Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Humorist

Brethren…Not many people think of Pres. Young as a humorist, but he had his moments.
The Humor of Brigham Young (Part of a talk given by Ron Esplin at Education Week in about 2008, Dr. Ronald Kent Esplin is the managing editor of The Joseph Smith Papers)
“Brigham Young had a sense of humor…For example, a Mrs. Green decided that there was a better religion that met her needs rather than the Latter-day Saint religion and she wanted her name removed from the records of the Church.  She wrote Brigham Young requesting this.  Pres. Young responded, ‘This day we have searched the records of the Church for baptisms for the remission of sins and not finding your name therein, we were saved the necessity of removing your name there from.  Therefore, you may rest assured that your sins are not forgiven you and enjoy the benefits thereof; your brother in the gospel, Brigham Young.’
Next, Brigham tried to handle with humor, a very serious charge.  It was rumored that Brigham had said, about the recently deceased President of the United States, Zachery Taylor, that he was dead and gone and that Brigham was glad of it.  In actuality, there were very few people that were mourning Pres. Taylor.  He was not a very popular president and he had been a bloody general during the Mexican War.  That was not the issue, but rather the unpatriotic maligning of the president of the United States.
Brigham wrote an answer to these and other charges.  Newly elected Pres. Millard Fillmore told Pres. Young that he must answer these charges or ‘I cannot keep you as governor,’ he admonished.  Willard Richards and others helped to write a hand written answer in a hundred page letter, that they called ‘beating against the air.’  Pres. Young replied, ‘How can we answer these frivolous charges, except in the same currency...’ 
This being the case, Brigham then said, ‘I didn’t say that about Zach Taylor, it was Heber Kimball and he didn’t really say that but he was with the non-Mormon judge who left town who said it and Heber Kimball just bore testimony of the truthfulness of it.  Now I know this is a proverbial feathers to the wind and gather them all up situation and it can’t be done.  But, we’re a sporting people.  I propose this.  I think the judge should go to (Hades) and find out if Zach is there.  Now if he gets there and Zach Taylor is not there, I, Brigham Young, will confess that Heber Kimball will acknowledge a false prophecy.  But if he is there and we think he is, he’ll have to foot the bill himself and get out of (Hades) the best way he can.’” 

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home