life, on which account the doctor thought he would not recover. He died two or three weeks after. What an encouragement the Saints have to obey the Word of Wisdom! I kept slowly recovering. One night about 11 o'clock while alone in my room —sleep had and my heart began pounding fled, and shaking me so violently that I thought the doctor's "relapse," which he had cautioned me against, had come. I was fully convinced that if my heart kept up its violent motion much longer that, when it did stop, it would stop altogether. I then expressed my resignation to God's will, saying, "Thy will be done, my Father." Immediately there fell upon me, from the unseen world, a peace, oh, a peace of mind and ease of body which this visible world cannot impart. While meditating upon its significance, its interpretation came; viz., "Your time has not yet come, your work