A String of Pearls: Second Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day SaintsVarious
Religion
A String of Pearls: Second Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints
Various
Latter Day Saint churches; Sunday school literature
In that country, and there are others very like it in this respect,
when friends have been long separated, there are some who think
that the best way to manifest good feeling and joy, at the reunion,
is to drink whisky together, and they think these meetings hardly
satisfactory unless they can get drunk.
McGaffey had a good many neighbors and friends, and he had, or thought
he had, to drink with them. The consequence was he got drunk, not once,
but several times.
Probably the first time he got drunk he was so ashamed of his conduct,
he a man professing to be a Latter-day Saint, that he got drunk the
next time to hide his shame. There are people, of whom we have heard,
who take just such a foolish, ridiculous course as this.
But whatever his motives were, he got intoxicated, and the people of
the town knew it.
This would have been bad enough under any circumstances; but worse
when it was known that he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, for, drunk as he was, he had taken pains to let
everybody whom he met know what Church he belonged to.
This is a habit that many drunken people have. He not only told them
what he was, but you may be sure he did not fail to tell them that he
was accompanied by one of the Twelve Apostles, and he boasted about
him, how eloquent he was and what a knowledge of the scriptures he had,
and told many other things of a similar character.
This, you will readily understand, was scarcely the way that Elder
Taylor wanted the gospel introduced for the first time to a people or a
nation, and, we doubt not, he was terribly mortified at the ridiculous
conduct of his companion. But he was there, and he had to make the best
of it.
They succeeded in obtaining, what in that country is called the
"Sessions House," which we would call the "Court House," to hold
meetings in, in which he preached and gave out another appointment for
the next evening.
The people, knowing probably of McGaffey's conduct, were very uneasy
and restless, and kept going out and coming in, so much so that Elder
Taylor told them that he did not feel like talking to them. He had
plenty of appointments to fill, and abundant opportunities of speaking
to people who would be glad to listen to him, he said, and as they
seemed so indifferent about paying attention, he would not speak at
that time. He added, however, that if there were any there who wished
to ask questions, or to converse with him, they would find him at a
certain place, mentioning to them the number of the house and the name
of the street where he stopped.
After this, they went out into the country, and held meeting in a large
barn.
This was well attended by the people and good order prevailed.
Among others who were present, were a number of young men who were
being educated at a college in that vicinity, who had many inquiries to
make about the principles of the gospel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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