Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-15

Chairman.
EW RS ELIZABETH CLARtDGE
NH McCCNE has received letter
| from her father In ARIZONA,
Patriarch Samuel Claridge.
There are some very interesting Incl
dents relating to temple work IN this
letter aud hence its appearance In this
department. il should be stated tina.
Elder Clardge and his daughter. Mrs
Mcclure, have abored for many years
in work for their dead. Special Jour-
neys have been taken 10 England while
every possible source OF information
has been sought in order to Secure
their genoalogy. AS is stated IN this
letter more than 400 OF their dead
nave thus far been o!liciated for, ana
the end Is not yet. Docs the end over
Gomez Following is the letter:
thatcher Arizona, June 4. 1907.
My Dear Daughter Elizabeth:
IL Is with much interest that I read
the genealogical articles prepared by
your committee, and published In the
Saturday Evening News. And al
yourself Hnd Sister Gates there solicit
all the items and information YOU can
obtain on the subject of tenlple work
as well as gencalogy, I thought would
send You q few items of my late *,
perlences In this direction
have been interested in this work.
now with yourself. for over Is years
and as you know, ! am nearly so years
or age But my interest in temple
work grows kcener and stronger with
| every days experience
During my visit 10 yOti last fall.
when we OBLIGATED Tor nearly 200 Of
NV kindred and friends. supposed.
and said TO YOU, that we now had nm
! ished up all the names Of friends and
Kindred which / could possibly secure.
or remember. For these made up
about l4O0 we had done for, and I
| thought had completed an my work
| in that line. But since my return
| home. l have been enlightened by .he
| Spirit, and have had brought to my
! mind many Of my own and my
fathers friends which I had not re-
| membered for these many years. I
always wake up about . or 3 O'Clock
! IN the morning, and lie awake for som q
| time. In these quiet hours my mind
is drawn out in spirit; and this winter.
| l nave remembered and Communed
with some, Of whom ] had not thought
for over 80 years. Their forms and
faces and names would appear before
me as plain and distinct as when
| knew them In youth and childhood. AS
soon as possible after such an impress
sion, / would take pains to record
their names and dates, and In this way.
| nearly 100 more of my friends and klns-
FOLK have been prepared for future op-
! portunty I'm baptism. / have received
word of the death of my old Sunday
school teacher, who was 9S years of
age. and with whom have correspond
| ed for many years He has furnished
me with many items concerning my
dead friends and kindred, some of
| whom / speak of later In this letter.
In order TO illustrate how much in
terest the spirits are in the work we
are doing for them in this life and In
our temples / wish to relate several
incidents and q dream. You know
that i was a local Methodist ureacha'
for some years in our old English hom.
and father often entertained the trlv-
| cling ministers at his hoe. Their
were two old Methodist preacher.
whose names did not put down last
| fall. partly because | did not know
| they were dead But some time since
| they came to me in a dream, and put
| ting their arms about me. they I'm
| plored me earnestly not to forget them;
| and then ] knew they had accepted
the gospel on the other side and
wished their work attended TO here
| Since then I have learned of theil
death. Another of my Sunday schoo
| teachers, for whom had been hap
tized, appeared 10 me in a dream, and
showed to me IN a peculiar manner his
gratitude for what I had done for him
| This gives great satisfaction for the
| labors performed, for il testifes OF the
| Joy OF those for whom we officiate
And now, let me relate one more in
stance. this of very recent occurrence
The other night was engaged as usua
| In my night reflections concerning tn,
| temple work, and the manner in which
my mind had been led OF late to dwell
upon my old friends and neishbors
| Several of my old friends whom ] had
forgotten came before me at this time
in very clear light; but | asked my,
self n was not going too fast in trying
To save everybody, and making tn,
blessings of the House of the Lord toe
common. being alone. and much trou,
blcd, / concluded would ask the Lore
TO manifest His mind 10 me on tht
matter, by dream or some Satisfying
way ! asked Him to show me IL my