OCR Text |
Show Page 256 To add to his burdens, Orson was assigned the immense task, as regent of the University, to transcribe a case of schoolbooks, a speller, Latter-day Saint catechism, and the Book of Mormon into the "Deseret Alphabet," the phonetic script devised years before by Parley and George D. Watt. The Deseret schoolbooks went slowly, but transcribing the scripture was the labor of a year or more; when it was finally completed, the Deseret N e w s called it, "The greatest stride yet made in the world toward phonetic 43 reform." Unfortunately, none of the transcriptions was ever used for its intended purpose - the books rest today in library collections and museum cases, curious relics of Mormon attempts to radicalize even the spelling of the English language. For Orson, however, this job meant the blessed sum of $1,000, which came close to settling his indebtedness. While laboring over this moribund project, Orson found himself in the "School of the Prophets" on the afternoon of Independence Day, 1868, when the conversation suddenly turned to the tired affair of Orson Pratt's philosophical works. Once again, he confessed his error in opposing doctrine revealed; whenever he had done so, and "excused himself because of what was written, his mind became darkened and he felt bad." President Young announced himself satisfied with Orson's confession, after the 44 apostle had asked forgiveness of the Twelve and of the whole school. Everyone felt spirited and happy at Orson's position, and now he was himself considerably relieved. Throughout the summer, Brigham's envoy, young Joseph F. Smith, traveled the territory gathering "items pertaining to Orson Pratt's mission in 1853," probably for the purpose of destroying what publications remained in the libraries of the Saints. Orson was soon enough called upon to assuage the heterodoxies of others in the bosom of Zion. When the railroad finally came through, the Church stoutly shepherded its business community into mass "co-operatives," designed |