Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-02-05
ELDER EDWARD STEVENSON.
Brio Review of His LIES LIB
Read Before Quorum OF
styny.


last evening Elder Asauel II. Woo1-
ruif WAS ordained PRECEDENT and set
apart to fill the vacancy causad by the
division OF the quorum to form the
lI0th quorum. Elder Seymour b.
Y mig of the FIrst Council OF Seventy
wa present aud Instructed the
III mbers and officers In their duties.
Elder George q. Lambert, sanior
president OF The quorum. read the
following, which was adop,ei as thc
sentiment of the quorum, aud ordered
spread upon the minutes;
TRIB UTE TO PRES DENT EDWARD
STEVENSON.
Since our last mee.ing one OF our
| file leaders-One OF tho eeveu general
presiding Sevsnly--has pals.d from
mortality, anu 1t Ia not only proper
that as n quorum we take c0gnizsnce
OF the tact and have our record chow
to those who may peruse 1t hereafter,
the esteem In which he was held by
us, but It would also be well for us to
review his earthly career and draw
thereirom aud profit by the many val
| uaDle ltHtOUH MS llls'o ItEOEu lthCutbs
When Brother Stevenson heard the
| Gospel proclaimed and yielded obedi.
| ence to its requirements he was q poor
anu iatherless boy, possessed OF "a
strong and comely physical appear
| anee, but endowed with no extraordin-
airy mental talents. When he enlisted
| in the service of the Lord lie dill ii
as we who were familiar with him in
| life knew him TO DO everything he
without any reservation or
| doubt-with a determination to sue.
coed.
His early experience in the Church
was AMIDST perlls ana privations,
| scenes OF moboctatic violence anu
| cruel persecution. He witnessed the
| oveT-zealous commencement, cratic
pursuance and demorslized teTmina.
| ton OF the Gospel race as eesayed ny
many OF his fellows. He saw plightcd
love Tor truth turn to hatred, AM
avowed lealty for the LIrd's annoint-
| cd followed by heartess and wicked
betrayal. He was victim OF the fury
OF the ignorant, faustical bigois VINO
| inhabited Missouri ami IlliuOie, ana
| who drove and plundered and
finally bauished the suffering
Saints from the confines OF civili.
cation. In the meantime he remained
sleadfast to the Truth, firm 10 his al.
leuiance to the iLspIed leaders OF the
| Ssints, eager 10 liBten TO aud ever
ready to accept and obey, treasure up
| and record, the Instructions OF the
| Prophet whom God had raised up to
establish His Church in this dispense.
| tiou. His faith never JAILED when
enemies TO the truth were suffered to
prevail, ana though grieved ut his
| own impotence TO save those whom
he would willingly have given his
life in defense OF, he did not lose hope
when the Prophet and Patriarch were
| slain.
He was among the vanguard OF the
faithful, impoverished pilgrims VINO
Iourneyed westward TO establish u u
in The tops OF tho Rocky Mountains
tuliilment OF the Inspired prediction
be so faithfully remembered ana 30
tondiy and frequently quoted in the
hearing OF many thousands nos living.
| Here by patient toll he established q
home then and ever since regarded by
him as heritage from the Lord, anu
held sacred as such.
In any Other community perhaps
| than that OF the Latter-day Saints a
man with Us meager an education as
Brother Stevenson had been able to
gain would have had no special IN.
| centive 10 adopt any otner vocation
than that for which he had been
specially trained certainly not that
OF preacher or writer; but the change
In occupation Us q result Of being .
Latter-uay Saint are so common IN
IL " Ill appear Ouly natural 10 us thai
he SHOULD combine farming with his
trade OF tinsmith, anu that ere long
he should also be called to fiji mis-.
sion. He had been n successful trades.
man, and go continued Tor number OF
years afterwards. He wac also more
| than ordinarily successful as farmer
and apiarist, for upon these Iursuits he
relied chiefly as a means OF support
for his large and increasing family,
there being no pecuniary profit in his
| missionary work. 1t was as n mission
AIRY, however, that he was destined
to become meet celebrated, and from
the time he was fret called tu
engage in the ministry his chief in
terest was conferred in the work OF
saving souls. His was almost one
continuous mission or rather succes.
| sion OF missions from that time for
ward. He realized as perhaps few
men in this lite do the value OF
human soul, anu time, labor, trouble
and expense counted with him Hs
nothing in his eff Irls to awe his lei.
low creature. He had the ability 10
accumulate wealth, as no demons
strated ny his industry, economy and
careful management; but it was exer.
clsed oDly rs "a means 10 an end, ana
not rom any sOrlil motive. He had
three fs milies 10 support, who, ny the
! way, TO theif credit he II said, were
In sympathy with tim In his WORK of
sell sacrifice, and assisted him by
their Industry and econOmy, but,
aside from the duty OF providing Tor
those che was ambitious only to do
gOoi to and nave uthere.
Nobody ever heard o. Eiw I'd
Stevenson aspiring to the honots or
emolumenis OF civil Office, engaging
in political slfi o or seeking plsce or
prestige among financlers where
wealth is sometimes to he gained as
the result OF association and not from
the possession OF any talent on the
part OF those engaged. Very few,
however, who have been counted
great finanoiers have done as much
for the benefit OF their fellow Great
ures by the expenditure OF their
millions as Elder Stevenson did with
the eurplus he accumulated over what
was required 10 prOvide for the econo-
A.