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Show 152 LATTER-DAY SAINT mind. He worked some at farming. and spent conslclerable time laboring In his father's saw ml11 • . which was near Kamas. towards the headwaters of the Pro\'o river. His father being lomewhat hampt'red financially. thp. chlldren's opportunities for scholastic education were not so abundant as those. atrorded the lions and daughters ot some other famllles; but with Pres. Taylor the education acquired In the schoolroom. though not deprecated In the least. wal regarded only as a small part c;Jf the broader education to be gained In the practical walks of" Ufe. He taught hll children with great _mphasll that whatever they undertook to do they Ihould leek to do \\'ell- ClU!l l:oFterlty of PI·es. Ta)'lor Inhl'rltf'tJ lIIore of hl!l excellent characteristics ur rle\'elooed them In a stronger measure thnn did his son John W. In his eal'Iy youth he displayed an understandlnll: of principle usually found only In per· sons of more mature years. He attended Sunday Schools and meeting. with great regularity. and with hlR bosom friend and neighbor. ' Matthlas F. Cowley. studied the Scriptures and memorized scores ot passages bearln~ upon the most Important prinCiples of the gospel. By the time he conclude" his first mlulon In the Southern States he had memorised and arranged In Iystematlc order lome four hundre:l such passagel. chiefly from the Old and New Testamentl. At about th! age of fourteen yearl he wal ordalne I a Deacon. and magnified hll call1n:; by the faithful performance of the dutiel of that office. Two years later he became a Teacher In the Ward alld worked faithfully In this capacity fo' a number ot years. Atter recelvln:! his blessings In the house of the Lord. and beln .. ordained an Elder. he wa1 chosen counselor. with Brother Matthias F. Cowley. to Pres. Edward W. Davis ot the Elders' quorum. In thh capacity he also collected donations ! ',:' the building of the Salt Lake Tempi! at a time when contributions for th'll purpo!le was raised through the quo· I'ums of the Holy Priesthood. Brother 'ray lor was also an active worker In that people. on examining a piece ot the Fourteenth .Ward Sunday Scho!)!. "'ork they admired. would first ask who He had charge of the primary clas~. did It. but would care little about consisting of about one hundred pu· His ablllty to entertain and III kno"'lng what length of time It re- plls. quired to complete It. He taught them the same time to Impress the chlldrPII to respect each other's rights; and In- with good. sound doctrine was \"e:~' He possesses a vein of hu· stead of governing his family by per- marked. sonal direction. he Instructed them In mol' and a happy faculty for maklnJ the principles of righteousness a 11,1 appropriate comllarlsons which ~nabll'd placed them upon their own reRpollsl- him to attrnct nn ~1 retnln the attention bl11ty to act for themselves. The grnnd of rhlldl·en. The Inte general asslstan: and noble truths he sought to Implant superintendent of Sunday Schools. EI· within the hearts of his children were del' George Goddard. pronouncpd conspicuously exemplified In his own Brother Taylor the best primary teach· life; and withal he possessed a spiritu- er he knew of In the Church. A lIttlP ality and a veneration for God and Incident which occurred one day In hl~ truth so great that few men In this Sunday School class w1l1 show hi! world have equaled him In the posses- pl'acucal way of teaching. and at the sion of such qualities. The mother same time Illustrate hl!l novel yet of John 'V.• Sophia Whittaker Tayh)r. graceful and etrectl\'e IJIllllner of cor· was oC a highly spiritual nature. She recting what he regarded as an pro was patient. Industrious and God-fear- roneous Idea. The Fourteenth Ward Inl\'. Indeed she was the Ideal type ot meeting house being near to the prln· a true Saint. No one of the numer- clpal hotels of the city. tourists from BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA. thl' east and west would frequently \'Islt the ' Sunday School held therein. tpon one occasion when a large number of these "lsi tors came Into Bro. Ta)'lor's class-room he Im·lted some ot them to address the ' children. Orre religious gentleman exhorted the children to be very prayerful. and reminded them how nice a. prayer was the simple rhyme. Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep; If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take. This little verse he repeated to the children several times. and sought to Impress the beauty of It upon the!r minds. When he concluded his remarkll. Brother Taylor arose and questioned the pupils In SUbstance about al follows: "How many of you say your prayers?" All hands went up. "When do you pra.y?" The answer ame. "Night and morning." "To whom do you pray?" "To the Lord." "'as tbe ready responlle. "For what do you pray?" "We pray for what we'- want." aealn came the answer. "Very good." Nlld the teacher. "these ladles and g('nUemen are going on a. "Islt to California : would you like them to have a 1I0od time and to return home alive and well?" "Yes. sir." was the hearty rt'1'1)'. "How will you help them to do that?" Inquired the teacher. "ny f'raylng for them." once more came thl! chlldren's explanation. "Will };OU !IllY In )'our prayer. "Now I lay me down to ~Ieep?" etc.• asked the teacher. lelldIn« the <'Ialls to the point he "'Ilihed to make. and gently reproving the \'I!OIllng IIpeaker. by the emphnllill hp. f·lacl'd upon the qU(,!ltlon. "No. !llr." phtlutpd the children In choru!l. "Tht'1J "'hat \\'111 you say 111 your Ilrnyer?" ~ame the final que!ltlon. "We'lI n!<k the Lord to keep the trllin from jumllIOIr the track." wall the Renslble 1';'Ilr. The lesRon thus taught would r.nt be forgotten "ery soon either by :h~ children or the visitors. At thl!! I""rlod. Bro. Taylor was only about nlnet:~n ~'rars old. and. besides being a lOU n<ln·)· School teacher. "'as a. workrr !n the Mutual Improvement A!I!loclalIun. a Teacher III the 'Vard nnd :& ~oUn!ll'IOr I~ the Elders' quorUm; and .or· dally eMployment he secured a poIillon In-,the county recordp'·· .. nm,. .. u .. aetl'rwards wa!l rllllllflyr.1 ror IIfllII" 11111" In the utllce of th(' "UCIICI·t't N"",,,." " .. a pt'nman he wa!l nllIOllg tht' t.... !lt III the country; and his Illgenult)· In III'" chanlcal Ilursultli wnll Ill!lo of 1111 exceptional order. III hi!! bnyh ..",1 da),!I. while working Ilt his flltl ..~r·1I lOa\\, · 01111. he recl'h'('d IIOllle r'·lIIarkalol.· dreams that wcre "rol.hetic In th"lr nature. and which ha\'e Rlnce bl"'11 verified. These manlC('staUons WE'rt' living testimonies to him that Je9\1" Is the Christ and that Josellh Smith was truly a. Prophet of God. So \'h'I,1 were these dreams that they Ilre Il!, clear on his memory to-dll)' IlII ",h"11 they were given. In 18i6 he r .. ct'h· .~oJ a patriarchal blellslng un!lpr thl' llIllI.I!I of Patriarch "'lllIam Mt'lJrI.lt'. III which his call to the publk 1IIll1ll1tr), was predicted. tog('ther with IItht'r 1IIf1!1t remarkable propheclt'll. IIeveml of whll'lI ha\'e- already been fulfllle,\. III thl' fall of 1880 Elder Taylor wall call1',1 upon a mlllsion to the Southern Stall'". and with Elder Matthlall F. Cowl.'Y. the companion of hili bo)'hooll. wall all· IIlgned by Prell. John Morgan to III' troduce the gospel IntI) Tt'rr,,11 1111.1 Randolph countlell. lIouth"'t'lIt Heorr:la. they being the first Ehlerll 111 that I.nrt of the State. Jle labored In thll"f' t w.. counties during the wlnh'r of I~sfl.sl. baptized two Inlllvidual!l. 1111.1 h.....• I.'", thnony to hundreds or 11('111''''. III Ih.· spring the two I-~lderR W"lIt 1I0rth I" Clayton. Campb('11 and IIrnr)' ,·ounll.·". where they labort'd a f('w lIIontll!'. 111101 aeter the conference of Ihr ~ll\lr. h"I.1 In lIarolson COUllt)·. he In borr.1 with 1::1· del' "'lIl1all1 J. Parker In Polk all.1 lillIe,· counUt'/!. wh('ft·. III II. short tllII" I,,·· twe"n thlrly Illld forly ""0"1,, .., .•.•• " .•.• , the gO"111'1 through tI\I'lr 1I.11II11I"'lra· tlml. J-;Icler 'I'ayl"r Willi tll"1I !"'1I1 I" the ~ll\lt' of ){rlltlll'k)·. 11.·1'" h. ' 1"10" ... ·.1 with JlIeflh n. IlIgl"r with 1(1"'" I ~" •. l·rl'!I. ha"tlzlng abllllt "lghlo'l'lI I.. ·.. '."· . lie wa!l r('l('a!u~d In Ihe !!"rlllg .. f IS~! . Durlllg Ihl!l ml!!!!I,," he "IIJII)'I·.I pow"r III ,'r('arhlllg th.~ gll!'I,,·I. 1111·1 I".' sl,l.rlt of "rlll,hec)' 1'''1'1.·,1 111'"11 h 1111 101 a great t'xtent. lIIallY tllII"!' II h"11 stanlllng before a rllllg ... ·gaUolll IIr ,...... pi". hi!! (,Ollntelllllll'(' WII" .... "1 ... ·11.1,.111 . with th(' light ulI,1 III!<JlII':IJlollI IIr Ih,' III all)' III'fll'''' W"I'" 1111 ' 110ly Oh.,,,l. l'rt's!lccI with th.' ""' (1111)' IIr tI ... III"'" sage which he bore. 1111.1 !'flIIIC hlllll'slIn-heart r .. nlark",l. "~IJI'('ly yllll 11111111 III""" ', .... .......... _ ... . 11 •• _ _ • •• •• |
