Eliza Roxcy Snow

“ Neither American, Swiss, Welsh or Dane, Nor yet an Islander from ocean's main, Nor Spanish, French, Norwegian, nor Swede I claim no country, nation, kingdom, creed, Excepting Zion; that I proudly name Home of all homes, that home I fondly claim. Were I to boast of nationality, I'd look beyond this frail mortality.
The noblest spirits scattered o'er the earth, By truth's etern il influence gathered forth From Babylon to earthly Zion, here, Are on their way to heaven's celestial sphere. Our inns, our stopping places, which, or where, Don't matter, when we've paid our bills of fare. ”

“ Receive our gratitude in having preserved us from destruction amid the cold wintry blasts, and from the hostile savages of the deserts of America—in having led us by the Holy Ghost to these valleys of Piedmont. Thou hast shown us that here Thou hast hid up a portion of the house of Israel.
In Thy name, we this day lift into view before this people and this nation the ensign of Thy martyred Prophet and Patriarch, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the ensign of the fulness of the Gospel—the ensign of Thy kingdom once more to be established among men. ”

“ It is the Priesthood that will give you character, renown, wisdom, power, and authority, and build you up here below among the children of men; and above, exalt you to peace and happiness, to thrones and dominions, even through countless eternities. This world, in its kingdoms and empires, possesses, in some small degree, glory and greatness, faintly shadowing forth what exists in regions above: but here, with these, are associated little happiness and little durability. ”

“ Leaving Jerusalem, we ascend by a steep, rocky, winding path to the commanding heights of Mount Scopus, where, turning backward, we take a long, lingering look at the "Holy City" its noble domes, its high, taper- ing minarets, and its surrounding mountains. We descend the mountain into a naked, desolate region, our path lying over rocky plateaus, through deep ravines, and over barren hills covered with loose stones and sharp rocks. ”

“ Dear Elder, your mission of love is fulfilled, The Gospel of truth as of old we've received,
Supported by God's holy word. You show to us miracles now in our day, And that the believers have only to pray
The prayers of the righteous are heard. ”

“ Just at this time, as nearly as I could calculate by comparing dates and distances, the Lord removed, by the hand of death, from my brother's family circle, one of the loveliest of women.
Charlotte died very suddenly. I was with her and saw her draw the last breath; her beloved husband was very far away, but his name was on her dying lips. She loved truly for she loved sincerely ; and as she loved, so was she beloved by all who knew her. As she had been very beautiful in life, she was beautiful even in death. ”

“ From this lovely picture of nature, we turn to gaze on the countless objects of beauty and splendor, the productions of the highest efforts of human genius, which constitute the exterior decorations of this extraordinary temple. Before us stood a forest of towers one hundred and thirty-six in number, each adorned with twenty- five marble figures, life size, and thousands of ornamental objects in white marble, imparting to the scene richness, beauty and grandeur. ”

“ May the God of our fathers help us to keep His laws, live honorable lives, preserve inviolate our virtue and integrity, listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, and seek diligently to purify ourselves, that not a single member of this family be lost by deviating from the straight and narrow path, but may we all prove ourselves worthy to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, crowned with glory, perpetuating in immortality the family union, and continue to increase down through the endless ages of eternity. ”

“ Through thy spirit from on high;
But until the key of knowledge
Was restor'd, I knew not why.
In the heav'ns are parents single?
No, the thought makes reason stare;
Truth is reason—truth eternal
Tells me I've a mother there. ”

“ The time approaches; soon will Zion be
The pride of earthly nationality;
When 'twill the histories of those adorn
Of whom 'tis said, "they were in Zion born."
The Holy Spirit every Saint receives, Is one sense added to what nature gives, And forms a powerful telescope, whereby We look beyond the stretch of mortal eye. Its keen perceptive vision takes a view Of origin and destination too. Through this superior spirit-sense, we learn What our inferior senses ne'er discern, That we're not natives of this fallen earth. ”

“ When stars in millions come
To cheer the pilgrim strangers,
And bid us feel at home;
Beneath the lovely moonlight,
When Cynthia spreads her rays;
In social groups assembled,
We join in songs of praise.
Cheer’d by the blaze of firelight,
When twilight shadows fall,
And when the darkness gathers
Around our spacious hall,
With all the warm emotion
To saintly bosoms given,
In strains of pure devotion
We praise the God of heaven.
This work was published before January 1, 1928, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. ”

“ After descending a steep, rocky ridge, we wind through a dreary glen, opening into the valley of Nazareth. We rode through the crooked, filthy and narrow streets of the city of Nazareth, and pitched our tents near its borders. The town is located in narrow ravines, and on the narrow, rocky declivities by which they are separated. A little valley opens out before it, about one mile long and one-half mile in breadth, engirdled by high, bleak hills. The valley is divided into small, plowed fields, in the centre of which are patches of gardens, enclosed by hedges of cactus. ”

“ President, although burthened by the weight of years, and worn down with hardship, privation and fatigue, we, the gray-headed, with you for our leader, are ready at any moment to step forth and unsheath the sword in defense of that which our fathers have taught us to hold dearer than life.
Yes, we are ready; and, as we follow you, we call upon these young men, our sons, to follow us; and sooner lay their lives upon the holy altar of liberty than submit to be crushed by the inquisitorial Juggernaut of oppression. ”

“ We believe that the spirit which enlightens the human family proceeds from the presence of the Almighty; that it spreads throughout all space, that it is the light and life of all things, and that every honest heart possesses it in proportion to his virtue, integrity and his desire to know the truth and do good to his fellow men.
We see the providences of God in all things ; we see them in raising up different communities and establishments in the world, for the general and universal benefit of mankind ”

“ Dear Brother.—In a moment our joys are turned to sorrow, our pleasures into pain. Death has entered this part of Zion's fold, and taken one of her best and most worthy daughters.
This morning, our beloved sister, Elizabeth Morgan, after a short illness, bid adieu to her weeping husband, children and friends, and took her departure to the fair climes of Immortality. She was beloved by all the Saints, and much respected throughout the extensive circle of her worldly acquaintance. ”

“ In reviewing your life-labors and sacrifices, I am almost constrained to write encomiums, but I forbear I will leave that for a more worthy hand; but permit me to say that the examples set before me in your life are not altogether lost. I feel their impress every day I live; and whatever I have of hope, of aspiration or ambition, seems to rest on a worthiness of a name and place in your family.
When I see you, I doubt not, I will be able to give sufficient and satis- factory reasons for my absence from the family re-union. ”

“ I had been attending meetings for worship in a beautiful little church, the favorite resort of my dear mother in her life time, and could I forsake it? "He that loveth father or mother, wife or children, more than me, is not worthy of me." "If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me." ”

“ May it wave triumphantly from this time forth, till all Israel shall have heard and received the fulness of Thy Gospel, and have been delivered from their bondage. May their bands be broken and the scales of darkness fall from their eyes.
From the lifting up of this ensign may a voice go forth among the people of these mountains and valleys, and throughout the length and breadth of this land, and may it go forth and be unto thine elect, as the voice of the Lord, that the Holy Spirit may fall upon them, imparting knowledge in dreams and visions concerning this hour of their redemption. ”

“ After all the deep study, intense anxiety, constant labor and long-continued watchfulness in behalf of the interests of the people dependent on the success of their united efforts, the burning of their factory, although at the instant it sent a chill to his heart, was proof to Lorenzo of the power and strength of their grand compact. Instead of discouragement, misfortune actually seemed to draw the people more closely together, and more firmly cement the bonds of union. ”

“ Come, then, ye Saints of Latter-day, and all ye great and small, wise and foolish, rich and poor, noble and ignoble, exalted and persecuted, rulers and ruled of the earth, who love virtue and hate vice, and help us to do this work, which the Lord hath required at our hands, and inasmuch as the glory of the latter house shall exceed that of the former, your reward shall be an hundredfold, and your rest shall be glorious. Our universal motto is, "Peace with God, and good will to all men." ”

“ Truly is Brigham City a great social monument of the age. Its venerable founder is worthy of immortality for the social problems he has solved for our latter day Zion; and the people who have so nobly wrought with him are worthy of remembrance in the pages of history. ”

“ If the people here have not received the knowledge promised in connection with their obedience to the Gospel, they are acting most inconsistently ; for they are perpetuating upon their children, their children's children, and upon future generations, a system that is entirely false binding a yoke of tradition upon them, with consequences beyond the power of language to describe. And more than this, they are guilty of the most gross offence before the Almighty, for they are not only injuring themselves, but they are laying a foundation to destroy the happiness of unborn generations. ”

“ When the head of this family, having gained his exaltation, and holding the keys of eternal lives and endless increase, will gather around him all that belongs to his house, saved, redeemed, resurrected, glorified to reign over them as a king and a priest unto God for ever, when there will be no trial, no weakness, no pain, and no death, and where perfect union and unfading affection will bind all together in the perfection of bliss and the majesty of the glorified sons and daughters of the Eternal Father. ”

“ I feel that your presence in our midst has been a God- given thing, an oasis in the desert of our lives, and while I sincerely regret your departure from among us, I know there are broader fields for your missionary labor. I believe you to be a true messenger of God, endowed with power which, when fully developed, will seldom have been equalled in the pulpit. ”

“ If we but had the power to draw aside The mystic veils that all the future hide, And bring the noble deeds and lives to view, The greatly good of friends and kindred too How long they fought, how firmly kept their place, How fierce the storm, how toilsome was the race But it was ran, they won the prize at last, And all their sorrows were forever past. ”

“ Authoritative rule is not the proper code by which to govern Saints, but rather seek to rule in the spirit of humility, wisdom and goodness, teaching not so much by theory as by practice. Though one teach with the eloquence of an angel, one's good acts and good examples, constantly manifesting whole-heartedness for the interests of the people, teach much more effectively, if not more eloquently. Very few indeed have enough moral courage to be strictly honest, faithful, virtuous and honorable in all positions those few will hold the Priesthood and receive its fulness, but no others. ”