The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-10-07

dent before we are called upon
to mourn the death of one of the
distinguished elders in Israel. If
the world knew him they too would
mourn his absence. We are also
called to mourn the death of our
young brother, who had just started
in the ministry; and it recalls forci-
hly to my mind when first crossed
the briny deep in the interest of the
ministry. Brother Pratt received
the keys of his ministry from those
who received it from the hands of
Peter, James and John direct.
While yet in his teens, he
went forth and taught the
the principles Of truth, and as has
been said. passed through the most
trying circumstances. He carried
with him, while yet imprinted,
copies of revelations, that he could
study them. It has been my
fortune to work with him in foreign
missions, and can say that if ever
there was a meek man, that man
was Brother Pratt; and he always
made his indomitable will and his
predictions conform with the re-
quirements of God. He was ali ASST
duous and studious man. and while
on his journeys would take his book
with him, and when he sat down to
rest, he would study his work. He
felt he had a right to know, and he
studied the sciences and clothed
them with the spirit of
inspiration. He was man of broad
mind and extensive research, and
Professor Proctor, who lectured in
the Theatre some time ago, was
forced to concede that Professor
Pratt was a man of extensive re-
search, Of great erudition, and was
Withal a modest man. When l be-
gin to talk of the life of such a man,
l scarcely know where to begin
or where to end. How elOQuen Tiy
he has dilated upon the glories
of the future. He is where his
power and his vision are extended.
am afraid to attempt to speak as |
would, because of lack of time, but
l remember to-day the first time l
ever heard him speak; how he
warmed my heart, and | felt to ask
if there was any one who could ex-
plain the scriptures as he did. Let
us not mourn his absence, for his
body has at last an opportunity of
resting for time from fifty years
of hard and asSiduouS labor in the
ministry. / feel that / would like
to say more Of our yonng brother,
who, though l did not knew him
well, l had learned to admire; and
love to see the sens of his father
come forward 10 carry on the work.
PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR said:
1t would be almost an impOSsibiity
to dilate upon the life and actions
and give even very brief history OF
a man like Orson Pratt during the
the time allotted to attend the fune-
raj obsequies of him and of Brother
Young. These must be left to his
tory. We have met to pay our
respects to the departed dead;
and while surrounded with
death, we also feel that we
are in the midst of life; we may
realize that we had All existence
before we came here, and that God,
Jesus. and the holy priesthood had
a hand in the management of these
affairs, and dictated the positions
we should occupy here. We came
here to take a body and fulfill a
work which our Father had de-
signed before this world was rolled
int existence, and before the morn
ing stars sang for glory. The
ancient prophets and apostles had
something to say about the plans
which were to be executed. When
men come here and perform labor
and when they have been sustained
by the Lord in that labor, they
have nothing to boast of; we have
nothing, the best of us, and can
only do right as we are sustained in
it by the God, the eternal father
Do we hope for eternal life, God
will prepare our tabernacles and
will take care of us, and it is to him
that we will owe all. We do not
feel sorrowful, if we feel right,
when a good man passes to
the other world We came from
God, and to God we return.
The scriptures say that he that in
herits eternal life is rich, and there
sleeps a rich man. Do mourn when
Brother Pratt dies? No; l say
good-by Brother Pratt, you have
fought the good fight. He was OF
dained for this work in the begin
ming. and he came at the proper
time to perform it, and was taken
away when the time came. There |
are works ten times as great beyond |
the veil, and when he is called away |
to labor elsewhere shall l mourn or |
feel that it is wrong? No. The |
father, of Joseph Smith, after he
died, sat with Abraham. And why |
with Abraham? Because Abraham |
was patriarch and the father of |
the Prophet Joseph was a patriarch,
and when he departed, he Joined his !
quorum in the next world. We all |
have ineStimable treasures bit they |
earthen vaults. Had Brother Or !
son failings? Yes, he had; have I |
tallIngs? Yes, L have; we all have |
failings, and we must trust in our
father and pray for his help. Shall |
we mourn those who have died? No.
| think they are better off there