In Honor of President Francis M. Lyman

Improvement Era Vol. XX JANUARY, 1917 No. 3

In Honor of President Francis M. Lyman

President Henry H. Blood, of the North Davis stake, has kindly favored the Era, through President Heber J. Grant, with a copy of the resolutions of respect which were adopted at a monthly Priesthood union meeting of the North Davis stake, held at Clearfield, Utah, Sunday, November 26, 1916. President Blood remarks that inasmuch as President Lyman practically closed his ministry in attending the quarterly conference of the North Davis stake, on November 12 (not the Box Elder stake conference, as was erroneously stated in the Era for December), the authorities of the stake thought proper to spread on the records of their stake these resolutions of respect for him, a copy of which he encloses as follows: Resolutions of Respect adopted at the monthly Priesthood Union meeting of the North Davis stake, held at Clearfield, Utah, Sunday, November 26, 1916: Whereas, In the inscrutable wisdom of a merciful and all-wise heavenly Father, there has been released from earth's mission one of the noble spirits and leaders of this dispensation, President Francis M. Lyman, who departed this life at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah, November 18, 1916; and Whereas, To the people of North Davis stake was given the great privilege of listening to the last discourse delivered by the much-beloved apostle and president, who was with us at our quarterly stake conference, November 11 and 12, 1916; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That we who are assembled here today in stake Priesthood union meeting, on our own behalf and acting for all the people of this stake, express the deep sense of loss we feel in the death of our rspected leader and friend, whom we recognize as one of the greatest teachers and exemplars that the Church has ever known; and while we bow in humble submission to the will of God in calling President Lyman from this field of labor to a higher and a greater one, we shall always cherish the words he- spoke, shall always remember the upright, God-fearing, blameless life he lived, and shall regard his departure as the closing of a life that was a blessing to all who knew him. The light of his example was as the light of the sun, making clear the way to walk; the power of his teaching was as the power of the sun, wanning, expanding, developing the souls of men and bringing them to the fruitage of righteous living, as buds are warmed and opened and developed until the time of flowers and fruitage comes. His last address will be remembered by all who heard it as a message of love and blessing and encouragement, filled with practical counsel, timely, appropriate, inspired. We shall never forget the earnestness with which he

194 IMPROVEMENT ERA admonished his hearers to attend to every duty of life "in the season thereof," rendering each day and each hour the service we owe to the Lord and to our fellow-men; nor shall we fail to remember the wisdom shown in the counsel he gave that we should be prudent and careful in the use of the means that the Lord intrusts to our stewardship. His closing words, in expounding the text, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," were delivered with such power that all our hearts were touched. The discourse throughout, occupying an hour and a half, was sound, forceful and impressive; and while some parts of it pointed to the early departure of the speaker from this life, and hence was in the nature of a farewell, still there was an absence of any suggestion of sorrow at parting, and a calm readiness was manifested to fearlessly meet the call when it should come. We mourn with all Israel; but in the midst of mourning we thank the Lord for President Francis Marion Lyman, for his long, active, useful life; for his blessed teachings; for his kind and fatherly counsel; for his faith, his charity, his devotion. May succeeding generations continue to profit by his example and his admonitions.

A Tribute from President Heber J. Grant President Heber J. Grant was at Shelley, Idaho, on November 18, when he heard of the death of President Lyman, and he immediately wrote the following tribute to the family at Salt Lake City, and later a copy to each member: My Dear Friends: At the close of my remarks this afternoon, a telegram to Francis M. Davis of this place, telling of your husband and father's death, was handed to me and I at once telegraphed my heartfelt sympathy and prayers for the Lord to bless and comfort you all. I loved President Lyman with all my heart. He has been as a father to me, and there are no blessings in this life or the life to come that I do not hope and pray may be given to his family. No man of all my associates has been more faithful in the discharge of his duties as a member of the Council of the Twelve and as its president, than he has been. His constant and faithful labors and his willingness to work have been inspirations to me from the day, thirty-six years ago, that I was called to succeed him as the president of the Tooele stake. Ican never forget, but shall always remember with loving gratitude, his fatherly interest in me and the aid given me in my young manhood days, when presiding over the Tooele stake. Had I been his own son he could not possibly have taken a greater interest in giving me the advice which aided — — me in making a success although lacking in experience of my presidency. His admirable work of reformation in Tooele prepared the way for my success as his successor. I knew what a splendid labor he would do as the president of the European mission, and while in Japan, I prayed to the Lord that he would allow me to succeed him as the president of that mission, and the Lord heard and answered my prayer. I believe there has never been a man in the Council of the Twelve who has done so much reformation work and changed so many men from bad — habits which would eventually have caused them to make a failure of life — as President Lyman. Before I went to Japan I tried to attend, as near as I could, as many conferences as he did, but I could not, and did not succeed in keeping up with him. I could go on writing page after page, but I will close by saying that you are blessed of the Lord in having been honored of him in being members of the family of President Francis M. Lyman. That his example of loving devotion and constant labor for the cause of Truth may be the guiding star of your lives, and that you may one and

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IN HONOR OF PRESIDENT LYMAN 195

all so live that there will be an eternity of joy in his company for you all in the life to come is my prayer. With love and blessings, I am Your affectionate brother, Heber J. Grant. An Indians Estimate of Elder Lymans Activity One of the interesting labors of President Francis M. Lyman was his mission to the Indians, to which he was called by President John Taylor, on November 17, 1882, at a time when there was a general revival of missionary work among the Indians. He had a remarkable experience on this missionary tour, an account of which is given in the Era, volume 3, pages 510-16. Elder Lyman continued to take an interest in the Indians for many years, and was generally known among the Utah Indians as "big chief," particularly among the Piutes, then scattered in various parts of central and southern Utah following the peaceful pursuits of their white friends. At that time, as they do even now in some instances, they lived in small colonies in Thistle valley, Koosharem, Rabbit valley, Panguitch, Kanab, St. George, Cedar, Parowan, Beaver and Kanosh. These Indians were generally members of the Church, and learned to love the "big chief" for his teachings and kind counsels to them, as well as for the small stipends of flour and beef which he frequently distributed upon his preaching tours among them. His mission among the Indians was characterized by the same activity that was a leading trait of his character in all his work. In his preaching tours to the Indians it had always been the theme of his sermons to them that they abide on their allotted farms, and avoid roaming about. He counseled them to work, and not idle away their time. He advised that they improve their premises and gather about them some of this world's goods for their comfort and happiness. He spoke simply and plainly to them. "Sit down, sit down; be quiet, don't run about," was his constant song. They endeavored to heed the advice, as far as their roving natures would allow, but compliance, even as far and as imperfectly as they rendered it, was a severe trial and a heavy sacrifice to them. He related to the writer an incident of Weber Tom, of the Tooele Shoshones. On one occasion, when President Lyman, forgetting his own constant wanderings, had been giving the red men's camp the usual admonition to "sit down and remain quiet," this same Weber Tom was evidently annoyed at the sameness of the apostle's sermon. He got up and asked permission to say something at the close of Elder Lyman's remarks, and himself gave the following sermon on precept and example " 'Postle Lyman he all time say, 'All :

Indians, sit down, sit down!' 'Postle Lyman he never sit down." President Lyman's reply was not recorded. Edward H. Anderson.