History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

114 THE STORY OF MORMONISM.
An endowment meeting, or solemn assembly, held
in 1836 in the temple at Kirtland, is thus described
by William Harris: "It was given out that those who
were in attendance at that meeting should receive an
endowment, or blessing, similar to that experienced
by the disciples of Christ on the day of pentecost.
flourishing 3 or 4 weeks.' Kidder's Mormonism, 128. The building is now
occupied by a private family. Salt Lake S. W. Herald, June G, 1877.
'In order to pay the debt on the temple, they concluded to try mercantile
business, and ran in debt in New York and elsewhere some $>o0,000 for
goods, and shortly after, S50,000 or $60,000 more. In consequence of their
ignorance of business and extravagance, the scheme proved a failure.' Kidder's
Mormonism, 126, 128; Smueker's Hist. Mor., 76. 'Gilbert and Whitney's
store is still used for original purposes.' Salt Lake Herald, June 6. 1877.
'A poorly furnished country store, where commerce looks starvation in the
face.' Id., Nov. 17, 1877. 'Smith's store was seized and goods sold in Nov.
1S39.' Hyde's Mormonism, 203; Bennett's Mormonism, 135. They also spent
some thousands of dollars in building a steam-mill, which never profited
them anything. Kidder's Mormonism, 126. 'The skeleton of a superannuated
engine and its contrivances half buried in a heap of ashes—the shed that
covered" it having recently burned to the ground—marks the spot where stood
the asherv and its successor, the Mormon saw-mill, at the foot of Temple
hill.' Salt Lake Herald, Nov. 17, 1877. Heber C. Kimball, who went to
Nauvoo in 1839, built a pottery at Kirtland, the ruins of which were to be
seen in 1877. Ibid. 'After the temple was dedicated, the Kirtland high
school was taught in the attic story by H. M. Hawes, prof, of Greek and
Latin. There were from 130 to 140 students, divided into three departments—the
classic, where only languages were taught; the English, where
mathematics, common arithmetic, geography, English grammar, and reading
and writing were taught; and the juvenile department. The last two
departments were under assistant instructors. The school was begun in Nov.
1836.' TuUidge's Women, 99. 'On the 3d floor are a succession of small
rooms containing crippled benches, blackboards, ruined walls, and other
paraphernalia, which indicated that at some period of the temple's history
this part had been used as a primary school.' Salt Lake S. W. Herald, June
G, 1877. A Hebrew professorship is also mentioned. Remy'a Journey, i. 504.
'Immediately after the closing of the bank, and before the news of its failure
had time to spread, Smith with some 4 or 5 terriers (understrappers in
the priesthood) went to Toronto, Canada, where he preached, whilst his followers
circulated the worthless notes of the defunct bank. Brigbam Young
also succeeded in spreading about $10,000 of the paper through several
states.' Hall's Mormonism, 19-20. ' In January 183S Smith and Rigdon, being
at Kirtland together, were both arrested on charges of swindling in connection
with their worthless paper bank,' etc. 'The prisoners, however, escaped
from the sheriff in the night and made their way on horseback to Missouri.
' Tucker's Mormonism, 155-6. Smith and Rigdon ran away on the night
of Jan. 12, 1838. Hyde's Mormonism, 203. 'A new year dawned upon the
church at Kirtland,' wi'ites Smith, 'in all the bitterness of the spirit of
apostate mobocracy, which continued to rage and grow hotter and hotter,
until Elder Rigdon and myself were obliged to flee from its deadly influence,
as did the apostles and prophets of old, and as Jesus said, "When they persecute
you in oue city, flee ye to another;" and on the evening of the 12th of
January, about ten o'clock, we left Kirtland on horseback to escape mob
violence, which was about to burst upon us, under the color of legal process
to cover their hellish designs and save themselves from the just judgment of
the law.'