One Hundred Years Ago

One Hundred Years Ago* By Elder Melvin J. Ballard, of the Council of the Twelve

Kindly turn your thoughts backward, if possible, beyond the period of your mortal existence, and look into the distant past by aid of memory and imagination, and think of those scenes that were enacted one hundred years ago when there was no state of Utah, no Salt Lake City, no Tabernacle; when the western bounds of civilization were far east of us; when, indeed, there were but nine million four hundred thousand persons in the United States. That we may get a proper setting for the theme that is now to be presented, imagine a condition of religious enthusiasm spreading over the country so that it affected all the towns and hamlets of the land ; men and women were leaving their occupa- tions and camping by meetinghouses while daily and nightly re- vivals were being conducted. The debate and contentions be- tween religious denominations were most intense, and often bit- ter. Jonathan Edwards had but recently appeared in the United States and fired his particular sect with enthusiasm over his very peculiar doctrines announcing that men would get to either one of two places, and by the smallest margin reach heaven; missing that, they were doomed to eternal damnation in hell-fire. The doctrine of infant damnation, the doctrine of the elect, each had its adherents, and bitter were the denunciations and contentions. The echoes of these things reached the western part of the state of New York and affected the little community of Manchester, where the family of Joseph Smith resided. As a member of that household, though but a child, he, like other neighbors, had gathered in the assembly to be religiously in- structed. The child, in that little gathering, had watched the performance, while various mourners went to confession and were immediately surrounded by eager ministers anxious to win the new convert to his particular persuasion. Various members of the family had responded and affiliated with one of the groups of worshipers. By the process of elimination, it reached the lad who had serious thoughts concerning his present predica- ment, and when he thought of his responding to the appeal, then the next problem that beset his mind was: "To which group shall I go?"

The text of Elder Ballard's introduction to the rendition of the "Vision" as presented by Prof. Evan Stephens and chorus in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, Monday evening, April 5, 1920.

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In the midst of these uncertainties, he read those inspired words in the epistle of James: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." He writes that never did scrip- ture have such an effect upon the heart of man as these words of promise had upon his heart, and they moved him to action. Seeking a place where he might commune with God, he se- lected the little grove of standing timber, remaining as nature had planted it on a small portion of his father's farm. Within the seclusion of this grove he offered his humble petition to his Father. He informs us of the power of darkness that arrayed itself to destroy him. We have no difficulty now, as we look back upon it, to understand that the great drama that was being enacted in the little grove was one of vast significance, known by those beings who dwelt in the eternal world, not only about the throne of God but even in the realm of the damned. For the hour had come when he who had ruled the nations of the earth and tri- umphed over truth and right was to see his sun begin to set, and that which the prophets had seen in ages gone by was about to be fulfilled when they said, notwithstanding the days of strug- gle between truth and error, wherein error had seemed to tri- umph: there would come a day when the kingdom of God should be established, to roll forth and fill the whole earth and never be destroyed nor given to another people. This hour had come, and none knew it better than he who had ruled unright- eously and had a squatter's right, so to speak, upon the domains of the Redeemer. He was a usurper. He contested the move- ment and sought the destruction of the boy, but the Power that — — delivered him the Power of Light coming forth from the presence of our Father, triumphed, as it always shall triumph ultimately, over the powers of darkness. In the midst of this glorious Presence the boy was comforted, reassured by those words spoken by the most glorious Being who exists in all the eternal worlds — — our Father in heaven, who said to the trembling youth, "Joseph" — and I fancy that the words, not only spoken as a Father would speak them, but in tenderness and in sympathy, removed all fear and doubt "Joseph, this^is my Beloved Son", and then introduced our Re- deemer. You know the answer that was given. That nowhere in the world was the truth to be found; the day of darkness was not only proclaimed, but the ending of that day of darkness was in- dicated in the assurance given by the visit of the Redeemer. The most wonderful, the most complete revelation of the powers that exist in heaven above and in the realms of the condemned, was here revealed. On this occasion, not only God's voice was heard

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but his Being was revealed as well as the Being and the voice of his Son;— and there was also revealed the power, at least, if not the personality of the rejected and fallen son of God. So it is at once the most complete revelation of the powers that be, in both realms. That which has come out of it has brought us from the isles of the sea, from the distant lands of the earth, ha9 made Utah, has made this city, established this building, has given us all that is worth while in this world. As I knelt in that Grorve, on one occasion, in deep gratitude that I lived to see the day when from the courts of glory, after ages of silence, the voice of God again was heard, my heart was filled with gratitude that I lived to see that day. I knew as I — know this night, in the very depth of my heart and soul, and if every fiber of my being had a tongue, and every hair of my head could speak, it could testify as I do, that Joseph told the truth. God did manifest himself, the Redeemer did come, and all that I have— all that is worth while to me,— has come be- cause Joseph told the truth. Now, Brother Evan Stephens has caught up this glorious theme, and has set it to inspirational music that shall be sung through the ages that are to come; and in the dim future, so far away that we cannot now even think of what shall be, the memory of this visitation like the memory of the birth of Christ, shall remain as long as we live; and we shall live forever. These singers have caught the spirit of it, and, like the actors in the passion play, at Oberammergau, will bear their testimony to you tonight, glorifying in song this wonderful theme. I rejoice that there has come to us from our Father, a man of talent and ability to express himself so completely, so wonderfully in song, as our dear, beloved, gifted Brother Stephens, from whom we shall now hear. (Applause.)

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The Mountain as seen from a distance, and the same mountain at close range. "Have you ever, with rod, dog, and gun*, pitched your tent * * *

at tl• bottom of a rugged canyon with titan peaks towering above, and a noisy mountain torrent tumbling over the rocks at your feet?" (See p. 698.)