Historical Milestones and Records of the Church

I have a few reflections in regard to what has been said here today and a few historical dates and facts which I would like to give in connection with the missionary reports that we have listened to on this occasion. Nearly all those who have been appointed to address you this afternoon in this hall may be said to represent the missionary department of the Church, and it is very interesting to note the missionary work that has been accomplished by the Elders of the Church so far ; and yet the great missionary work that lies in the future to be accomplished is of incalculable dimensions. ¶

Christ commanded His Disciples, just before ascending into heaven, that they were to go forth and preach the Gospel to every creature. We find it also recorded that the disciples on a certain occasion approached Jesus, as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, and asked Him about His second coming and the end of the world. In his answer to them he said. "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness to all people, and then shall the end come." ¶

This Gospel as referred to by the Savior on that occasion, is certainly not to be preached in a great many different ways; but it is to be preached in power; it is to be preached by authority; it is to be preached by the servants of God who have been properly commissioned to go forth for that purpose ; it is to be preached as a witness, and for that reason, John, the Revelator, while on the Isle of Patmos, saw that an angel should fly through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto those who dwell upon the earth. The Latter-day Saints bear testimony ,that that angel has come and that the true Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through him ; but they also believe that the work, the main work of communicating it to mankind, has been committed to mortals who are ordained in the flesh to go forth into all the world and proclaim the Gospel. ¶

I find that this Church, commencing with the time when it was first organized, has ever been true to its calling, to bear witness to the world ; since its first organization it has been diligent in sending forth its Elders to perform this great work. ¶

I find that before the close of the year in which the Church was organized, namely 1830, the restored Gospel had been preached to a considerable extent in the States of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio (the eastern part of Ohio), in the latter State by Oliver Cowdery and four other Elders who had been sent out on a special mission to the Lamanites. ¶

The next year, 1831, the Elders of the Church extended their missionary labors westward as far as Illinois and Missouri, and preached also in Indiana and Michigan, and going eastward they went as far as Vermont, where the first branch of the Church in New England was raised up by Jared Carter in the latter part of 1831. ¶

In 1832, the Elders reached, in their ministry, the state of Virginia, and preached in that part of said State which is now included in the state of West Virginia; they also crossed the Ohio river at Cincinnati into Kentucky. Other Elders, among them Orson Hyde and Orson Pratt, the same year introduced the Gospel in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine. ¶

In 1833, the labors of the Elders were extended into New Jersey and in 1834 into Tennessee and Arkansas. During the few following years, the Gospel was introduced into nearly all the Southern States. ¶

Then came the martyrdom of the Prophets and the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo, and it seems as though nothing has ever happened in the history of this Church to verify the saying of the Savior in regard to the mustard seeds, so perfectly as that same exodus. Hit the head of a mustard plant, when ripe, and it will scatter the seed abroad, so that it will cover a great area. The departure of the Saints into the western wilderness became the immediate means of introducing the restored Gospel into the western half of the United States. The circumstances connected with the driving out of the Saints from Nauvoo, at this particular time led, among other things to the sailing of about two hundred Saints from New York on the ship "Brooklyn," in the month of February, 1846. This ship doubled Cape Horn and introduced the Latter-day Saints with their Elders to the people of California, where they commenced immediately to preach the Gospel on the 31st day of July, 1846, when they landed ; and until the present time California has never been without a Latter-day Saint. ¶

I find also that as the Saints were driven westward, and as their camps moved across Iowa, and through that part of the country which is now Nebraska and Wyoming, the influence of Mormon Elders and Saints generally were felt in those parts. I find furthermore, that the Mormon Battalion, in being called to perform their grand march westward in the service of their country, in the latter part of 1846, traversed over what is now the state of Kansas in almost its entire length. "Mormon" Elders prayed, preached and sang the songs of Zion around their campfires as they traveled along toward the setting sun. Also a part of what is now Oklahoma was traversed by these same Latter-day Saint soldiers in their, journeyings, as were also New Mexico and Arizona. And when the Mormon Battalion arrived in southern California, in the early part of 1847, there was another introduction of "Mormonism" into that state from the east. ¶

In the year 1847, also, the exiled Saints pushed their way through to these western valleys of the mountains and founded their first settlement in what three years later became by congressional act the Territory of Utah. A fraction of the Mormon Battalion, as they journeyed from California eastward to join their families and friends in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, passed through portions of what is now Nevada and Idaho in the fall of 1847. ¶

Retracing my steps a little I may add that as early as 1837 the Gospel, as restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith, was preached by the Elders of the Church in Wisconsin and Maryland; as early as 1838 in North Carolina and as early as 1839 in South Carolina and Mississippi. Before 1843 the Elders, in their travels, had reached Alabama, Florida, Delaware, Georgia and Louisiana. A branch existed in New Orleans as early as 1848. Oregon first became a missionary field for our Elders in 1856. ¶

I will now, for a few moments, direct your attention to our missionary labors in foreign lands. In 1832, when the Church was only about two years old, the restored Gospel reached Canada through the instrumentality of Joseph Young, Brigham Young and others. Joseph the Prophet, Sidney Rigdon and others preached in Upper Canada in 1833 and Parley P. Pratt opened up a great mission in and about the city of Toronto in 1836. From Canada the Gospel spread to England. Elder Heber C. Kimball and others were sent to that country in 1837 and laid the foundation of that great and fruitful mission. Scotland was first visited by our Elders in 1839, Ireland in 1840 and Wales in 1841. But so far the Gospel had been preached only to English-speaking people. In 1843 the first Elders were called to the Pacific Islands. This mission was in a certain sense really the first foreign mission of the Church that is as far as foreign languages are concerned. Four Seventies were called that year from Nauvoo to go to the islands of the Pacific. One of these (Brother Knowlton F. Hanks) found a watery grave before reaching his destination. He was the first of our missionaries who was buried at sea. The other three Elders arrived at the Society Islands in safety, and about the time Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred in Carthage jail the first branch of the Church was organized by Addison Pratt on the island of Tubuai among a people who did not speak the English language. One of these first missionaries to the Pacific Islands, Elder Noah Rogers, was the first of our Elders to circumnavigate the globe. In that first mission in the Pacific Ocean still known as the Society Islands Mission there are today about [OCR: number illegible, printed as 'I'Soo'] members of the Church. ¶

In 1849 the restored Gospel was first introduced into France by the late William Howell and the following year by Apostle John Taylor and fellow-missionaries who organized a branch of the Church in Paris. ¶

In the fall of 1849 a number of missionaries were called from this valley — the first Elders called to foreign fields from Great Salt Lake Valley. Nearly all of these were called to open up new missionary fields among non-English speaking peoples and while it took some of these Elders many months to reach the different countries in which they had been assigned to labor, the next year, 1850, found them all entering upon their missionary work with more or less success. Thus, in 1850, a very successful mission was opened up in Denmark through the instrumentality of Apostle Erastus Snow and others. The first converts were also made in Sweden that year by Elder John E. Forsgren. Another mission was opened in Italy by Apostle Lorenzo Snow and missionary companions, and another one in Hawaii by Hiram Clark, George Q. Cannon and eight other Elders. ¶

In 185 1 the Gospel door was opened to the inhabitants of Switzerland, Norway, Australia and Chili, while William Willis brought the glad tidings to India and missionaries from Denmark first visited Iceland in the far off north. ¶

In 1852 the Elders penetrated further into their missionary fields, but did not open up any new ones of very great importance that year. ¶

I forgot to state that as early as 1841 the first Latter-day Saint missionary visited the Holy Land. Apostle Orson Hyde was the man who went there, and on the top of the Mount of Olives he dedicated that historical land for the gathering of Israel in the last days. Subsequently Palestine became a regular missionary field as a part of the Turkish mission. ¶

In 1853 our elders first preached the gospel on the island of Malta, in the Mediterranean which once was a missionary field of the Apostle Paul. Two elders also went to Gibraltar and commenced to preach the Gospel in Spain. Their work, however, was almost confined to the garrison under the English flag for when the elders attempted to cross the isthmus into Spanish Territory proper they were forbidden to do so by the civil authorities. ¶

In 1853, also, the elders entered the West Indies as missionaries, but met with little success. They also went to Prussia that year, but the elders going there were promptly banished from Berlin, and not till years later were missionary labors successfully commenced in the German-speaking part of the world. China was also tried as a missionary field in 1853. Brother Hosea Stout, an old stalwart Nauvoo "Mormon," went there, together with others, but they soon got discouraged and returned home. The Chinese, however, have become more enlightened since that time, and we have reason to expect that a successful missionary field will be opened in that land in the near future. ¶

In 1854 the Gospel was first preached in New Zealand, but scarcely any attention was paid to the Maoris until 1883. In 1884, missionary work was first commenced in Turkey in Europe. In 1888 the Samoan mission was opened, and in 1894 our elders began missionary labors in Tonga, another group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. In 1900 the Hervey group or Cook Islands and also the Marquesas group were made missionary fields by our elders. In 1901 Japan was entered by Elders Heber J. Grant and others. ¶

In summing up, I may state that so far we have preached the Gospel quite successfully in all the states of the Union, also in Canada, on the north, and in Mexico, on the south ; but I might say that North America is the only grand division of the globe that we have fully covered by our missionary operations. ¶

In Central America we have done next to nothing. In 1902 some of our Elders established themselves temporarily in Guatemala ; but we have not preached in San Salvador, in Honduras, in Nicaragua, in Costa Rica, or in British Honduras. ¶

In South America, we have done some preaching in Chili and Peru, but we have not done any missionary work in Columbia, Venezuela, British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Equador. All these countries in South America will yet be made missionary fields by our Elders. ¶

In Europe, we have done extensive missionary work. We have large and numerous branches in Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Belgium; but we have only a few Saints in Austria-Hungary, Italy, Greece, Turkey in Europe, Russia, Romania, Servia and Bulgaria. We have not preached at all in Spain and Portugal. ¶

In Asia, we have done limited work in Turkey (in Asia) including Palestine and Asia Minor, and also in parts of India, and we have visited China and Siam ; but we have done nothing in Asiatic Russia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Persia, Thibet, Arabia and Korea. ¶

In Africa we have only established a mission in the Cape Colony but there are other states there in which we have not yet preached the Gospel. Some of our Elders have visited Egypt, but have done but very little preaching there. As stated the only place where we so far have preached in Africa is the Cape Colony, in South Africa. Our Elders went to Cape Town in 1853 and continued their labors in that colony for 11 years. Nearly all the saints then emigrated, and it is only of late years that the Gospel door has been again opened to the people in that part of the world. ¶

We have preached the Gospel in all the Australian colonies, including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, West Australia and Tasmania, and also on both islands of New Zealand. ¶

In Oceanica, or the smaller islands in the Pacific Ocean, we have preached the Gospel in the following groups : Society Islands, Tuamotu Islands, Hawaii, Samoa, and Tonga, and to a limited extent, also, in the Marquesas, and on the Cook Islands, (Harvey group) . ¶

My brethren and sisters, we expect to preach the Gospel in all the world; and by way of conclusion I will say: May God speed the day that religious liberty may be given to all the inhabitants of the earth ; may the time soon come that all may enjoy the fruits of the Gospel as freely as they now enjoy the sunshine of the Almighty ; and may that love of liberty which has been kindled in the hearts of the people in our own land spread throughout the entire world, until our elders can go forth in peace and safety and preach the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. This is my sincere prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

The choir sang the hymn, "Jesus, lover of my soul." ¶

Benediction was pronounced by Elder William Spry. ¶