History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

THE GOLD-SEEKERS REBUKED. 303
But from the twelve came a stern rebuke. "The
true use of gold is for paving streets, covering houses,
and making culinary dishes; and when the saints
shall have preached the gospel, raised grain, and built
up cities enough, the Lord will open the way for a
supply of gold to the perfect satisfaction of his peo-
ple. Until then, let them not be over-anxious, for
the treasures of the earth are in the Lord's storehouse,
and he will open the doors thereof when and
where he pleases." 43
President John Smith wrote to the saints in California
in March 1848, urging them to gather at the
Great Salt Lake, "that they might share in the blessings
to be conferred on the faithful; and warned them
against settling down at ease in California with an
eye and a half upon this world and its goods, and
half an eye dimly set towards Zion on account of the
high mountains and the privations to be endured by
the saints."
"If we were to go to San Francisco and dig up
chunks of gold," said Brigham to the returned
battalion on the 1st of October, 1848, "or find it in
the valley, it would ruin us." In an address on the
sabbath he said: "I hope the gold mines will be no
nearer than eight hundred miles ... There is more
delusion and the people are more perfectly crazy on
this continent than ever before... If you elders of
Israel want to go to the gold mines, go and be damned.
If you go, I would not give a picayune to keep you
from damnation." 44 "I advise the corrupt, and all
who want, to go to California and not come back, for
I will not fellowship them. . .Prosperity and riches
blunt the feelings of man. If the people were united,
I would send men to get the gold who would care no
more about it than the dust under their feet, and
then we would gather millions into the church . . .
43 Second General Epistle of the Twelve, dated Salt Lake City, Oct. 12,
'1849, in Frontier Guardian, Dec. 26, 1849.
"Hist. B. Young, MS., 1849, 100-2, 123.