President's Office,
Gt. Salt Lake City,
Sept. 27 /66.
Elder John W. Young,
42 Islington, Liverpool, England.
Dear Son:
Your letter from Christiania and another of July 19th, from Wyborg, Finland, have been received, and been perused with much pleasure and satisfaction, showing, as they do, your good feelings and determinations to do right and to magnify your callings. Your visits to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia and other places must have been interesting, and afforded you excellent opportunities to enlarge your experience and insight into the manners and customs of the various nations. I have no doubt you will endeavor to profit by the facilities that your travels have afforded you.
We are expecting to see Brigham within a week, though we have not heard from him since the latter part of August, written while he was at Liverpool. By not hearing from him, we imagine that he intends to drop upon us unawares. We might be uneasy, did we not have this idea.
The grain and fruit crops have been very good this season in almost every portion of the Territory. The absence of so many men with teams to the frontiers after the poor, and so many been drawn to go to guard the Settlements, &c., in San Pete and Sevier Valleys, caused labor to be in great demand through the Summer. The season has been very peaceful. Our enemies have not been idle; but they have been badly foiled in all their schemes. The prayers of the faithful have been heard, and we have still been preserved in peace, notwithstanding every effort to prevent. Our opponents have <kept> dwindling in power and influence until they have fallen into contempt.
Attempts have been made by various ones of our enemies here to squat upon our public squares, parade ground, race course, &c., and in the city these public places have been fenced to prevent squatters from settling upon them. The City and individuals have been compelled to go to considerable expense to guard against these depredators. They would not leave us a spot of ground to stand on, if they had the power to crowd us out. The other night a number of persons made a descent upon some of those squatters and gave them a thorough fright. It is not known who they were; but there has been some little excitement among a certain class in consequence, and they would like to fasten the instigation of these operations on me, if they could. The concinsistency of our enemies on all such matters is surprising. When it suits their purposes to say that my influence and power are decreasing, and that the people are becoming regenerated and enlightened, then they will assert that, and try and make the world believe that the overthrow of the Priesthood is on the eve of being accomplished. But, on the contrary, when their purposes are better suited by stating that I am the author of every movement among the people, they will state that also. They are unwittingly led to acknowledge in this way the power and authority of the Priesthood.
Your family -- Lucy and Clara -- are well, and seem to enjoy themselves with your Mother and Luna. They are all well.
I would like <you> to practice the Sword exercise, if you wish. Oscar is with you before this time, and I would like him to have all the chance he can to learn every thing that will add to his usefulness. I expect that by this time, after traveling from here to England, he will have an anxiety to improve himself and learn every thing that he can.
I shall write you again, and I would be pleased to have you write every opportunity that you can.
I shall write you again, and I would be pleased to have you write every opportunity that you can.
Remember me to Bro's. Orson, Franklin, and all the Elders, Oscar, Katie, and accept my love to yourself, in which your Mother and all the folks join.
Praying <the Lord> to bless you in all you ministrations and movements, and to preserve you from every evil
I remain
Your Father,
Brigham Young