-- Jun 25, 1901; Tuesday
A special Board of Education
meeting was held in the President's Office today. There were a number of professors from different educational institutions of the State present who spent the day in discussing the feasibility of eliminating college studies from our Church schools and send the students who take these courses to the University of Utah. The leading instructors in the Church schools did not favor this idea. ...
This afternoon President Lorenzo Snow entertained at a banquet about thirty of the prominent educators of the State, at the Beehive House. The guests were the members of the Church Board of Education, the heads of all the Church schools, President Kerr of the Agricultural College, Professor [Joseph C.] Kingsbury, Stuart and [Richard R.] Lyman of the University of Utah. (1)
-- Wednesday, Jun 26, 1901
[Apostle Rudger Clawson Diary] Salt Lake City. Clear and cool. 4 p.m. Reception to Apostle Heber J. Grant and fellow missionaries to Japan given by the general board of the Y.M.M.I.A. in the spacious parlors of the Beehive House, President Snow, the general superintendent, presiding. Present: the general superintendency, most of the members of the board and their wives, Apostle Brigham Young, Pres. Seymour B. Young, Patriarch Jno. Smith, and their wives, the missionaries to Japan, namely, Apostle Heber J. Grant, Louis A. Kelsch, Horace S. Ensign, and Alma O. Taylor, and their wives (except in the case of Alma O. Taylor, who is unmarried), and other invited guests. It was a very choice company of brethren and sisters. Pres. J. F. Smith was absent in the east.
At this point [after songs and short speeches] Pres. Lorenzo Snow arose and made brief remarks, and said in substance: when the Lord first sent forth his elders in this generation very little was known as to what their labors would be and what they could accomplish. They failed in some respects, but they did not fail in one thing: they did their duty. Apostle Orson Pratt and others were sent to Austria to open a mission there, but by reason of the rejection of their testimony they did not succeed. Nevertheless, they did their duty and were blessed. Noah preached 120 years; he was a grand man; he did his duty but failed, and this because the people rejected him. However, by doing his duty he secured to himself exaltation and glory. Moses, in leading the children of Israel to the promised land, failed to accomplish what the Lord wanted by reason of the disobedience of the Israelites. Moses himself, through faithfulness, has attained to the Godhead. There is no doubt of this. As to
these brethren who will shortly leave for Japan, the Lord has not revealed to me that they will succeed, but He has shown me that it is their duty to go. They need not worry concerning the results--only be careful to search the Spirit of the Lord to see what it indicates to them. Do not be governed by your own wisdom but rather by the wisdom of God. When you return, we will come together, perhaps as we are together today, and will rejoice in your faithfulness. God bless you, and may our Holy Father in heaven open the way before you, and may you succeed in converting many of the Japanese people.
Remarks, Apostle Brigham Young. Apostle Young said that the Spirit had borne witness to him that these brethren had been called of the Lord to take this mission to Japan and predicted that the angel of the Lord would go before them and that they should be blessed in their labors.
Remarks, Apostle H. J. Grant. Apostle Grant said in part that he very much appreciated the honor conferred upon himself and companion missionaries by this reception of the general board of the Y.M.M.I.A. Felt humble and desirous of doing his duty. Some years ago--at a time when he was brought low, "near unto death," upon a bed of sickness--he promised the Lord, he said, that in the event of his recovery and restoration to health that he might have an opportunity to pay off his personal indebtedness, which at that time was very great, he would be willing to journey to the ends of the earth and preach the gospel. The Lord had now brought him to the test. When Pres. Snow announced that he had been called to take a mission to Japan, it came, of course, as a great surprise, and he felt that, had he made a statement of his financial condition, the brethren of the First Presidency would have released him. He did not feel to do this, he said, but responded without hesitation or reservation
that he accepted the call, feeling that the Lord was abundantly able to relieve him of every embarrassment. [Heber J. Grant] had now to relate that God in a marvelous way had blessed and prospered him to that degree that within the past few months he had been enabled to cancel $100,000.00 of his indebtedness and was at this moment practically free from financial embarrassment and distress. Rejoiced in this manifestation of God's overruling providence and now desired to go forth and do his duty. He knew that his companions were selected by the Lord and was glad to be confirmed in this feeling by the remarks of the president of the Twelve Apostles. As to whether many of the Japanese would be converted to the truth through the labors of himself and companions or whether the Japanese nation would open their doors to the gospel, he could not say, but he felt to give assurance that he and his associates would do their duty. (2)
Endnotes:
1 - First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve minutes
2 - Stan Larson (editor), A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic diaries of Rudger Clawson, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson
LDS History Chronology: Lorenzo Snow
Mormon History Timeline: the life of Lorenzo Snow
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
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