--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Biddulph, Samuel collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 21 number: 10 published: 1918-08 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Biddulph, Samuel, "A Day with Nature," *Improvement Era* 21, no. 10 (August 1918): 845–846.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera21010unse 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: improvementera21010unse start_page: 845 end_page: 846 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-08) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera21010unse publication_year: 1918 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 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # A Day with Nature Improvement era Vol. XXI AUGUST, 1918 No. 10 The Hyrum Smith Monument The monument in honor of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith was unveiled and dedicated with very impressive ceremonies on June 27, 1918, beginning at 4 p. m. The site is near the Sixth avenue entrance to the City Cemetery, in the center of the family lot of President Joseph F. Smith, and the services were — held under the trees the speakers and family, General Church Authorities and guests being seated upon and around the southern part of the lot. Moving pictures were taken of the large assembly present, and especially of the family, of the General Church Authorities, of the old Nauvoo Saints present, who knew Hyrum Smith, and of the President and Junius F. Wells together. A chorus selected from the Tabernacle Choir under the direction of Prof. Anton C. Lund, Prof. J. J. McClellan at the organ, with Hyrum J. Christianson, soloist, rendered the following old-time favorite hymns during the exercises: "What voice salutes the startled ear?" "A poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." "Oh give me back my Prophet dear." The services were conducted by Bishop David A. Smith, master of ceremonies. The Opening Prayer By President Anthon H. Lund Our Heavenly Father, we, a few of thy children, come before thee this afternoon, and pray thee that thou wilt bless us while we shall be together. We have come to witness the unveiling and dedication of a monument to our beloved brother, our martyred friend, Hyrum Smith. We are thankful to thee for the life he has led, for the undeviating course in righteousness he ever pursued. Thou gavest him many of those heavenly attributes that belong to thee. We look upon him as one who earnestly sought, night and day, to be near thee, to have thy Spirit with him, and to carry out, as nearly as he understood, the commandments given by the Great Master. He was meek, he was merciful, and he was pure; and we believe that those blessings pronounced upon such people by our Savior in the Sermon on the Mount, belong to him. We pray thee that thou wilt help us to follow in his steps, as he followed in the steps of our Redeemer. — Father, we pray thee to bless those who belong to him his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren. O may they remember him and look up to what he was and follow his example. We have not his body with us here, it being at rest in a distant state, 848 IMPROVEMENT ERA but we know that his spirit is free, that it has ascended to the heights of paradise and there mingles with the good and the true, and, engaged in the great work of salvation, he is waiting the day of the great resurrection. We thank thee for such a man. We thank thee for his faithfulness in the covenants he made with thee, for his steadfastness in sustaining his younger brother whom he knew to be a prophet chosen by thee. We thank thee that he was able to be a pillar of strength unto his brother, unto his relatives and unto thy Church at large. Thy Saints have felt to remember their Patriarch and to erect this monument to his honor, knowing what a great work he accomplished and what a support he was to thy servant who was called to introduce this great and last dispensation. We pray thee, O Lord, that thou wilt bless his descendants, that they may ever keep green his memory. We pray thee, this day, to bless our beloved brother and president, Joseph F. Smith, whom thou hast called to preside over thy Church. We are grateful to thee for his life which has been an inspiration to young and old. Wilt thou remember him, strengthen his body, cheer his spirit. May he be able to cast off the affliction which is upon him, and may we have the joy of seeing him well again, to live many years, to be a blessing unto Israel. We thank thee for him, and we pray thee that he may be blessed indeed; and wilt thou bless all who are called to labor for the advancement of this great cause. We thank thee that thou hast given us the light of the gospel. We thank thee that we are members of thy Church upon the earth. Wilt thou help us to be faithful and true; and after this life is ended may we be worthy to mingle with those who have served thee faithfully, and have been true during their probation here upon the earth. We thank thee for thy servant the Prophet Joseph, for the great work he was enabled to do. This day we remember the sadness that came to thy people seventy-four years ago today, when these two noble men, thy sons, were laid low by mobocrats and enemies of thy kingdom. Rut we thank thee that through this gloom, brighter days have come to the Church, and that thy people have been able to carry out the work which thy servant, the Prophet, was the instrument in thy hands to establish here upon the earth. We pray thee that this great cause which these men worked so faithfully to forward, in spite of persecution and arrests, and for which they were even willing to lay down their lives, may grow and spread in the earth until the time when thy kingdom shall cover the whole earth, and when thy laws shall be known and obeyed, and when our Master, our Savior, shall come to reign upon the earth, when peace shall prevail, and thy people rejoice in the truth and in being members of thy kingdom upon the eearth. Hear us, we humbly ask, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. The Design and Purpose By Junius F. Wells President Smith, My Brothers and Sisters: In completing my work and delivering this monument to the care and custody of yourself and your family forever, I desire first to thank you and the General Authorities of the Church for accepting my design and permitting me to cany it out at a cost somewhat exceeding the original estimates. And I wish also to name and publicly thank those who have so efficiently contributed to its success. First there is Mr. R. C. Bowers of Montpelier, Vermont, who for thirteen years has preserved one of the blocks of granite that is