Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-18

sat at one Of te desks A de-
clsion was soon made that a tithing
office should be built near the south
west corner of the block on which the
president OF the Church and the presld-
ing bishop were located. with Counsel
ors II. c, Kimball and Willard Rich
ards in close proximity. A little school
house was built by Brother Heber C.
Eimball Just north of City Creek, and
across from the Whitney corner, 1t
was used for meetings on Sunday and
for councils of the authorities of the
Church, the first presidency apostles,
Patriarch John Smith. presiding bishop
and the first council of seventy Bus
mess of vast Importance was trans
acted In that little unpretentous house
wonderful things almost miracles.
were talked over and anticipated II
was the beginning of a great common
wealth. And these men were founders
of what was known afterwards as the
provisional government of Deseret In
tho winter OF lS49-5O. Horace X Whit
ney. father of Apostle Whitney, and or
the business manager of The Dcseret
News, taught school In the schoolhouse
mentioned here, and the writer of this
article sometimes assisted him leaving
her baby with the other babies In
charge of MothorWhitney and an elderly
Welsh sister. who had come with US
from NauVoo as nurse for Mother
Whitney's babies. The young men and
girls who attended this school are scat
tered here and there, far and wide and
many OF them have passed away.
Among them were Joseph A and Brig
ham Young the older Kimball and
Whitney and Billings boys and others
whose names are forgotten-no record
kept as far as known; there were girls
too. Alice Young, Ann Maria Whitney,
Sarah Ellen Kimball and others
II would hn tu,nnSaihIo 10 toll tk,
things that passed through my mind.
while watching the workmen demol-
ishing the buildings that / had seen
in process of erection, three score
years before. When the old tithlng
Office was begun. Bishop Whitney was
looking after the work very anXiously,
knowing the immediate need Of place
for the tithing OF the people, vegeta-
bles. grain and other things Almost
every evening In the summer OF 1850.
with baby in my arms. | walked around
those grounds with him and he eX-
planned to me the various rooms In the
basement. and what they would be
used for, and all the parts of the build
ing, as II was designed; and he seemed
deeply interested in seeing II finished.
and ready for use, Alas. he was sud-
denly stricken down. with the work
only fairly begun.
gone with two little ones ] wandered
around the places and over the self
same ground, and watched the build
ing of the tithing Offices. and the tith-
ing store. as 1t was called al first, but
afterwards tho Dcscret News building.
and the small adobe houses I'm the same
yard Just east of The News. and the
high stone wall with It's massive pillars
that has attracted so much attention
fla of s4n-
verse criticism. Those small houses
have been the birthplaces of many
and of some great men; for instance.
the first governor of the state of Utah.
Hon. Heber NJ. Wells. and several of
the Wells girls and a number of the
sons and daughters OF Brigham Young
I fear | must not tell which of these
Those were historic homes. and many
marriages were solemnized there by
President Young and General WeIls III
tho early days.
In and around these old buildings and
the famous stone wall. forbldding as
IL might seem to those not familiar
with It's precincts, there seemed spirit
of peace and protection and security
one could not feel outside Every stone
was dear because of the association IL
seemed to have with those heroic men
who were its builders and proprietors
To see this wall torn down and tho
nlace that. to some of us at least
seemed hallowed ground, thrown open
we'll one can never tell tho feeling 1t
brought to the sensitive woman-heart
To see. as II were in vision. the
splendid men who were wont to tread
those grounds. may appear to those
who know not. 'uncanny." as tho
scotch folks say. but very real to the
writer OF this memory picture.
We clasp the hands OF those now long
since dead,
And press our lips to theirs in kisses
sweet:
Deserted paths and bygone places
tread.
And hand in hand familiar faces
greet,
1t came to pass. after many changes.
CONTINUED on last column.)