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Show Page 14<br><br>of the American Bible Society along the line of the Union Pacific railway from North Platte west. Visiting Salt Lake City, he took careful note of the religious needs of that city and other parts of Utah and later when Presiding Elder of Wyoming district, to which in the summer he was appointed, he still further collected the facts which he gave to Bishop Simpson that induced the Bishop to press upon the Mission Board in November, 1869, the duty and opportunity of creating Utah Mission. Of the Mission he was appointed at once the first superintendent by Bishop Ames, under whose supervision the Mission was placed. Since leaving the Rocky Mountain work he has been Presiding Elder of Sioux City district and also Fort Dodge district, in Northwest Iowa conference. When a member of the general conference of 1880 he secured the erection of what is now South Dakota Conference into a mission and in the fall of the same year his term as Presiding Elder being completed, he was transferred to the Mission and appointed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Two years later he was appointed to a district with seventeen charges and at the end of the year came up to conference with forty-six charges, all fully manned with wide-awake pastors. This necessitated the erection of new districts and he was appointed Presiding Elder of Sioux Falls district, which he served six years. Some years his district work in Dakota, as in Wyoming and Utah, cost him over 23,000 miles of travel each year. In the years of his ministry while in the active work he has traveled over 300,000 miles, preached over 1500 sermons and made nearly 9000 pastoral visits. He has composed and published many songs and hymns with the music that the Church has been pleased to sing and which have been translated into many languages and sung the world over, as "I Am Coming, Lord," "Let Me Go," "Jesus Calls Me," "I "Want to Cross Over," "Who'll Stand Up for Jesus," etc., etc. Of the first one named Mr. Sankey wrote him that it "had been instrumental in the conversion of thousands of souls." He was the musical editor of Sacred Melodies, and also the Revivalist. He was co-author and publisher of the Sacred Harmonium and Beulah Songs, all of which had an extensive circulation. He is now on the retired list of his conference. ---- T. C. Iliff, Supt. of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Utah, presented the following report to the twenty-fifth annual meeting of the Utah Mission held in Salt Lake City, June 20-24, 1895. Bishop and Brethren:-Methodism having completed her twenty-fifth year in Utah since our last session, I shall take occasion to speak more at length in my report than usual. The Utah Mission at present includes only the Territory of Utah. The distance from north to south is 400 miles and its greatest width from east to west is 210 miles-making a total of nearly 82,000 square miles. It has a population of 250,000 scattered over this area. The principal business and resources are agriculture, mining, stock-raising and fruit-growing; its climate varies from moderately cold in the extreme north to almost tropical temperature in the south. The severity of the winters is also moderated by the mountain ranges which shelter and protect the valleys from the winter storms; while from off their snowy heights and down their deep canyons "in summer are sighing the coolest of breezes." The late Bishop Gilbert Haven, after taking in the beauty and grandeur of Utah, exclaimed: "A country 'where every prospect pleases, and only man is vile.'" It was July 24, 1847, forty-eight years ago next month, that a company of emigrants, led by Brigham Young, looked down upon this valley, and a few hours later made their first camp on City Creek, and on the very spot, I am told, where now stands the First Methodist Episcopal church on Third South street, Salt Lake City. This was a year before the gold discovery and excitement in California and prior to the ceding of all this region to the United States by the Mexican Government. These early settlers held a peculiar belief, claiming that Joseph Smith had discovered in Western New York in the year 1826 certain golden plates, on which was inscribed in reformed Egyptian a later and fuller revelation of God to man than that recorded in the Old and New Testament Scriptures; also that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that through him and his successors the divine will should be made known to the world from time to time. Some of these so-called revelations, and particularly the practice of them, were objectionable and offensive to the people throughout the United States; especially was this true of the doctrine and practice of polygamy. A conflict arose in and about Nauvoo, in Illinois, where this sect had established itself, and on June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith was shot by a mob in the county jail at Carthage. Brigham Young became Joseph Smith's successor, and soon led the people across the plains into these valleys. For some time they were undisturbed except by hostile Indians, but as "Gentiles" began to come in, an irrepressible conflict set in also; that conflict continued until an aroused public sentiment throughout the entire country demanded special legislation prohibiting the practice of polygamy. Those were exciting times from 1880 to 1890. I do not refer to them to awaken old animosities or to arouse new prejudices. God be praised that a brighter day has dawned upon Utah, and may its glory increase till all fears vanish and complete fruition of our hopes is permanently secured! I briefly refer to this past to make more certain the duty and necessity of the Christian Churches in sending missionaries to Utah and in expending large sums of money. I must make brief mention of some of these churches, because their work in a sense has been our work, and the lives of their missionaries have been wrought into the lives of ours by the same struggles and victories. Who of us that knew him can ever forget that hero of Protestant Episcopal missionary bishops, Daniel S. Tuttle, who for twenty years put his powerful physique, his great brain and heart into the solution of the Utah problem? What a mighty work his Church has done in this city during a period of nearly thirty years! We are told that this church has spent between $250,000 and $300,000 on school and church work in Utah. In 1869, Dr. Sheldon Jackson opened the Presbyterian work at Corinne, and a few years later Rev. D. J. McMillan planted missions and schools from Cache valley to St. George. The Presbyterian leads all others in the expenditure of money; according to Dr. McNiece $881,000 have been put into this field from first to last. The name of McLeod will always be associated, not only with Congregationalism, but with Utah Protestanism and Americanism. To him belongs the honor of organizing the first Christian church in Utah as early as 1864. It was not, however, till 1872 that the Congregational Church took permanent form in Utah. The Baptist, Lutheran and Christian (Diciples) Churches came later, having expended to date a total of $200,000 and making a creditable showing in church buildings, membership, Sunday-school, etc. Twenty-five years ago last December Rev. L. Hartsough came to Salt Lake City with instructions from Bishop Ames to open up Methodist work; but it was not until May, 1870, that a foothold was obtained. Rev. G. M. Peirce of Central New York conference arrived in Salt Lake City, with his family, May 8, 1870. Hence, I think, we may appropriately call the present annual meeting our "Silver Anniversary." Bishop Simpson, en route to the Pacific coast had preached in Salt Lake City in the old Mormon Tabernacle on invitation of Brigham Young. Mr. Peirce rented Faust's hall, then an unfinished hay-loft over a livery stable on Second South street, east of Main, May 10, 1870, for $600. During the summer of 1870, Bishop Ames and Chaplain McCabe visited Utah. It was then that the location on Third South street, where stands the First church, was decided upon, and, on October 9, 1871, word was received from the Board of Church extension to begin at once the erection, of the building, and on December 31, 1871, the first service was held in the basement of the new church. Bishop Ames and Chaplain McCabe also visited Corinne, then the principal Gentile town in Utah, and held services which resulted in immediate steps for a church at that place; and on their return from California, the first regular church dedication in Utah was conducted by Chaplain McCabe, September 20, 1870. The basement rooms of First church, Salt Lake City, were used for church and school until 1875, when the audience room was completed in August, 1875, the building was dedicated by Bishop Gilbert Haven, assisted by Chaplain McCabe. Ogden, Beaver, Provo and Tooele were taken up successively during 1871- 1872, and churches built at each place. The General Conference of 1872 organized Utah, Idaho, Montana and "Western Wyoming into the Rocky Mountain conference. Utah had six preachers in charge of work, two of whom dropped out in two months. There were seven churches: First church, Salt Lake; Ogden, Provo, Evanston, Wyo. The church membership was about 200, and the eight Sunday-schools enrolled some 400. The missionary annual appropriation, which had been from $8000 to $10,000, was reduced to $4000. The enthusiasm that had been aroused throughout the Church during the first years of the Utah work had largely abated, and the general officials and boards had come to look upon Utah as a hard and discouraging field. The outlook from a political standpoint was by no means hopeful. Chief Justice McKean had just been removed, and the Gentiles were depressed and almost disheartened. Nevertheless, duty was plain. Methodism had come to Utah to stay. There were foundations to be laid and questions to be solved, and she must bear part of the burden and responsibility. From 1875 to 1882, judged from a surface view, the Church made little or no progress. In 1882 the Edmunds law was passed by Congress, and here begins a new era in Utah affairs, poli- |
