Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-01
BRIGHAM YOUNG.
A Sketch of the Prophet by One Who Knew
Him Well.

| Him Well.
| J. A. Mcknight in worthingson's Magazine.
Though kind and gentle in manner in his
| public relations he was in fact and at heart a
J tyrant OF the most pronounced type. Among
his wives and children he was regarded with
! something akin TO awe, but an awe that WAS ac-
companied with profound respect. All his
wives addressed him and spoke Of him
brother Brigham" They maintaineda digni-
| fed reserve toward each other. while the
/ prophets manner to them WAS generally of
| lordly character. But the children OF the va
rious wives mingled together like own brothers
and sisters. and some of the strongest friend
ships in the family grew up between the daugh-
tiers the sons of different wives. The days
routine in the "Lion House." his principal resi-
dence in Salt Lake City, was as follows:
In summer at Z and in winter at o'clock
morning prayer was held in the large family
psrlor. The prophets bell would be heard re-
echoing through the long hallway as the clock
struck the hour. Everybody required to
be present unless kept away by some good and
sufficient cause. 1t was wonderful sight to
dock of ten twelve children Of about
the same age run to his knees for the morning
salute aud to note how he had a kiss and play
full word for each. The large room would be
filed with women and children and as he would
see them no more until evening prayer IN the
same room he listened to all requests or COM
plants. and then all knelt down on the floor
and he PRAYED earnestly for from fifteen min
utes TO half an hour.
There were two unvarving passages in these
prayers that are singularly significant IN the
light Of history, namely, Continue. we pray
Thee. On Lord, TO hide up the treasures in these
mountains" and Let the Lamanites be the
battle of the Almighty" He had dread II
the revolution which was sure to come II ever
the mineral treasures of the mountains were
developed; and he regarded the ''Lamanites,"
book OF Mormon name for the American
Indians. the natural avengers Of the Lord
against the enemies OF His saints. There is
food for rejection in the utter futillty OF both
these eSotistical pleas. But they were founded
upon mis- Interpretation OF biblical teachings.
like many Of his other errors ard folies.
There was family school which was devoted
entirely to his children and those of immediate
relatives, and it was as much as the lOng-suffer
ing school mistress. Sister" Randall could do
TO manage her lively flock and drum the three
Rs into their giddy heads The girls were all
bright and full of fun, and the boys were from
| fair TO average. some OF them evincing capacity
for application that prepared them to succeed
in the various pursuits they have chosen.
The meals were served regularly in the Lion
House. the fare being plain and substantial.
Each wife had table for her family, but the
food was prepared in and served from COM
mon kitchen by regular set Of female servants,
who were treated with uniform kindness.
After evening prayer each member of the
family did what he or she pleased but it is in
dicatiye OF the general character of the family
that they were always present in force at the
| theater, to which they we're admitted free BY
! side door. nearly always filling one entire side
OF the balcony, which was reserved for them.
Members OF the family were often present at
the various ward dances in winter, and besides
giving family entertainments of a simple and
| unpretentious kind they were always favorites
at similar entertainments given by others, as
| they danced well and were of lively and social
| dispositions.
Each wife who lived in the Lion House had
her own distinct suite of apartments, in whose
precincts the other wives seldom or never in
/ truded. The only common territory in the
| house was the broad hall running through it on
| the first floor, the dining rooms in the base
ment, the big parlOr and an immense latticed
| veranda extending along the west side of the
| building. The rooms were all neatly but plainly
| carpeted and furnished, and the lveliest kind
! Of home life existed there among the younger
| children.
The girls were required to help their mothers
| with hoCsewora and sewing, and always seemed
| very cheerful about il. Some Of them could
| sing and play fairly well, though their oppor-
| tunities for instruction were of the poorest.
| The boys also had their regular duties to per-
form-working in tine garden, milking cows,
attending to poultry, and such other light
chores as boys could do, with the double ad-
| vantage of learning something useful and Of
| being kept out of mischief.
! One of these duties carrying the bread
| for the Lion House from the bakery. An old
German, one of the typical characters of early
Salt Lake life and whose name was Golightiy,
kept the first bakery in the country, known as
/ THE Globe" Goiightly baked the bread for
| the prophet and his family. and excellent
| bread it YVES, very different from the stuff
| made at home by large majority OF the early
! saints. Then the boys took regular turns of a
week for driving the COWS to pasture before
school time in the morning and fetching them
up in the evening.
Vegetable gardens. orchards ard vineyards
! OF the most extensive and productive kind
were in the immediate vicinity of the house
. and supplied the tables of the great family
with every deilcacy IN summer. Some of the
apples, potatoes. onions, &c. grown there were
| also stored for winter. Each season a spacious
ice house was filed for the sole use of the
I family. SO that they were well provided at all
times with every necessity and with many lux
| uries
The family store was another institution on
| the premises, and it must be borne in mind
that all these things we're inclosed by a wall
twelve feet high. and were always carefully
guarded by armed watchmen. John Haslam
was the family storekeeper. and sometimes
| acted a. coach1nan or filled other equally con-
| fidential offices. The stock in the store con-
sisted Of a general line Of dry goods and gro
ceries. all Of which were issued to the wives
I prophet himself. The store was done away
| with after the establishment of "Zion's CO.
| operative Mercantile institution" and the
trade Of the family was transferred to that con-
! Germ.
| An excellent farm was also kept in operation
for the supply of the family few miles south
| of the city. One or more wives usually dwelt
| there, while others had their homes in various
| towns in the territory. On the farm the
| prophet planted extensive groves of mulberries.
The fruit was eaten by the family and the boys
and girls were employed in large numbers to
pick the leaves and feed the silk worms, for the
} prophet went into the silk-raising business OH a
small scale and the little mill ne founded is still
/ turning out some good material. Through his
| enterprise and initiative good roads were built
| through the mountains, saw mills and grist
mills established where they were most
/ needed, new districts were settled, water was
| brought from the mountains and irrigation
schemes laid out and perfected. and in his de-
| sire to render his people nearly independent
| as possible OF the outside world he set them to
I growing cotton at St. George in the southern
| part of the territory and build mills to manu-
facture cotton and wooden goods.
In order 70 attend personally to these ma
I terial matters as well To the spiritual well
fare OF the people he made one or two pilgrim
ages each year through the country. visiting
| each hamlet and town and encouraging the peo-
! pie in their work as only he knew how to do.
| These journeys were accompanied by much dis
! comfort and farjpua The roads were often