Vault MSS 780 - Brigham Young letter to John R. Young
Number of Pages: 3

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President's Office
Elder John R. Young 		G.S. Salt Lake City 1 march 1857.
Elder John R. Young.
	Honolulu,
		Your letter of 18 Nov./ 56. I recieved by
the Southern mail of 4th February/57. Its contents - the Spirit mani	
fested in it, your perseverance, & happiness, afford me a measure
of satisfaction; and above all, the belief, that by a patient con
tinuance in well doing, and the blessings of the Lord on our exer
tions, we shall elevate the "remnants of Isreal" to the position 
they are destined to occupy in the economy of the great "I am."
	The scenes, described by you- witnessed daily, of the drunk
en whalers & I presume- prostitution, as an accompaniment,
sadly compare with the quiet & purity that prevail in Utah. Though I regret the debased moral condition of the major-
ity of mankind, I am glad that you have the opportuni
ties of witnessing its effect: You can now testify that "dark 
ness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people." The Lord
permitted his servants anciently to see this in the vision of 
their minds, & we in this age have seen it with our nat
ural eyes; At the same time, we have been honored to 
behold the light of Truth, and of the glorius gospel
revealed from the Heavens to Joseph, and in whose rays
we now bask, nay more <we> have been called and ordained
to present it to the world of mankind, & behold thousands 
walking in the light, one reward of our labor, whose deeds
are no longer evil.	May we ever walk in the light, that 
many more following, in our footsteps, may arise and 
shine, and in their turn and sphere, become lights to 
them who may sit in darkness.
	The millions of China's population, that now worship,
they know not what, have yet to learn of the living & true 
God, and tho they have turned a deaf ear to them

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whom we sent unto them, they may yet listen to the Truth, 
when proclaimed to them by some of their own nation, I am 
glad that you have baptized some of them, and pray that the 
number, intelligence and faith of all such may be increased.
	To your brot. Franklin and the rest of the missionaries, as you see 
them, say I love and bless them in the name of the Lord. 
	My own health, at present is reasonably good, as also that 
of my family, and of the Saints generally. Your Father & family 
are well, he is over at Grantsville with our sheep, we have had more 
than our usual quantity of snow, the Island was covered to a 
depth of several feet, and we had to remove our stock from it, to 
save them, most of our stock is south in Utah Co.
	Your sister Harriett has now a female companion, Guer
nsey took to himself a sister Brown from the Island of "man" 
lately to wife; and my son Joseph A. took Thalia Grant 
daughter of Geo. D. You have heard, I doubt not, of the 
death of Jedediah M. Grant, we have ordained Dan H. Wells 
to his place as my second counsellor; Brots. Joseph W. and cousins 
Brigham st. Y. & Jno. Y. Green are on our list of 
Missionaries to Europe this Spring; your uncle Phionbas went 
thither last season, & is doing well. Uncle Joseph has been
sick most of the past winter, but is now convalescent. 
	I purpose travelling a few hundred of miles North this 
Spring for the benefit of my health, and for other purposes. 
	I have brought Father's property on the bench, and Aunt Fanny 
now lives there, with Ed: Ellsworth.
			Be assured, my dear nephew,
				that you, and the missionaries generally
					are not forgotten by us, before the Lord.
	P.S. your cousin Seymor also will go to Europe this spring

						Brigham Young

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Received May 23rd 1857
at Wailuku Maui.
Letter of 
Prest B Young