Legends of the Wasatch

Legends of the Wasatch ffly HENRY F. KIRKHAM When the World was Youn^ I SAT one wonderful summer eve, at sun-down, upon the pier that stretches toward the west. The sky was aglow with all the exquisite colors of the rain- bow. The limpid waters of the Salt Lake reflected, like a giant mirror, the streaming banners of the sun and threw upon the snow- clad peaks to the east, a soft pink, indescribably beautiful. As I sat there, alone and at peace with the world, the magic of the moment dawned upon me and I grew to musing about the mys- tery of the great lake and to won- der how it first came to be. No rivers of note fed it; not any riv- ers drained it. And, yet, beyond the memory of man it endured in all its crystalline purity. A: lND out of the still- ness of the hour came the answer. Perhaps I slumbered — who can tell? But this I know that out of those limpid waters there slow- ly formed a spirit of exceeding loveliness. Out of the salt spume, as airy and as dainty as a floating cloud, this immortal drifted nigh and came presently to stand before me and spoke with a voice as the tinkling of small bells. "Oh, mortal; passing this way, mayhap, for the last time, I pause at the inner yearning of one who remembers the things of the past. Alas! gone are those days of long ago; gone the race of mortals who worshiped in spirit; gone are the wonders of that mighty sea that ran for leagues around; gone the warm southern breezes, the green verdure of the hills and the simple folks who dwelt therein. "All are gone ! So must I go — to join those gods who once lived within this favored spot and loved and were beloved by the race of man when the world was young. Shall we come again? I cannot tell. But, ere I depart to that region of the blessed, will I speak of those golden days and so shall An allegory describing Lake Bonneville and the mystery of Great Salt Lake, Introducing the Mortal, the Gentle Spirit, the Cliff Dwellers, the Gods they worshiped, and the destruction of the Tribes. you be instructed and your heart at peace." vy-TE was vexed. And when O-te was vexed, the great hills trembled. For this god of the mountains had dwelt for time immemorial in the vast solitude of the towering summits. Now O-te was angry because of Na-Ki, a young man of the simple tribe of mortals that dwelt beside the shadow of the towering sum- mits. Na-Ki, beloved of the tribe. First in war; first in the chase; strong; leaping as the deer; beau- tiful as the eagle in flight. But, sad to relate, Na-Ki had departed from the faith of the fathers and no longer danced be- fore the ceremonial fire, nor lay upon the sacred altar the first fruits of the spring. In vain the Wise Men of the tribe reasoned with Na-Ki and warned him of his danger. Nay, not only his own danger, but the peril of the entire tribe, for O-te had been known to rain destruction, in ancient times, upon the whole for such acts of religious indifference. "But that was very long ago," quoted Na-Ki. "And very likely old-men's tales and not true after all." So he took no heed and gave his thoughts only to the fair Le-me. For, know you, Na-Ki was inspired of love, a love that filled his soul with utmost bliss and left no room for other things. Indeed, Na-Ki must have lost his wits completely, else why should he have stood at the very portals of O-Te's retreat and taunt that great god with the praise of an- other? "Oh, Le-me, the lily — Beautiful as the morning. Pure as the driven snow, Thine eyes are like the evening stars, Thy lips as the setting sun. None can compare to thee — Not even the glory of O-te Is half so wonderful As the wonder of thy smile." N< lOW, if this be not treason to the gods, what greater injury could the mind conceive? Not even O-te, although he loved Na-ki for his previous devotions, could overlook this bold affront. Therefore O-te was vexed and, in fact, inclined to repeat that catas- trophe of the long ago. But brood- ing there (and he had much time for brooding if I know anything about the eternal hills) , O-te re- membered the faithful homage of the balance of his worshipers, and resolved to wreck his anger only upon this young man so raptur- ously inspired of love. Accordingly, O-Te summoned Bruno, the bear, and Pisca, the fish, and gave commands for Na- Ki's destruction. For even O-te had respect for this young man's agility and so provided a double assurance that his revenge would be complete. It was indeed a crafty plan as Na-Ki soon found to his sorrow, for returning home- ward along the narrow mountain trail, his eyes still obscured by the vision of Le-me's loveliness, he came upon Bruno, the bear, too late to make effective resistance. And, moreover, Bruno was the largest bear that ever existed. It certainly looked bad for our hero. JDUT the gods that protect lovers and fools, at this stage of affairs, took a very active part. No less than to launch Cupid's own dart into the very heart of Bruno, so that Bruno ut- terly forgot his mission, and, in" stead of slaying Na-ki, straight- way fell in love with him. It is not recorded how this little god of love got into the picture at all. He did in no wise belong to the gods of this place and anyway had no

The Improvement Era for March, 1930 333 business to interfere in the affairs of a brother god. But be that as it may Na-Ki came safely home nor did* he even know the close- ness- of his escape. Also, you may be assured that O-te was in nowise calmed when the news of this miscarriage of justice came to his notice. Nor did he forget Bruno's part in the affair as you will presently per- ceive. "However, Pisca, the fish, will not fail me," said he. Yet, Pisca did most sorely fail him, which goes to show that even gods may be mistaken. It happened in this wise: O N the morrow Na- Ki repaired to the great lake to set his nets, for next to Le-Me Na-Ki loved to fish and hunt. Now this was the time on which Pisca had counted and lurking there in the depths of the lake he av/aited the proper moment to accomplish the end of Na-Ki. But Na-Ki, sing- ing his song of love, suddenly be- thought of a tryst with that same beloved one and, forsaking his nets, made rapidly for the shore. Pisca perceiving this, was forced to action before the proper time and so blundered into the settling nets and became entangled there- in and thus failed as completely in his mission as had Bruno. And Na-Ki came safely to his beloved. Here, again, it may have been the work of the little god. Who can tell? But you may be sure that this double miscarriage did nothing to assuage the wrath of the great god. On the contrary it aroused him to a jealous fury. And when O-Te rose in fury, woe to the simple folks who dwelt in the shadows of the mountains! Great rents ran down the gran- ite hills, great avalanches of stone poured down the mighty summits. The waters of the great lake boil- ed in travail — spouting hot and furious blasts (where now the Hot Springs peacefully run) and lash- >ng the shore with giant waves. ^runo the bear was cast down and destroyed while, Pisca the fish lay gasping on the shore. There may they be seen to this day by one who cares to see. Yet was the violence of O-Te's wrath overdone. Through one of these gigantic rents the waters of the great lake poured down to the mother of waters, so that none was left. And with the waters went the soft southern wind, and, in place of the green and balmy ver- dure, came the icy blast from the far north, covering even the snug retreat of the great god with a bleak mantle of snow. And when O-Te saw the mischief his foolish anger had wrought, he wept great tears of sorrow. Salt tears that, streaming from those immortal eyes, ran down to the lower levels and formed the salty sea — so won- derful this summer night. * * * "But," said I, "how can this tale be true? There are no such gods as these." The gentle spirit answered not at all but slowly melted into the glory of the set- ting sun. Birthday of the Relief Society A) .LAS! for the poor, puny race of mortals at the base! Alas; for the golden age! Not one of that faithful tribe escaped de- struction save only Na-Ki and his beloved. They, from that very tryst I have before mentioned, de- parted swiftly and securely to a place of safety in a far place. Even nTHE Relief Society of the Church 1 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized March 17, 1842, by the Prophet Joseph Smith, at Nauvoo, Illinois. Eigh- teen women were present, consti- tuting the charter membership, from among whom the officers were selected. The instructions given by the great organizer were that the Society should care for the poor, minister to the sick, comfort the sorrowing, teach righteousness and build up and strengthen the morals of the community. These have always been the fundamentals of the work, developed today into a society for benevolence, education and prog- ress unexcelled among women. The membership in the Relief Society increased very rapidly from the time of its organization. After the martyrdom of the prophet, and the expulsion of the people from their homes, it ceased to function in an organized way until the Saints were established in their new homes in the Salt Lake valley. Following the establishment of wards under the direction of Pres- ident Brigham Young, the society was again organized and the good work resumed. The ward Relief Societies were later linked together in stake groups, and further solidi- fied in a central organization by President John Taylor on June 19, 1880. From the beginning, the Relief Society has been a philanthropic society, as it is expressed in the words "to manifest benevolence." Today its membership of 62,550 women are being trained for social welfare work, for motherhood, for home-making, and for all other duties consistent with Latter-day Saint ideals. Many homes have been made better and happier through the work of this splendid society, and the pure religion of which the Apostle James spoke, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep un- spotted from the sins of the world, has been gloriously exemplified by these women in their devotion to the benevolent tasks assigned them, and in the uprightness of their lives. The Mutual Improvement As- sociation extends to the Relief So- ciety sincere appreciation of the work it has done in the past, and wishes for it success and joy to come