The Nevada journal. [volume] (Nevada City, Calif.) 1851-18??, 1857-09-25
BRIGHAM YOUNG A New YORKER.

|
lived near the line dividing Ontario and
Monroe counties, in the town of Victor,
at the time he became Mormon He
had always manifested a proclivity to
religious fanaticism, or rather he was a
lazy rapscallion, good for nothing, ex-
cept to howl at camp-meeting. He
lived in long shanty, with a dilapida-
ted, patient, suffering wife, surrounded
by host of tow-headed children. Oc-
casionally he made up lot of axe
helves and traded them off for sugar and
tea in other fits of industry he would
do days work in the hay field for a
neighbor, hoe the potatoes in his own
little patch, or pound clothes for his
wife on washing day. But his special
mission was to go to camp-meetings and
revivals, where he managed to get his
daily bread out of the more wealthy
brethren, in consideration of the JUNCTION
with which he shouted "ga-lo-rah !''-
On such occasions Brigham took no
thought of the morrow, but cheerfully
putting on his old wool hat, would leave
his family without -four in the barrel,
or wood at the door, and telling his wife
| that the "Lord would provide" he
would put off for weeks absence.
Poor Mrs. Brigham managed by bor-
rowing from her neighbors with the
small hope of paying, chopped the wood
herself, and with an old sun-bonnet
(Navarino style) went to the spring af
ter water, thoroughly convinced that
her lot was not of the easiest, and that
her husband was, to use a western ex-
preston, an ''ornary cuss y in which
sentiment all who knew him joined.
People were getting very tired of Brig
ham when Mornonism turned up. He
was just the man for the religion, and
the religion seemed expressly adapted
to him. He became an exhorter, held
neighborhood meetings, ranted and
howled his doctrines into the minds of
others as weak as himself, and finally
went west with the rest of them, where
he has developed his powers until the
poor, miserable, rustic loafer is governor
of territory and the chief prophet of
great religious sest He has just the
mixture of shrewdness and folly which
is required for success in fanaticism or
quackery. A wiser man could not hold
his place. A man must be half fool and
half knave to be successful quack.
Heber G. Kimball was man of more
respectability. He was born fanatic,
and if he were not Mormon would be
something else just like it. In his
church-he was Baptist originally
he was one of those pestilent fellows
who want resolutions passed at church
meetings withholding fellowship from
somebody else, and insist on having a
political codicil added to the Bible. We
believe he had some property. He has
much more talent than Brigham Young,
but is inferior to him in the elements of
quackery. He has very respectable
relatives now living in the part of Mon
roe county from which he started.
70 The wonderful facility which
Henry Clay possessed of putting every
man at ease with whom he came into
social intercourse has often been the
subject of pleasant illustrations, but we
remember nothing better in its way than
this:
A party of gentlemen had come on as
a committee of the citizens of one of the
Western towns, to make Mr.. CLAY
magnificent present of silver urn, or
something of the kind. They were re-
ceived by Mr.. Clay with his elegant hos
pitalities, and invited to dinner, at which
time it was arranged that the presenta-
ton should take place. General NJ
Mum, the Chairman of the Committee,
was appointed to make the presentation
speech which he had carefully commit
ted to writing and to memory Fortify-
ing himself with two or three extra
glasses of wine, and rising to speak, he
began:
"Mr. Clay" but the words refused
to come. His embarrassment was not
relieved by another glass; and when, in
despair, he put his hand into his pocket
and drew forth the manuscript, he was
able to read it only in the most bung-
ling style, to his own modification and
that Of his friends. Mr.. Clay respond
ed; and soon after, as M'Munn was sit
ting next to him, Mr.. Clay said to him,
"What a pity it is. General, that you
did not take to public speaking at an
earlier period of life; you have all the
elements of a great orator."
"Do you think SO % gasped the Gen.
eral.
Certainly" said Mr.. Clay; call you
need is practice"
M'Munn was delighted. Fairly re-
covered from his modification, he enter
ed heartily into the festivities of the oc
casion; aid went home thinking that
he and Mr.. Clay were the two greatest
men that ever lived.
A Lore Scene orerheard and Phono-
graphically reported by Frederick Pine
pAellow-"Phairest of the phair % sigh
ed the lover, "phancy my pheelings
when 1 phoresee the phearful conse-
quences oph our phleeing phrom your
phathers phamily. Phew pbellows
could have placed the music with as
much phortitude as I have, and as phick-
!