Heroines of "Mormondom": The Second Book of the Noble Women's Lives SeriesVarious
History
Heroines of "Mormondom": The Second Book of the Noble Women's Lives Series
Various
Chittenden, Mary Dunster, 1818-; Latter Day Saint women; Latter Day Saints -- Biography; Smith, Mary Fielding, 1801-1852
In vain she argued and plead. William was not to be moved. No one could
blame him for not being guided by his wife's advice. Albeit she was a
prudent, far-seeing, wise little woman, whose advice had always been
proved to be of the best; still the man leads the woman, not woman the
man.
But when Brothers Eldredge and Graham counseled him to return with
them, it was quite a different matter. They were over him in the
Priesthood and had a right to his obedience, even as he exacted
obedience from his wife and family. However he still refused, simply
saying, "I don't see how I can go just now, Brother Eldredge!"
And so the time passed on, and the Elders left Australia without the
Chittendens. The Davis family, who were baptized at the same time as
was William and his wife, accompanied the Elders, and part of the same
family are now residing in Minersville, Utah.
Here then was the grand mistake of William's life. He did not see it
then, nor for years after, but the time came when he wished in the
agony of his soul that he had gone to Utah when told to do so, even
if he had reached there without one penny to buy a crust of bread on
his arrival! Their girls were all with them and unmarried and they
could have brought their family unbroken to Utah. But instead of that
twenty-three years after they came with the merest remnant of their
once large family, leaving almost all their loved ones behind them, and
married to enemies of this work.
Is not this a grand lesson for our young Elders? How easy it is to
fancy that our own wisdom, especially about our private affairs, is
better than any one's else! But when the voice of God speaks through
His servants and says, "Do thou so!" woe to the man who turns from that
and works out his own will in direct opposition. Let this sink deep
into your hearts, my young readers, and remember always, God knoweth
best!
CHAPTER IV.
Although William was annoyed at the step his wife had taken, he
concluded to let matters go as they were. However, much to Mary's
chagrin, he took a farm close by, and tried to make another start.
Nothing seemed to go right.
On the 24th of July, 1850, Mary gave birth to another daughter, to whom
they gave the name of Rachel. The next year another company of Elders
came down from Utah under the leadership of Brother Stewart. These
also made their stopping place, while in that part of the country, at
the home of the Chittendens. But if the Elders met with little success
during their former mission, this time seemed a complete failure. No
one could be found to give them a moment's hearing. One Brother Doudle
came up near Camden, and used every endeavor to gain a foot-hold.
Instead of kindness he met with cruelty; and in place of bread they
threw him a stone. For two days he traveled and could find neither a
place to sit down, a crust to eat nor a thing to drink.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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