The Brigham Young Center

President's Office,
Gt. Salt Lake City,
June 25, 1867.

Elder E.W. Tullidge,
P.O. Box 3957,
New York City.

Dear Brother:

Your letter of May 14th has bene received, and was perused with much interest. I was very pleased to see the cheerful manner in which you write respecting your labors and prospects, and I feel that if you take the right course, live humble and faithful before the Lord, you are in a position to do considerable good by correcting many false impressions which exist in the' public mind respecting us and our doctrines. This is a wicked and perverse generation, however, and the love of the truth is not very strong in the minds of the great majority of the people. Your articles will have access to a class of people who, probably, could not be reached in any other way, and they will thus be left without the excuse that they know nothing about us. You must not indulge in too great expectations of success. Whatever you find to do -- whether preaching, writing or any other labor that will forward the work of God, do it in the best possible manner, and leave the result with the Lord. You will have done your duty and you need not be disappointed if no great results immediately follow.

You are at liberty to take a wife, in accordance with your request. To obviate all difficulty connected with your doing so, I have requested your wife here to sign a bill of divorce, which she has done. I deem this better, under the circumstances, than for her to stand in the relationship of wife to you. From what I have heard, her feelings are not averse to you taking a wife who will bear you children, and thus gratify the yearning which you express.

Everything is peaceable in the Territory excepting the Indian depredations, from which a few of our southern settlements have suffered. A few lives have been lost; but we hope that the experience the people have gained will enable them to guard against their depredations more effectually in the future than they have done heretofore. Good health prevails, and the opposition which has been operating here seems to be powerless. Trade is very dull, especially with those who are not of us. The counsel that was given to the people -- to cease trading with their enemies, has been carried out very generally, and gentile merchants have had difficulty to raise enough to pay their rents. Some have not even done this and have run away in debt. We are having exceedingly pleasant weather at the present time. High waters are doing considerable damage in some places, and the grain, in some portions of Cache Valley, is being destroyed by grasshoppers.

With love in which Presdts. Kimball & Wells and Bro. Geo. Q. join, and praying the Lord to bless you and to cause your labors to tend to the advancement of His cause, I remain your Brother,

Brigham Young