Orson F. Whitney

Lehi’s final counsel in the Book of Mormon is to his son Joseph makes an interesting literary link between Joseph in Egypt, Joseph the son of Lehi and Joseph Smith, Jr. But, LDS authors have largely ignored this link, especially before 1900, when any mention of Joseph was usually a reference to Joseph Smith, Jr. But I did manage to find an exception in Orson F. Whitney’s epic, Elias.

As far as I can tell, other than general righteousness, the only real link between these three is that they happen to have the same name. Their histories aren’t really comparable in any way that I can see. Still, Whitney at least mentions the prophecy of Joseph’s name, and connects it to Joseph in Egypt.

While perhaps overly turgid in his prose, Whitney is as or more sophisticated in his imagery than any of his poetic Mormon predecessors that I’ve read. To me the oblique references made to biblical, book of Mormon and mythological elements are fascinating.

The six stanzas I’ve chosen below (starting with the 30th stanza in Canto six) cover the Book of Mormon from its beginning to Lehi’s death, although the vast majority of the story is left out in favor of examining Lehi’s family’s importance to the overall narrative. I’ve left in Whitney’s explanatory footnotes verbatim.

Joseph

from Canto Six, Out of the Dust, from Elias, An Epic of the Ages

by Orson F. Whitney

Again, athwart the wilderness of waves
Surging old East and older West between,
Where the lone sea a flowery southland laves,
And Zarahemla reigns as ocean queen,
Braving the swell, a storm-tossed bark is seen.
From doomed Jerusalem, to Jacob dear,
Albeit a leper[fn1], groping, blind, unclean,
Goes forth Manasseh’s prophet pioneer[fn2],
Predestined to unveil the hidden hemisphere.

.

His lot to reap and plant on this rare shore
The promise of his fathers: Joseph’s bough[fn3],
From Jacob’s well, the billowy wall runs o’er;
Abides in strength the archer-stricken bow,
Unto the utmost bound prevailing now,
Of Hesper’s heaven-upholding hills. Bend, sheaves
Of Israel, as branches bend with snow,
Unto his sheaf grown mightiest! Here, as leaves
For multitude, the son the great sire’s glory weaves.

.

[fn1] A Leper. Jerusalem in her degenerate state.

[fn2] Prophet Pioneer. Lehi, a descendant of Joseph, through Manasseh, with a colony from Jerusalem, succeeds the all but extinct Jaredites upon the Land of Promise, where they extend the glory of their great ancestor.

[fn3] Joseph’s Bough. “Joseph is a fruitful bough.” (Gen. 49:22).

[fn4] Chosen Seer. Lehi predicts the coming of ” a choice seer” who is to be a lineal descendant of Joseph. The name of that seer is also to be Joseph, and it is to be the name of his father—a prophecy fulfilled in Joseph Smith, Jr. (II Nephi 3.)

[fn5] Buried Lore. The Book of Mormon.

[fn6] Favored Son. Nephi, who succeeded his father Lehi, and against whom his brothers Laman and Lemuel rebelled, thus dividing the nation into Nephites and Lamanites.

[fn7] Heavy Rod. The Lord used the savage Lamanites to scourge the enlightened yet ofttimes disobedient Nephites.

No surprise, I know. However, I also can’t say that I’ve seen many violations here in my ward and stake — perhaps I’m just out of the loop in some ways, but I haven’t seen emails from fellow ward members using the ward list for political or marketing purposes. Nor has anything appeared on the unofficial ward facebook group. Many years ago I did see one attempt to start an LDS bookstore by putting flyers up in chapels, but I haven’t seen anything since.

Nevertheless, I’m sure that this happens, as Coppins makes clear in his article. [I should point out that Coppins doesn't make entirely clear the distinction between official resources, like the online ward directories, and the 3,500-strong "Colonial First Ward listserv," which is likely unofficial given its size (10x or more that of a singles ward) and the fact that it is apparently an email group like you can set up with yahoogroups or google groups (and many other places).] Unofficial groups like the ones he discusses are particularly ripe for issues like this, since no one will be called into their bishop for violating the policies of an unofficial group.

What is perhaps confusing in the case of the “Colonial First Ward listserv” is that, apparently, those on the list didn’t complain about the clear violation of the listserv rules! Surely not all 3,500 in the group want the political adds and solicitations (assuming that they actually read the email from the list). I’m sure that there are at least a few Democrats in the group, and I’d bet that more than a few Republicans wouldn’t be happy about the violation of the rules, if they noticed it.

Despite my preference for following the rules, I think there are times when I would support some, limited, violations of the policy — like for the struggling member trying to find an audience for his catering business or something. I can see how some situations might be reasonable exceptions, even if it means that one member can do it and I can not.

Also, its not always clear that these messages ARE a violation of the rules. Did the offender spam the ward list? Or did he just collect the addresses of those he thinks are his friends? Can you make your own email list, and just use the ward list to collect information for it? Why? or Why not?

Regardless, I’m interested in how often others see violations by Mormons of Church policy like this, or even violations of the policies or norms of unofficial groups, blogs, websites, facebook groups, etc. Does it happen much? How do you feel about it? What, if anything, do you do? Do you tell the Bishop when the bulletin board is used for personal gain? or do you just take down the offending item? Or are there times when you simply leave the item in place?

How do you handle these things when you see them? What have you seen?

Captain Moroni?

I returned yesterday from attending the 3rd annual conference of the Associação Brasileira de Estudos Mórmons (Brazilian Mormon Studies Association) inspired with the fascinating subjects covered during the conference and ready to dive into another year of research in preparation for next year’s conference. In particular, one presentation was groundbreaking, changing the perception of Mormonism in Mexico before WWII.

A total of six presentations were made, ranging from discussions of tolerance and apologetics to freemasonry and visions. Two presentations were given by teleconference, and to an audience made up principally of Brazilians. Only one presentation was given in another language (Spanish) and interpreted into Portuguese.

Here are a few notes on the presentations made, in the order that they were given:

Religião Salva? (Does Religion Save?)

Beginning the conference, Marcelo Ponciano discussed the contradictions inherent in the existence of many religions, and in particular the difficulties that arise because of intolerance. Ponciano sees an improvement in human values accompanying the globalization of information which permits a rise in understanding and empathy for those of other religions. In particular, Ponciano notes that the Mormon belief that other religions may have some truths that Mormonism doesn’t yet understand and suggests that Joseph Smith’s teaching of universal friendship means that mormons should be part of the effort for tolerance.

A relação entre mormonismo e maçonaria (The Relationship of Freemasonry and Mormonism)

The next presentation, by Luciano Lucas, looked at the history of Freemasonry in Mormonism in an attempt to clear up many of the prejudices that exist among Mormons in Brazil against Freemasonry. While English-speaking Mormon historians may be well acquainted with Joseph Smith’s participation in Freemasonry and Spencer W. Kimball’s clarification that Mormons are not prohibited from becoming masons, Lucas, himself a freemason, discussed a 2004 incident in Brazil in which an active LDS Church member was denounced to the Area Presidency for promoting freemasonry on the Internet. While the Area Presidency sent a letter, to be read in all wards and branches in Brazil, clarifying the Church’s position, it was not read in many wards and a significant portion of Brazilian members remain with the impression that freemasonry is incompatible with Mormonism.

A visão de Henry B. Moyle no Brasil (The Brazilian Vision of Henry B. Moyle)

Justin Bray, a preservation specialist on the Joseph Smith Papers project, gave the next presentation, an account of a vision given to Apostle Henry B. Moyle on his trip to South America in 1956. Then a recent member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Moyle was told by President David O. McKay that he would have a vision when he arrived there, which preoccupied Moyle during his trip to South America and first few days there. The promised vision then came, somewhat unexpectedly, while Moyle was giving his first talk, at a missionary conference in Brazil, and Moyle related what he saw immediately to the missionaries. The vision was, according to Bray, “detailed and specific” and led many missionaries to describe the experience in their diaries. Among the predictions in the vision was the promise that Brazilians would begin to see visions of missionaries and LDS meetinghouses in Brazil. Bray’s presentation gave examples of how this was fulfilled. Especially interesting was the inclusion of a white hat on missionaries, which sometimes had the appearance of a halo, in some of the visions. The mission president had earlier required that missionaries all wear white fedoras to help them stand out in public. Bray’s presentation was, in my view, one of the highlights of the conference.

O papel da apologetica sud no século XX (The role of LDS Apologetics in the 20th Century)

Returning presenter Marcelo Silva traced the history of Apologetics from Origenes and Tertulian to C. S. Lewis and modern practitioners among various Christian religions, as well as, briefly, the history of Mormon apologetics and of Mormon apologetics in Brazil (which, he claimed, began with the translation into Portuguese and xerox-copy distribution of Melvin McDonald’s Day of Defense). He then proceeded to make a case for apologetics as a kind of check on scholarship, suggesting that the inherent bias in apologetics is necessary to provide that check. Personally, I was very pleased at this presentation, since I’m not aware of any other attempt to describe the history and role of apologetics–something that might be useful for cases when apologetics goes too far, as has occurred on occasion.

 Zapatismo e mormonismo na região dos vulcões (Zapatism and Mormonism in the Volcano Region)

This presentation by Mexican historian Moroni Spencer Hernandez de Olarte was probably the most important given at the conference and one that will significantly change our perception of Mormon history in Mexico. The two book-length histories of the Church in Mexico both cover the effect of the Mexican Revolution on the Mormon colonies in northern Mexico, which led to many Mormons fleeing for their lives and a couple of martyrs, but ignore the interaction in the southern portion of the country. Hernandez looked at the participation of the mormon converts in the area southwest of Mexico City, where the church had flourished in the last years of the 19th century and first decade of the 20th century. Unlike those in the colonies, these converts, who generally had Indian blood,  saw in the southern leader, Emilio Zapata, “a man of God” and in his cause a “standard of liberty” that would free the oppressed, including the Indians or Lamanites. Hernandez documents the participation of these church members in the revolution, including, in one case, virtually an entire branch of 200 people, and in another case, a Zapatista military leader who was married to a Mormon and who joined the LDS Church after the revolution. The presentation went on to indicate that the same members who participated in the Mexican Revolution went on to join the Tercera Convencion scism of 1936-1946.

Estudos Mórmons no Brasil: esboço de um guia (Mormon Studies in Brazil: outline of a guide)

This last presentation was my own, cut short significantly because delays from previous presentations left me with half the time allotted. I was able to make two points: First, that Mormon Studies has benefited significantly from the efforts of volunteers and amateurs, and this is especially true in Brazil, which has just a few trained academics in the fields that involve Mormon Studies. This means that the field of Mormon Studies will continue to depend on the efforts of amateurs, and indeed, amateurs have an important role to play in the study of Mormonism. Second, I pointed out that Mormons in Brazil who don’t speak English largely don’t have access to the Church’s documentation for their own history, let alone that of the Church in general, so their efforts are best employed in two areas–original research into Mormonism in Brazil (where they can find local resources, such as materials produced by outsiders and the resources of individual members) and, for those who read English, the presentation, through translation, summation and analysis, of the work already done in English.

The quality of this conference has, I think, improved each year, and may attract more attention when the papers presented are published, as the Association plans to do later this year. Like the older and larger European Mormon Studies conference, this is a welcome effort to emphasize the international in Mormonism and expand Mormon Studies to a wider audience.

Opposition in All Things by Ben Crowder, ©Ben Crowder. CC Share Alike license Some rights reserved

One of the fascinating things that happen in Lehi’s fatherly advice to Jacob in 2 Nephi 1 and 2 is that he tries to put together an overall philosophical basis for the gospel. Here the war in Heaven is related to our ability to choose, the fall is related to the atonement, and our choices are related to the very nature of existence, which, Lehi says, requires that there be an “opposition in all things.”

I think that Mormons have perhaps not explored what Lehi’s statements mean as thoroughly as we could–I find them leading to all sorts of philosophical questions, few of which I can even approach answering. [Julie's post earlier today mentions the kinds of questions that arise.]

Still, the ideas here are core to most conceptions of Mormon theology, and his teachings therefore resonate with most Mormons. The many ideas have given rise to Mormon literary works, including parts of the best known works, such as Nephi Anderson’s Added Upon, Orson F. Whitney’s Elias and even Saturday’s Warrior, as well as many, many additional works that are much less well known.

But the poem I chose for today is one that tries to cover many of the issues Lehi brings up.

Man’s Free Agency

by James H. Wallis

Before the depths of chaos felt

The touch of gods divine,

Or mortal man on earth had dwelt,

Or at Eloheim’s throne had knelt

To worship at his shrine;

 

Ere planets in their courses ran,

Or moon gave forth her light,

Ere earth received the heat of sun,

Or vegetation had begun

To weave her mantle bright;

 

Ere corner stones of earth were laid,

Or stars together sang;

Ere trees, or herbs, or shrubs were made,

Or fountains of the deep were staid,

Or Nature’s music rang;

 

Before a mountain, hill or vale,

Had in its order stood;

Or earth had been kissed by the gale,

Or courted by the nightingale,

In moonlights solitude;

 

A council of the gods was held,

Jehovah, President-

One third of whom were hence expelled,

For Satan had, with them, rebelled

Against Omnipotent.

 

And there the laws for man were framed,

Each had his own free will,-

For all the gods at freedom aimed,

And each desired all men reclaimed,

From wickedness and ill.

 

They saw the future-for the vail

Was rent before their gaze-

They saw dark sin with men assail,

They saw the darkened powers prevail,

All earth with crime ablaze.

 

Therefore, when Jove proposed the plan,

And put it ‘fore the gods,

To give free agency to man,

A vote was called, and as it ran

It passed by mighty odds.

 

But Satan, with ambition filled,

Opposed the heaven-born law,

And held one third of heaven so drilled,

That ‘t mattered not what he had willed,

They did not dare withdraw.

 

Therefore they all rebelled ‘gainst God-

They fought against the right,

The gates were ope’d, and with the rod,

They were smote down to earth’s dark sod,

To dwell in endless night.

 

Their mission was to trouble men-

To help fulfill the law

They had opposed and fought at, when

They lost all hopes for aye to win

A glory as before.

 

True to that mission, they are now

Enticing men to deeds

That take away from manhood’s brow

All honor destined to endow

A noble spirit’s needs.

 

And, as at first, they still oppose

The agency of man,

And would-had they the power-impose

The tyrant’s chains, and discompose

Our noble spirit’s plan.

 

But God has given to every race

The freedom for to choose

A future, lasting dwelling place,

Either with glory or disgrace,-

A gift dare we abuse?

 

If we the path of glory tread,

All honor to our name;

But if by powers of darkness led,

Much better had we never sped

To earth to win deep shame.

 

And yet some men would dare make laws

To tell us what to do,

Would pinch us in their puny claws,-

To us not more than rotten straws,

Or filthy, watery glue.

 

They dare before the Priesthood’s power

To chain us to their whims,

They dare its links upon us shower,

And weld them ’round us, as a tower,

To strengthen their own limbs.

 

But oh! look through the vista’s gloom,

And see the victory!

Weep, weep, ye fiends! dark is your doom,

‘Twill sink you in oppression’s tomb,-

The grave dug out by thee!

 

But Saints immortal-gods-shall rise,

And scale the worlds on high;

They’ll fill the earth, and rend the skies,

With sweet hosannah’s, for their prize,

Shall every boon outvie.

 

Eternal ages shall roll ’round;

The night of time will pass;

And endless righteousness abound,

And shouts of glory shall resound

From ‘mongst the heavenly mass.

The Contributor 4 (1882-1883)

I found several things about this poem fascinating. Wallis’ conception of the war in Heaven is a bit different from my own—he seems to see those following Lucifer as bound to him as leader rather than any belief or idea, which is something I hadn’t considered. Lucifer is therefore more charismatic than I had assumed.

And I like that Wallis has connected the idea of choice and opposition to current political issues, suggesting that laws can take away our ability to choose. In a sense that is true, at least for those who wish to follow the law or not face whatever penalties may be given. What I think is interesting is connecting this idea so clearly to current politics—its not something we do very often in the Church because it can easily be used to support a particular political position. Likely, Wallis was referring to the U.S. anti-polygamy laws of the 1880s and before, which is when this poem was published.

In addition to this poem, one hymn, Know This, That Every Soul Is Free (#240), is enough on topic that it might be used in conjunction with this lesson.

FWIW, Wallis was the author of many more poems, and one hymn in our current hymnal. You can read a little about him here.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I missed anything in either case. As for Mormons in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jack Morris, known as the best pitcher of the 1980s, came still closer to being inducted, with votes on 67% of the ballots. For fans of perhaps the best known Mormon among former Major League players, Dale Murphy, he received votes on just 14% of ballots — a bit more than he has had recently, but not near his highpoint, and no where near what he needs to make the Hall of Fame.

Will either man eventually be inducted? It is looking significantly less likely. Getting 14% of the vote puts Murphy on the ballot again next year, but that will be his last year of eligibility (unless the veteran’s committee decides to choose him at some point). Morris is less than 10 points short of being inducted and still has two years of eligibility left — which might seem to make it likely. But unlike this year, the writers who vote will be faced with many highly-regarded and well-known new candidates next year and in succeeding years. In 2013 Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa all become eligible, making it hard to see how Morris could be selected. His only hope is for a negative reaction to the steroid use among the players in this class.

But Morris’ final year, while the competition from new candidates remains tough, will also bring another possibility for a new (third) Mormon in the Hall of Fame. In 2014, along with Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Mike Mussina, Kenny Rogers, Frank Thomas, another Mormon player becomes eligible: Jeff Kent.

As for soccer, I noticed that one player from Sandy, Utah, Jacob Hustedt, was drafted by the San José Earthquakes as part of the Major League Soccer draft. But, I can’t find any indication that he is Mormon. And my searches of the players drafted into the MLS and the women’s professional league, WPS, didn’t turn up any other possibilities.

I did find one potential future player. Austin Neil is currently serving an LDS mission after playing for the University of Tulsa Hurricanes for 3 years, where he earned College Soccer News and Soccer America Preseason All-America honors. Assuming he returns to the team after he returns from his mission later this year (and assuming he can quickly get back in shape to play), he may be able to get some interest from MLS teams next year.

As always, I’m very interested in suggestions or reports of other Mormons on the professional level.

While the lesson to be faithful and diligent is certainly good, there is another lesson that can be found in the poem I’ve selected for this week:

Trials

by J. L. Townsend

Thank God for our trials, they come and they go,

Like the sharp biting frost or the tempest of snow,

And as frost to the dew or as snow to the rain,

But changing the form while the blessings remain;

So ever our trials, are changes that bring,

A blessing in sorrow, though deadly the sting.

 

Thank God for our trials, what though they may be,

As wide and as deep as the waves of the sea,

For the winds of the sea must in time cease to blow,

And the waters must rest in the calm that’s below,

And the bark that has rode on the wild dashing tide,

By outriding the blast, to its harbor shall glide.

 

Thank God for our trials, O! who has not found

That the sun and the cloud bring the fruits of the ground,

Were it sunshine forever, what joy have we won?

Were it cloudy forever, we’d sigh for the sun!

As an aid to our lives that would surfeit with joy.

Come tl1e trials of life other thoughts to employ.

 

Thank God for our trials, adverse though they seem

To the joys of prosperity whereof we dream,

For the soul that is pampered in wealth from its birth,

Is the soul that of all has the least show of worth;

And the passions untamed, he indulges with zest,

Shall entail their diseases to rob him of rest.

 

Thank God for our trials, perfection the goal

That is reached by the trials that burn in the soul;

Be the trial a love, unrequited and scorned,

Or the longing for one whom in death we have mourned;

Let the daggers of pain pierce the heart in its woe.

Yet still must the trial a blessing bestow.

 

Thank God for our trials, in them we must find

Just the training that’s needed to balance the mind;

For the sin and the pride to humanity yield,

And our hearts are made warm where before they congealed;

And we turn to mankind, for our trials have proved,

That the soul must be tried who can love and be loved.

 

Thank God for our trials, yes, thank Him to day.

While the laws that He gives we will strive to obey;

For the purpose of life on the earth where we live,

Is to learn good from bad, and learn to forgive!

And the time of each birth is propitious for all,

In events that shall try, as successive they fall.

From The Contributor, December 1881, p. 89

Of course, like the idea that we should be faithful and diligent, this sentiment is not new in Mormonism. Still, Townsend’s expression is kind of nice. It really seems like the kind of poem that gets quoted in General Conference all the time — a clear, unambiguous message presented in a fairly memorable (some would call it sing-song like) form.

In addition to the subject of trials, I tried to find works that referenced other events in this week’s lesson, but I wasn’t able to find anything in the public domain among the poems I have access to that referred to the Liahona, or to Ishmael, or to the incident of the broken bow, or to Nephi’s constructing a ship. I’m not sure why those subjects weren’t seen as attractive topics for poetry then. I suspect more recent (and therefore not in the public domain) Mormon poetry may have taken on these subjects. If not, Mormon poets here’s your chance!!

Trials are, I think, a fairly common subject in Mormon poetry. Love of God by W. L. (Times and Seasons, January 1, 1841) and There’s a Bow in the Cloud (Millennial Star, December 1, 1845) both carry nice messages about dealing with trials. In addition, our hymnal is far from silent on this subject, the Church’s topical guide lists 28 hymns (if I’ve counted correctly) under the topic “trials.”

In fact, Mormon poets have composed epics poetry, despite its length. Perhaps the best known Mormon epic is Orson F. Whitney’s Elias: an epic of the ages (text here), which seems to have been fairly popular at the time it was written. More recently, Michael Collins published The Nephiad, which, through its name, invites comparison with classic epic poetry like the Illiad, the Aeneid and the Lusiad. Beyond these, many other Mormons poets have produced epics that retell everything from the history of the Church to the Mormon Trek to the Book of Mormon. [I compiled a list in my post There is Mormon Epic Poetry? (and comments on that post added many additional Mormon epics)].

Perhaps the most significant element of Nephi’s vision of the future is the restoration of the gospel. While it is somewhat difficult to find poetry and other literature that take the other elements of the vision as a subject, the Restoration is one of the most visited (if not simply most important) themes of Mormon literature. The poem below is just such a work. And I selected it for this post because, unlike the many others I found, it shares a bit of an epic view with what Nephi saw:

On the Latter-day Dispensation

by James H. Hart

When Zion’s long appointed time, foretold in sacred pages,

Had come, by faith and promise, as looked for through the ages,

Then came the Eternal Father, in plenitude of power,

And revealed Himself in person, in this the eleventh hour.

His royal Son was present on that eventful day,

And pointing, said, “Behold my Son, hear Him and Him obey.”

Thus spake the great Jehovah, as man would speak to man,

And thus the Church of Jesus Christ in latter-days began.

Not only these great Potentates of everlasting fame,

But Moses and Elijah and other Prophets came.

Thus blending frail humanity, with all the name implies,

With Rulers of the Universe, and Legates of the skies.

Three witnesses were chosen, and unto them was given

To see the great Moroni, a messenger from heaven,

Who showed them the engravings, and plates of golden hue,

And bade them handle, and to bear a record, strange, but true.

As they were so directed, they saw, and felt, and knew,

The records and the messenger were genuine and true.

Nor did they ever waver midst all the scenes of strife,

But testified persistently throughout their checkered life.

The honored Seer was but a boy-had seen but fourteen years-

To whom the future was portrayed through both the hemispheres;

‘Twas shown that ‘mongst the nations he would form a brotherhood,

His name be known in every land for evil and for good.

They told him not to fraternize with any sect or creed,

That all were vague and spurious, and led by selfish greed;

They had neither Faith nor Priesthood, nor Gospel that could save

Themselves and those that slumber in dark and silent grave.

They gave the tyro keys and powers to formulate the scheme

Devised to found a Kingdom and every soul redeem;

E’en every son of Adam who would subjugate his will,

In this or in the spirit world, and righteous laws fulfill.

The record he translated by gift, and power, and grace

Of God, th’ Eternal Father of all the human race.

And those who will may read and learn the history sublime

Of nations on this continent, down from remotest time.

He organized the Church of Christ as ’twas in days of yore,

Its officers and rites complete, no fewer, and no more;

Its faith and gifts and miracles were thus restored again,

And with the Church of latter days forever will remain.

He taught mankind to worship the true and living God,

Who in the form of perfect man the earth again has trod.

He taught the only Gospel the Gods have ever given,

To elevate the sons of men from earth to reign in heaven.

Among our great reformers he stands without a peer,

Combining all the qualities of Prophet, Priest and Seer;

And in the role of statesman prescribed a plan to save

Thousands who now lie mouldering in fratricidal grave.

He urged upon philanthropists, by sale of lands to raise

Wherewith to buy the negroes, and let them end their days

With slavish bonds unshackled, and thus avert the day

When the gory field of battle would be the only way.

In eighteen hundred thirty-two he told the name of State

In which the dread rebellion would surely culminate;

That in the bloody conflict the slaves would marshalled be

Against their masters, and ‘twould end in death and misery.

The counsel was unheeded, as now is known, too well,

For in the great rebellion legions of warriors fell,

And untold lives and treasure was e’en the costly price

Of failure in observing the Prophet’s sound advice.

He taught sincere repentance, that men should all obey

The everlasting Gospel, restored in God’s own way.

He guaranteed the sacred gifts that man could not bestow,

E’en gifts that from the Source of Truth in heaven can only flow.

Refusal by Jehovah to verify the bond,

A failure to bestow the gifts on those who did respond,

Would have solved the “Mormon problem,” and ended all its strife,

When no one would have wished to take the great Apostle’s life.

But every word and prophecy were backed with vital power,

His work has been triumphant in every trying hour;

With this eternal Priesthood there’s no such thing as fail,

For, guided by Omnipotence, they must and will prevail.

They grapple with emergencies and breast the surging wave,

And some o’er death have triumphed, and rest in silent grave;

They’re uncompromising heroes, ‘mid scenes of Gentile strife,

And fight for truth and liberty in jeopardy of life.

No greater revolution on earth was e’er begun;

More splendid victories for truth the Prophets never won.

They’ve gathered ransomed legions from far and distant lands,

Dispelled the fogs of ages, and broke the tyrant bands.

And this is but commencement, a beginning of the plan,

Projected in eternity before the world began,

To found a righteous Kingdom, whose power will never end,

Where every man will meet in peace a brother and a friend.

The ultimatum of the Saints will be supremely great,

And Utah, now oppressed, will be the great Millennial State.

‘Tis futile for despotic fiends to play their venal game,

For Zion will eclipse her foes, and put them all to shame.

No grasping tyrant then will seek his fellow to oppress,

Nor dare to subjugate the weak, and place him in duress;

The Saints must have their heritage, and hinder it, who can?

Since Heaven has vested power on earth to execute the plan.

‘Tis folly and presumption for mortals to contend

Against the Priest or Prophet the Lord may choose to send;

No matter if the chosen one should be the merest youth,

He’s bound to win the battle when vested with the truth.

‘Twere better men had ne’er been born, than human tyrants be;

And better with a millstone be cast into the sea,

Than harm the Lord’s Anointed, or least of all His Saints,

For retribution follows a righteous man’s complaints.

The tempest and tornado, and e’en the dread cyclone,

Are ministers to execute fiats from the Unknown.

And lightnings, plagues and pestilence are also held in store,

To waste besotted nations till the wicked rule no more.

Then rally all ye noblemen from every sect and creed,’

And help us fight the battles ‘gainst tyranny and greed,

Nor rest upon our armor till human rights shall be

O’er all the earth extended, and every soul be free.

 

From The Contributor 4 (1882-1883)

In fact, there is so much Mormon poetry that discusses the restoration it is a little hard to point to additional individual works that may be of interest. The current LDS hymnal, for example, has no less than 30 hymns about the restoration, beginning with the first hymn in the book, The Morning Breaks, The Shadows Flee (which, I might add, was written by Parley P. Pratt as the introductory hymn for the 1840 English hymnal).

In addition, Pratt’s collection, The Millennium, the first published book of Mormon poetry, includes his Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, which covers the restoration. Eliza R. Snow twice wrote about the history of the Church, first in a poem titled The Gathering of the Saints, and second in her Two Chapters of the Life of President Joseph Smith, which were published in her book Poems, religious, historical and political. More recently, General Authority S. Dilworth Young published his poetic look at Church history, The Long Road, in 1967.

Somehow, all these poems are long, which really makes it seem like addressing the epic events in this vision and in the restoration requires long works. So, if you’re looking for something short, perhaps you should stick with the hymns.

James Taft “Jimmer” Fredette began 2011 leading BYU’s basketball team to the NCAA championships, leading many to expect that the team might make the later rounds of the playoffs. While those hopes were unrealized (in part due to the sudden withdrawal of BYU’s next most important player, Brandon Davies), BYU’s performance in the tournament set a high point that hasn’t been rivaled by a BYU team since 1981, and Jimmer earned every major National Player of the Year honor, including the Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, the Adolph Rupp Trophy, and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

After finishing the season and graduating, Fredette was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, who promptly traded him to the Sacramento Kings as part of a previously arranged deal. Although his first season was cut short by the basketball strike this past year, Fredette played his first game December 17th. He is currently the only Mormon playing in the NBA.

Central to Fredette’s impact is his popularity among Mormons, which was so strong that it attracted national attention, coining terms like “Jimmermania.” Particularly fascinating, in our social-networking informed world, were the reactions to an early February Facebook post attacking Jimmermania, which extended to something like 600 comments in less than 10 hours (250 in one hour alone — see the archive here – no, I didn’t count them). The thread itself was mentioned on ESPN, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo, the Deseret News and dozens of sports websites and blogs.

Like our selection of Elizabeth Smart last year, Jimmer is still young and has many years ahead of him. While his performance in the NBA hasn’t gained him much of a following outside of BYU fans, he can reasonably be expected to play in the NBA for years to come.

The Mormon of the Year designation is a recognition of the effect that a person or group has had during the past year. It is not a prize or award, so nothing of value is being given to anyone as a result of this designation, and it is not necessarily meant to honor the person or persons recognized, so no effort will be made to contact or notify Jimmer.

We were very pleased by the interest in selecting the Mormon of the Year. Times and Seasons readers nominated 21 possible candidates in addition to the original 5. We learned a lot from those nominations, especially the range of our readers’ beliefs and feelings. Some of the Mormons we learned have done significant things and deserve to be on a list of possible Mormons of the Year.

The LDS Church’s First Presidency (including the Prophet) and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were excluded from nominations.

We also appreciate those who participated in our online vote or commented on the nominations, which taught us a lot about the passion that many people have for those that they admire. Nearly 600 people voted in our poll (up substantially from last year), including many readers new to Times and Seasons. We hope that those who dropped by enjoyed Times and Seasons and will visit us again.

Please plan on participating in next year’s Mormon of the Year nominations. I’m sure that many of the nominees will show up next year, and those of us who were unfamiliar with some of the nominees can use that time to become more familiar with them. Certainly we will re-nominate some of them next year. And, as we discovered this year, the changing nominations make the selection process very different each year.

Hymn of Praise

Wide is the gate and broad the way

That leadeth unto death and sin;

Protect us, Father, night and day

Lest, thither lured, we venture in.

Oh, may we make the Lord our friend.

And choose the narrow path made plain.

And live for light to comprehend

How we may life eternal gain.

Lord, grant us grace that we may cling

With ardor to the Iron Rod;

And should the effort suffering bring.

Still give us strength to honor God.

Rock of our refuge, hallowed be

Thy holy name. Thine arm is sure;

From time to all eternity

Who trust in Thee may rest secure.

Our bosom friends may turn aside

And scorn the paths of truth and right;

The wicked virtue may deride

And blackness lend to error’s night.

But Thou, O God, art still the same;

Changeless Thy laws, boundless Thy love;

All truth is written on Thy name,

All power in earth or heaven above.

by J. C.; from Juvenile Instructor v24 n13, July 1, 1889, p. 320

There are many other works that mention the Iron Rod, including Hymn #274, The Iron Rod (aka To Nephi, Seer of Olden Time), which the lesson mentions as an additional teaching aid because it talks so much about the vision. Hymn #254, True to the Faith, also mentions the Iron Rod, although as an admonition, not as a description of the vision.

I get a kick out of LDS Artist James Christensen’s image, The Iron Rod, which can be seen as part of an interview with him in the periodical Mormon Artist #13, which explains why so many people have trouble holding on to the Iron Rod. It may be possible to somehow display that image as part of the lesson, but care must be made to not violate the copyright law.

I think it is worth mentioning that the Iron Rod symbol is also a part of Richard Poll’s potent Iron Rod/Liahona dichotomy, as explained in his 1967 Dialogue essay, What the Church means to people like me. However, I can’t really figure out any way to work that into this lesson.

[fn1] General Conference talks have mentioned the Iron Rod increasingly in recent decades, 19 times in the 1980s, 23 in the 1990s and 41 times in the 10 years starting in 2000. But before 1980, it was never mentioned more than 10 times in a decade, and sometimes not at all.

Despite the literary possibilities in this parallel (largely unrealized as far as I know), the poem I found this week is from well before the Mormon trek. While it isn’t specifically about the Book of Mormon text, it does talk about the need for obedience something like Nephi’s “I will go and do the things the Lord commands” statement. And, it addresses the idea of traveling into a promised land through the wilderness—but the group doing the traveling is “Pilgrims,” which I assume is a generic reference to religious peregrines rather than to the Massachusetts settlers of 1620.

Like many Mormon poems before the Mormon trek, this one has a millennial flavor to it, an expectation of the return of Christ. Surprisingly, it was first published anonymously in the second issue of the Evening and Morning Star, in July 1832, making this one of the earliest published Mormon poems—an something quite prescient of the later trek and travails of the pioneers. Like the other poems in the Evening and Morning Star, it was meant to be sung in Church services, and may have been intended for the first LDS hymnal, but in the end it was not included.

[I should note that while this poem theoretically could have been written by a non-Mormon, I haven't been able to find it published anywhere but in a Mormon publication—and in very few of those.]

The Pilgrims’ Hymn

Go on, dear pilgrims, while below,

In wisdom’s paths of peace,

Determin’d nothing else to know,

But Jesus’ righteousness.

Do like, the Savior, follow him,

He in this world has been,

And oft revil’d, but like a lamb,

Did ne’er revile again.

O take the pattern he has given,

Seek first the things of worth,

And learn the only way to heaven,

Is-worship God on earth.

Remember we must watch and pray

While journeying on the road,

Lest we should fall out by the way

And would the cause of God.

Go on rejoicing day by day;

Your crown is yet before,

So fear no trials on the way,

The scene will soon be o’er.

Soon we shall reach the promis’d land,

With all the ransom’d race

And meet with Enoch’s perfect band,

To sing redeeming grace.

There we shall be when Christ appears,

And all his glory see,

And reign with him a thousand years,

When all the world is free.

Our souls are in his mighty hand,

And he will keep them still;

If faithful, we shall surely stand

With him on Zion’s hill.

Him, eye to eye, we there shall see

Our face like his shall shine;

O! what a glorious company,

When saints and angels join!

O! what a joyful meeting there,

In robes of white array!

Palms in our hands we all shall bear,

And crowns that ne’er decay!

We’ll hasten to our earthly home,

While Jacob gathers in,

And watch our great Redeemer come,

And make an end of sin.

When we’ve been there a thousand years,

Bright shining as the Sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,

Than when we first begun.