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Show for Utah and to insure the continued existence of the besieged Church. Understandably, the symbols associated with the unique nineteenth-century Mormon experience did not survive into the new century. But even during the period when these symbols were relatively common, they were rarely found on anything other than churches, Relief Society halls, coins, certificates, and other "official" objects and buildings. This fact would seem to indicate that even then these visual symbols were usually little more than "logos" for the official programs of the institution. An important question logically follows from this observation: Can symbols-no matter how much they might, in theory, enrich and elaborate common experiences-become "programmed" for a particular group? The beehive, early an official symbol of the Great Basin kingdom of Deseret, is a notable exception-a nineteenth-century "logo" which is still a common Utah and Mormon motif (Fig. 123).6 But unlike the all-seeing eye, the beehive motif, though it continued to function "officially," was from the beginning adopted spontaneously on businesses, homes, and household objects. Why the beehive survived is therefore important in understanding symbolism and its function in any society. The beehive has a special Mormon context and name, which was important. The Book of Mormon, in describing the Jaredites (a group that migrated to America from the tower of Babel), explains that "they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees."7 In January 1849, when Church leaders established a provisional government until territorial or state status for the area had been approved, the Great Basin was christened "Deseret." The beehive was an appropriate and many-faceted parallel for the society which Brigham Young envisioned. An 1881 article in the Deseret News described the use of the beehive in this way: The hive and honey bee form our communal coat of arms. The symbol is adopted extensively in our local institutions. It is a significant representation of the industry, harmony, order and frugality of the people, and of the sweet results of their toil, union and intelligent cooperation* Working together, sometimes in a variety of communal experiments, individuals could contribute specialized talents and skills for the building up of an integrated, well-planned, and orderly community of Saints (Figs. 121 and 122). Though the symbol worked well in its nineteenth-century context, it was not limited by it. The beehive also functions as a more universal symbol of characteristics such as industry, perseverance, and cooperation. 116 |