Pillar of Light

by Gerald N. Lund

  Alice sat beside Will near the end of the bench, still close to Kathryn and Peter. She slipped her arm through his and he turned to look at her. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “For what?”

  “For making sure I was here today.”

  He smiled and squeezed her arm. “Thank you for being here.”

  Kathryn reached across Peter and touched Alice’s arm. “Oh, yes, Alice, we are so glad you are here.”

  Then before she could respond, Brigham Young stood and moved to the great pulpit that stood at the head of the room. Immediately the sound died away and all eyes turned to him.

  For what seemed like an eternity to Alice, President Young stood there without speaking. She had seen him once or twice before, but never at such close range. She was surprised that he was no taller than he was. He had seemed like such a towering figure before. But it was his face that drew her. He let his eyes sweep across the congregation. Then they slowly rose, taking in the great, towering walls, the pulpit at the far end of the room behind them, the beautiful arched windows, the exquisitely carved doors, the lamps hung from the ceilings or ensconced on the walls. His eyes were glistening, his lips pressed tight together to stop them from trembling, and she saw his Adam’s apple bob several times as he swallowed to try and keep in control. Finally, his eyes dropped again to look at the people and he leaned forward.

  “My brothers and sisters, I am deeply touched by this sight. We sit here today, in the house of the Lord, having come to worship him and offer thanks. Why am I so moved by this sight? Because I know that it is only through the indefatigable exertions, unceasing industry, and heaven-blessed labors of this people—labors given in the midst of trials, tribulations, poverty, and worldly obstacles—that we gather here in this sacred place this day. Some of that sacrifice, some of that tribulation, has been solemnized by the ultimate sacrifice, even that of death, to make this possible. And now here we are, about five thousand strong, gathered in this room and outside, having the inexpressible joy and gratification to be meeting for the first time here in the City of Joseph in the house of the Lord.”

  He had to stop for a moment, and one hand stole up to brush at the corner of his eye. “I know what this means, brothers and sisters. I know that it is only from the widows’ mites given by many, and tithing rising into the millions of dollars, that we have been able to see raised here a temple, where the children of the kingdom could come together and praise the Lord.”

  There was a long pause before he went on. “It certainly affords us all a holy satisfaction to think that since the sixth of April, eighteen forty-one, when the first stone was laid, amidst the most straitened of circumstances, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has witnessed their bread cast upon waters, or, to put it in another way, their obedience to the commandments of the Lord, appear in the tangible form of a temple.”

  As he continued, his gaze swept around the great building once more. “We see here today a temple that is entirely enclosed, with the windows in, with temporary floors, pulpits, and seats to accommodate so many persons preparatory to our general conference. I know this building is not complete, but we are making every effort to move the work forward. Even though we shall leave it in the spring, we shall leave it completed, and it shall be a monument to our determination to fulfill God’s requirement of us. Our hope is to dedicate this building in its entirety on April sixth next, but in the meantime, I should like to dedicate the portion that is now complete, in preparation for our holding conference herein.”

  He bowed his head and instantly all the congregation did the same.

  Alice was so swept up in the power of Brigham’s words that she didn’t think to close her eyes. She watched him in fascination, then turned to look at the people around her. His words, simple and brief, droned in her mind, but it was filled with other thoughts as well. As Brigham spoke to the Lord about the sacrifice of the Saints and their offering up, in liberality and in faith, their labors, their efforts, and their money in order to have this temple built, she looked down the row in both directions and she felt her heart swell. If the Steed family was not a perfect example of what President Young was telling the Lord in this prayer of dedication, then she could not think of any family that was a better example.

  Finally, she let her eyes stop on Will’s face. His head was bowed, his arms folded, his eyes softly closed. Instantly tears sprang to her eyes. How she loved this man! She could scarcely believe that he loved her in turn. Was this what had brought her to the Church? Yes, she answered almost immediately. There was little question of that. If it weren’t for her love for him, she might not even know about the Mormon faith. He had brought her to the point of inquiry. But was he the reason she had decided to join the Church?

  As she considered that, suddenly words seemed to fill her mind. I know for myself. Her eyes widened as she thought about what she had just said to herself. And then she nodded, understanding now. This was her answer. Will had brought her to want to know. But it wasn’t just for Will that she had made the decision. Yes! Her eyes were exultant now. I do know for myself. With tears streaming down her face, she lowered her head and closed her eyes.

  As she did so, Brigham Young was just completing his dedicatory prayer. “O Lord, with humble hearts, and in the name of thy Beloved Son, we dedicate this house—and ourselves—to thee. Amen.”

  Amen! Alice cried inwardly. Amen and amen!

  As the heads came up and the sound of hundreds of people slightly stirring filled the room, Brigham looked around in satisfaction. “Brethren and sisters, we should now like to devote the rest of this day to offering up the gratitude of our hearts. We shall render thanks for the privilege of worshipping God within this edifice, whose beauty and workmanship will compare with any house of worship in America, and whose motto is ‘Holiness to the Lord.’ We have called upon several of the brethren to speak to us on that theme and shall now ask them to come forward.”

  Alice hung back slightly as the family made their way down the road that led from the bluff and the temple site back to the main part of Nauvoo. Will was talking earnestly with Matthew and Peter about the day’s activities, but in a moment or two he noticed that she was no longer with him and he fell back to be beside her.

  She slowed her step even more, so that in a moment, they were some fifteen or twenty feet behind the rest. “Will?”

  “Yes?”

  “I think I have made a mistake.”

  His head came around with a sharp snap. “What?” And then there was that quick, boyish grin that she so loved. “You’re not going to try and back out on the marriage, are you?”

  She clasped his hand quickly. “Absolutely not.”

  “Then what mistake?”

  “In telling my father I would wait for a while to be baptized.”

  He stopped in midstride, pulling her to a halt beside him.

  She nodded firmly. “I mean it, Will. As I listened to President Young and the other brethren today, I felt very strongly that I shouldn’t wait. I’m doing it just to please Mama and Papa. Shouldn’t I be more concerned about pleasing my Heavenly Father?”

  To her surprise, Will did not answer her at once. She felt a stab of uncertainty. “Do you think I’m wrong?”

  “Of course not,” he said, moving forward again, but very slowly. “To want to please God is a wonderful thing. It’s just that . . . well, I’m not sure that Heavenly Father is displeased with our wanting to keep your family happy too. And if you are baptized now, they’ll think this was all a trick just to get you away from St. Louis so we could do it.”

  “I know,” she said glumly. “But Papa will try to talk me out of it whenever I decide to do it.”

  “I know,” Will said, “but all you did was commit to waiting until just before we are married. And that’s less than a month now.” They started walking again, Will deep in thought. Finally his head came up and he looked at her. “What if we do this? As soon as you and I return to St. Louis,
we’ll tell your parents that you are not going to wait any longer. Then I’ll baptize you immediately. They may not be happy about that, but at least they couldn’t accuse us of sneaking behind their backs.”

  She brightened instantly. “Oh, yes, Will. That would do it, wouldn’t it? It’s only two more weeks before we go back. I can wait that long.” She went up on tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the cheek. “Thank you, Will. That’s our answer, isn’t it?”

  The morning session on Monday, October sixth, was devoted wholly to the sustaining of Church authorities and officers and conducting other business. The only things of unexpected note came during the sustaining of the Twelve. In the order of their seniority, each member of the Quorum was sustained. When it was William Smith’s turn, Elder Orson Pratt rose and objected, observing that William Smith was an aspiring man and that he was working to undermine the legal Presidency of the Church in order to occupy the place himself. When the vote was called for, William Smith was unanimously rejected. When his name was put forth to be sustained as Patriarch to the Church, again the congregation unanimously refused to sustain him.

  Lyman Wight, another member of the Twelve, was still in Texas with his colony. He had refused to heed the call of the Twelve to come back. Someone proposed that he be rejected as well, but Heber Kimball noted that the Twelve were waiting for a response to their last letter and recommended that further action be postponed until they saw what Elder Wight’s answer would be. The congregation accepted that recommendation and voted accordingly.

  Finally, the business session was completed, the two-hour midday break also passed, and at two o’clock the next session began. By that time, the atmosphere in the temple assembly room was charged with excitement and anticipation. This was what everyone had been waiting for. It was time to have their questions answered.

  Caroline had saved a place for Joshua to join her, and he squeezed in between her and Savannah just as the choir began singing the opening hymn, “The Prodigal Son.” Elder John Taylor then read a list of sick persons and offered an invocation on the meeting and a plea that the sick would be healed. The choir sang another number, after which Elder Taylor called Parley P. Pratt to the stand.

  Nathan leaned forward, listening intently. He noted that most others, including Joshua, did the same. Nathan was not greatly surprised that his friend had been asked to be the first speaker. Two days before, he and Lydia had spent the evening with Parley and his wife. Parley told them that he had been asked to address the Saints on preparing for their journey.

  As Parley walked slowly to the stand, unfolding a sheaf of papers, Nathan reached out and took Lydia’s hand. She looked at him and smiled wanly. This was it, her face said. They all knew they were going, but today would finalize it, make it official. Somehow the very reality of it made it all the more disconcerting.

  Parley reached the pulpit, laid the papers on it, then grasped it firmly with both hands. “My brothers and sisters,” he began loudly, “I should like to speak to you for a few moments on the subject of our present situation and of our future prospects.”

  There was a low, almost inaudible murmur in the crowd.

  “As you know, a few days ago, in response to a specific request of a committee of upstanding citizens in Quincy”—the word upstanding was spoken with soft sarcasm—“we, as a church, formally declared our intention to cease from planting winter wheat or any other crops for next season and to leave Nauvoo as soon as the weather turns warm. As of now, we plan to dedicate the remainder of this magnificent building at April conference next, on the sixth of that month to be precise, and then leave shortly thereafter.

  “Obviously, that shall take considerable preparation on our part,” Parley continued. “You don’t move some ten to fifteen thousand people across a vast inland wilderness without careful and extensive planning. With only six months before our departure, we must begin that preparation now. Not tomorrow. Not after Christmas. Now!”

  He lifted the sheaf of papers. “I have been asked by the Twelve to do some figuring so as to give you an idea of what will be required. Each family must be prepared. The Church cannot simply take this huge body of people under their wings and somehow waft them to the Rocky Mountains. It will take every person, every family, every head of household starting to prepare now. You must be ready come spring to leave our beautiful city and sustain yourselves in the wilderness. Therefore, I give you the following list of requirements. Do not feel as though you have to remember everything I am about to say. We are in the process of printing up this list so that all may have it.”

  Now not a sound could be heard in the assembly hall of the temple.

  Parley looked at his sheet and began to read: “‘Requirements of Each Family of Five for the Journey Across the Plains.’” He paused, letting that sink in for a moment. “Each family consisting of five persons will require the following.” He glanced at his list from time to time, but was clearly citing much of it from memory. “One good, strong wagon, well covered; three good yoke of oxen between the ages of four and ten. Mules or horses can be used, but oxen are preferred. Two or more cows. One or more good beeves; some sheep if they have them.”

  He stopped and looked around. Many were nodding. The wagon was the basis for everything else. One could walk a thousand miles, but one didn’t carry a four- or five-month supply of food and goods on his back.

  Parley’s finger moved down the page as he read on. “Still thinking in terms of a family of five. You will need one thousand pounds of flour or other breadstuff and good sacks to put it in. One bushel of beans. One hundred pounds of sugar. One good musket or rifle to each man. One pound of powder and three pounds of lead, or perhaps more. Two pounds of tea; five pounds of coffee. Twenty-five pounds of salt. A few pounds of dried beef, or bacon, as they choose.”

  A thousand pounds of flour, Nathan thought in dismay. For city folk, especially those who had recently arrived with nothing more than the clothes they wore, that was no small requirement. And yet, a family of five would go through a lot of food in the months it would take before they reached their new home.

  “Now, as for other equipment. For each two families, a good tent and some furniture to put in it.” Parley got a wry smile. “Brethren and sisters, we’re talking about cots and perhaps a wash basin here, not sofas and pianofortes.”

  That brought a hearty laugh from the crowd and a reduction in the tension that had been building with the intimidating reality of the list he was reading. He lifted the paper again.

  “From ten to fifty pounds of seed to a family. And from twenty-five to one hundred pounds of farming or other tools. Clothing and bedding to each family of five persons not to exceed five hundred pounds.”

  Somewhere behind him, someone groaned. It sounded like the voice of a young woman, and that brought a second round of laughter. What Parley had just stated meant that on average, each person could take a hundred pounds of personal belongings. It sounded like a lot, but in most cases it would be a pitifully small portion of their total goods.

  “One or more sets of saw and gristmill irons to each company of one hundred families,” Parley intoned. “Cooking utensils to consist of a bake-kettle, frying pan, coffee pot, tin cups, plates, and forks, spoons, pans, and so forth. But remember, a few items will serve you well on the trail. A few goods to trade with the Indians. A little iron and steel, a few pounds of nails.”

  He stopped and took a breath, and Nathan glanced at Joshua. He was nodding slowly in approval. When Joshua saw Nathan looking at him, he leaned over. “He’s been careful. I think it’s a pretty good list.”

  “Yes,” Nathan agreed.

  “If you will consider all that I have read,” Parley began again, “that means that each wagon will be loaded at the start of the journey with about one ton of goods—not counting the family members. With the people, it will be about twenty-eight hundred pounds per wagon. For this reason, as you can see, people will be encouraged to walk when possible, to save the teams.”
He paused, but there was nothing but a few nods. “A few horses will be necessary for each company. Also a few cannon and ammunition for the same. There is also added two sets of pulley blocks and rope for crossing rivers to each company of a hundred families. Two ferryboats to each company. One keg of alcohol of five gallons for each two families. Ten pounds of dried apples for each family. Five pounds of dried peaches. Twenty pounds of dried pumpkin. Two pounds of black pepper. One pound of cayenne. One-half pound mustard. Twelve nutmegs. One fish seine for each company. Hooks and lines for each family.”

  He laid the papers down finally, took off his spectacles, and wiped them with his handkerchief. “I estimate that if a family were to start with nothing except their own personal clothing and bed stuff, outfitting themselves as herein described will cost about two hundred fifty to three hundred dollars.”

  That did bring several low moans. In a cash-poor society like Nauvoo, two hundred fifty dollars was a considerable sum. Now Nathan saw Joshua shaking his head. “I think he’s low,” he whispered.

  “This that I have read will require considerable sacrifice on the part of most of us,” Parley continued, “and so I would like to say just a word or two on that subject. I don’t know how this list of requirements has struck you, but I couldn’t help but think of how little it represents of what I have acquired since coming to this place some six years ago. We have, all of us, put in a great amount of expense and labor so that we could purchase lands, build houses, erect this beautiful temple. Now we shall walk away from it all. We might ask ourselves, why is it that after all we have done we are called to leave it? I would answer that, as our beloved Prophet Joseph taught us in the School of the Prophets, the people of God have always been required to make sacrifices. It is how we demonstrate our faith.

  “And I say to you, my brothers and sisters, if we have a sacrifice to make, then I am in favor of its being something worthy of the people of God. We do not want to leave a desolate place behind, a place that will be a reproach to us, but something that will be a monument to our industry, our diligence, and our virtue. And I say to you, Nauvoo is such a place.