to the Spirit and necessities of the work of God, and excommunicated Alvord, at once, for his presumption and wickedness. That was the beginning, the extent and end of "Danites," except as the enemies of our people have mouthed the word as a sweet morsel under their tongue, thus preserving the name from the oblivion of the nearest thing that it ever came to mean, "which died ere it had yet begun to live." Thirdly. The falsehood contained in this charge is a repetition and enlargement of the one before. As to producing names of parties composing the "treasonable organization," the fact that this was never done, considering the disposition there was to do it, is convincing evidence of the Judge's inability to fulfil that promise. Fourthly. The following from the affidavit of Mr. Curtis E. Bolton, Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court of Utah, directly disproves the assertions of the fourth charge; one which had quite as much weight as any, if not more, and was assuredly as well founded: "I do solemnly declare this assertion (fourth charge), is without the slightest foundation in truth. The records, papers, etc., of the Supreme Court in this Territory, together with all decisions and documents of every kind belonging thereto, from Monday, September 22, 1851, at which time said court was first organized, up to this present moment are all safe and complete in my custody, and not one of them missing, nor have they ever been disturbed by any person." Fifthly. That Drummond might justly have been "insulted, harrassed and annoyed," derided and hated for his criminal connections with his picked-up harlot, we do not feel disposed to doubt. But that he or any respectable man, occupying a federal position was thus treated by the 'Mormons' is false. Chief Justice L. H. Reed, and his successor J. T. Kinney, both testified in the highest terms of praise to the cordial reception they met, and kind treatment received among the 'Mormon' people. Many officers since those times bear witness to this. It is characteristic of It ap our people to treat dignitaries with great respect, at all times when they afford an opportunity. In most cases, however, the federal officers sent to us have taken pains, in the commencement of their labors here, to stigmatize the people and put it beyond their power to accord those courtesies, which would be spontaneously given, if there were the least encouragement assured that they would be received by the officers with any degree of consideration. pears to us, of late years particularly, that many Federal officers have the idea that they are sent here not to benefit the people but to menace them and maintain a stiff, unapproachable attitude of superiority. The whole dignity of the Republican government, one would think, had to be sedulously maintained by their careful avoidance of any contact with the great body of the people. No community, that we have heard of, ever had so much "greatness thrust upon them" as we have, in this respect. Sixthly. The annual enthusiastic celebrations of the Nation's anniversary gives the lie to this charge. If the chief executives were slandered and abused, how is it that several counties of the Territory were named after them, and the capital city, also, for several years bore the name of President Fillmore. That the acts of the various administrations were criticised by the "Mormons" it is not necessary to deny; but that is one of the chief prerogatives of American citizens, and is no where exercised with less license than in Utah. These are the famous charges of Judge Drummond, briefly shown up for what they were worth; but the value put upon them, in 1857, when public opinion was at fever heat against the people of Utah, can scarcely be realized by those not acquainted with the facts. These slanderous charges, vain, absurd and trifling as they are, produced a commotion in the land that will always be remembered as most unwarranted and childish, besides expensive, costing the Government more than forty millions of dollars. Vaux. A CONSECRATED LIFE. 55 A CONSECRATED LIFE. ADDRESSED TO APOSTLE ORSON PRATT, ON ATTAINING HIS SEVENTIETH YEAR, SEPT. 19, 1881. "How was he honored in the midst of the people, in his coming out of the Sanctuary!" "He was as the morning star in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon at the full;" "As the sun shining upon the temple of the most High, and as the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds"-ECCLESIASTICUS. There are thoughts the heart doth cherish, thoughts that never, never perish, They are those that backward reach to a life enjoyed before; Ere we came to taste of sorrow, or to hope the coming morrow Yes, our infant life in glory, had its thrilling, stirring story, There were those amid the splendor of that home who failed to render These were true and faithful ever, yet their agency was never They were valiant once in contest, true when haughty rebels pressed "They shall bear in dispensations, unto earth and all its nations, This the oath, the promise spoken; and the word of God unbroken, In the archives grand, eternal, in the libraries supernal, In "the books" 'tis surely written, amid the blaze of heaven's day! To expound, enforce, and work upon true redemption's sacred plan! Names but lost to view (just hidden), names the future will unbidden And all their faith, example, triumph, shall God's Israel yet inspire! What a wondrous revelation, the meridian dispensation, Did to many a skeptic's faithless heart in Palestine display, Persecution was upon Him, and it fell upon His friends, Priests left no likely stone unturned, no coward lie by them was spurned They passed from dungeon, and through fire, to the glory which is higher So in this greatest latter time, in this most highly favored clime, The precious truths of old renewed, sees wicked men with hands imbrued His warning words will stand for e'er, and his true calling shall declare, Shall fertilize uncounted hearts of men who are, and yet shall be! Those brave ones whom His work inspired, those men whose inmost hearts were fired Who bravely patient stood the test, and clung the more with honest zest, By all the world may be despised, by their disciples much are prized, For the welcome truths they brought, that came as gold which long was sought, 'Twas far away on Europe's shore, where dashing breakers ever roar, Was heard a strangely moving voice, which made the very heart rejoice, A faithful man, devoted, true, pressed home the message, old yet new, And whether men approved or no, the Gospel trump did loudly blow, The flying years have sped since then, yet well the heart remembers when Increasing age creeps on apace, and the champion of the race, Our deep and earnest thoughts we give, that he our teacher long may live, O! if 'tis now Thy blessed will, Thine aged servant give us still, A CONSECRATED LIFE. "Whene'er this mortal life shall fail, may pure devotion's incense trail, Of the blessings promised to him, 'neath thine heaven's unclouded sun!"' "Let Israel's hearty voice be heard, fervent prayers in ringing word, They have bravely filled their mission, and a few have had permission Waiting for the welcome summons which is coming "by and bye!" Where the spires of glory glisten, as the Saints forget to listen, For they join the anthems pealing through the arches made of gold! O! a corner e'er so humble, when old earth begins to crumble There all the faithful shall have peace, there enjoy that full increase, The angels shall in bliss look on, for exaltation fairly won, And sweep their harps in joyous strains of music which hath ever moved! 57 Henry W. Naisbitt. ACTS OF LOVE.-Each one of a thousand acts of love costs very little by itself, and yet, when viewed all together, who can estimate their value? What is it that secures for one the name of a kind neighbor? Not the doing of half a dozen great favors in as many years, but the little everyday kindnesses none of which seems of much consequence considered in itself, but the continued repe tition of which sheds a sunlight over the whole neighborhood. These little kindnesses that come from a loving heart are the sunbeams that lighten up a dark and woeful world. Character must stand behind and back up everything-the sermon, the poem, the picture, the play. None of them is worth a straw without it. THE CONTRIBUTOR. observed on his return home, that his ORSON PRATT. THE Gatherer of life's harvest has been busy this year, reaping indiscriminately, it would seem, the young and tender plant, just budding into bloom, and the full, ripe shock, weighed down with fruit and ready for the garner. Of the latter, a bounteous harvest has been gathered home. Many of the veteran fathers, whose familiar forms have long been cherished as strong pillars of the Church, have been called away, and with the departure of each,the reflection is forced upon us that their numbers are fast diminishing. It will not be long before a Saint of Kirtland days, of Nauvoo times, even, will be rarely met. Already we have to mourn the absence of the last faithful member of the original quorum of Apostles. How many other quorums are completely eliminated of their original members, we cannot say, but fifty years added to the youngest of those, who first composed them, brings them nearly to the shadow of the valley of death. On the morning of October 3d, 1881, the venerable and illustrious Apostle, Orson Pratt, died, at his residence in the 19th ward. He had been an invalid for over a year, and his grand, strong, almost iron constitution had been broken for upwards of two years, in fact from the time that he performed his last mission to England, in the interest of the Church publications. It is said that he worked there, in preparing the plates for the new editions of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, from ten to fourteen hours per day. It was system had received a fearful shock, and we believe that he never completely recovered from it. The following admirable epitome of his laborious career appeared in the Deseret News, and briefly narrates the principal events of Brother Pratt's life: Orson Pratt was born in Hartford, Washington County, New York, September 19, 1811,and was the son of Jared His and Charity (Dickinson) Pratt. father was a descendant of William Pratt, who, with his brother John, came to this country from England with the Pilgrim Fathers, and afterwards located at Hartford, Connecticut, in June, 1636, having, as supposed, accompanied Rev. Thos. Hooker and others of his congregation from Newton, now called Cambridge, Massachusetts, to settle at Hartford. William Pratt was a member of the Connecticut legislature during some twenty-five or thirty sessions, and was one of the Judges of the first court in New London county. During Orson Pratt's boyhood, the family removed to New Lebanon, in Columbia county, where he attended school until 1825, acquiring a common school education, and becoming familiar with arithmetic and book-keeping. He also studied the Bible. From the time he was eleven years old, he worked at farming at different places, attending school in the winter. Going to Lorain County, Ohio, in the fall of 1827, in the fall of 1828 he performed a journey of nearly seven hundred miles to Connecticut, went thence to Long Island, and in the winter of 1829-30 studied geography, grammar and surveying at a boarding academy. In September, 1830, his brother, Parley P. Pratt, who had embraced the Gospel taught by Joseph Smith the Prophet, came with another Elder to the place where Orson was residing, who received their testimony and was baptized September 19, 1830, his birthday, being then nineteen years old. In the following month he traveled two hundred miles to see the Prophet Joseph, in Fayette, Seneca County, New York. On the 4th |