As noted here, President Marks’s decision to move the meeting from Tuesday, 6 August, to Thursday, 8 August, proved to be providential, as Brigham and the other members of the Twelve returned home on the evening of 6 August, the very day that the Tuesday meeting would have been held (see
CHFT,
p. 289).
Chapter 8
Nathan lay on his back in the grass, his eyes closed, pretending sleep. The sound of five thousand voices came at him from every direction, filling the air with a low, continuous hum, like the distant crashing of waves against the shore, or the sound of a rushing river heard through a thick forest. Blended in with the others, though closer, were the individual voices of his family. He could easily have focused on any one voice or set of voices and heard what they were saying—Benjamin and Carl talking about the brickyard; Mary Ann, Lydia, Caroline, and Rebecca speaking about Sidney Rigdon’s morning address; Matthew and Jenny playing “hide the thimble” with several of the children; Peter telling Kathryn about the latest edition of the
Nauvoo Neighbor.
But he did not focus on what they were saying. He was lost in his own thoughts, closing his eyes and his ears to what was around him so he could sort it out.
They were not down at the grove below the bluff where the Saints often gathered; that was nowhere near a large enough assembly area for the huge crowd that had come that morning. Instead, they were in another grove in a large field east of the temple. This was where the meeting that all of Nauvoo had been waiting for had finally commenced.
The meeting had started out pretty much as expected, but turned out in the end to be quite dramatic. President Marks, Sidney Rigdon, and a few other leaders were seated on the stand at the head of the vast congregation. Brigham Young was not to be seen. President Marks turned the pulpit over to Sidney Rigdon immediately after the opening hymn and prayer. There had been a stiff wind blowing directly into Sidney’s face, and it was difficult to hear him. So he had stopped, walked around to the opposite side of the crowd, climbed up into the back of a wagon, and continued, letting the wind now carry his words to the people, who turned around to face him.
He had spoken for an hour and a half, exhorting the Saints to accept him as the “guardian” of the Church. An hour and a half! Nathan had always felt impressed with Sidney Rigdon’s oratory skills, but this morning it had been more of a harangue, an interminable droning that had no power. At first, Nathan thought it just might be his own feelings, but when he had looked around at the crowd, it was obvious from their reaction that they saw little power there either. And while this had been billed as a prayer meeting only, it was clear that Sidney was making his pitch for the guardianship, probably worried now that the Twelve were back in town. Near the end of his speech, at about eleven-thirty, Nathan started to worry that President Marks might call for a vote and not wait for next Tuesday’s solemn assembly.
He should have known that Brigham Young wouldn’t let things get away from him so easily. The people being turned in the opposite direction from the stand now, hardly anyone noticed that Brigham came to the meeting shortly after Sidney moved to the wagon. Brigham came without fanfare and took the seat on the stand vacated by Sidney Rigdon. It was when Sidney finished that the surprise took place. Brigham stood immediately and began to speak, startling everyone. They swung back around in surprise, pleased that he had come. But he spoke only briefly. He dismissed the meeting, noting that he was calling upon the Saints to reassemble, being seated by quorums, at two p.m. The Twelve had decided not to wait until next week for the solemn assembly that would bring this question to closure.
That announcement had caught some families off guard. They had not come prepared for an afternoon session, and they immediately went down into the city to secure food and drink. Benjamin, with his usual wisdom, had told the family he was sure they would not finish in the morning session, and so they had brought several picnic baskets filled with food and jugs of milk wrapped in thick towels to keep them cool. Though they had not expected a full two and a half hours of break time, they decided to stay where they were so they would not lose their place, which was just a few rods from the stand. So they had settled in for a leisurely wait, enjoying the time they had to be together.
No one had stayed home. Not today. Even Caroline had insisted, over Joshua’s protests, that she was not going to miss this meeting. Though she still had a noticeable limp and favored the arm that had been broken, she was not about to stay home. Too much rested on what would happen here this day. Like everyone else, she sensed that this would prove to be a historic meeting. Carl and Melissa had even brought their children, though Melissa continued to declare that it didn’t matter much to her whether Rigdon or someone else was chosen to succeed Joseph Smith. Jane Manning was with them to help care for little Mary Melissa, now just three weeks old.
Nathan opened his eyes and turned his head. Jane held the baby in her arms and was speaking softly to Sarah. This was a good thing his mother had done, he thought. This black woman’s quiet and unobtrusive yet very strong faith was exactly what was needed in the Rogers household right now.
He felt a touch on his arm and looked up. Lydia was sitting beside him, looking down at him with a smile. She reached out and touched a spot between his eyes, rubbing it softly. “You have such a frown,” she teased him. “Are you thinking about Brother Rigdon again?”
He laughed in spite of himself and sat up. “No, actually I was thinking about Jane.”
“That’s no reason to frown,” she said.
“I know. I guess it was Melissa and Carl who caused the frown. But I’m glad Jane is there now.”
“Yes, she’s just right for them.”
He looked around. “Who’s got the baby?”
“Young Joshua. Who always has the baby?”
“He loves Joseph a great deal,” Nathan agreed.
Lydia turned her head and looked toward the stand. The Twelve were starting to arrive now. President Marks and Sidney Rigdon weren’t there yet, but it was almost time. In ten minutes, the meeting would begin, and then all of their questions would be answered. “If Sidney is not chosen,” she asked, looking back at Nathan now, “what do you think he’ll do?”
“Go back to Pittsburgh with his tail between his legs.” And then even as he said it, he shook his head. “No. I don’t think he’ll accept it. I think he’ll try to get others to support him.”
Joshua, lying down just a few feet away, sat up. He had heard Lydia’s question. “I think Nathan’s right,” he said. “You mark my words. I don’t know how much they’ll decide here today, but when it is all over, and the dust has settled, this church is going to be split right down the middle. There’ll be two churches then—Sidney’s church and Brigham’s church. Maybe others, for that matter. You’ve already got that church that Wilson and William Law and the Fosters started.”
“And that’s what you came to see?” Nathan said sourly. “You’re here to watch the great breakup?”
“Nathan,” Joshua said softly, “believe it or not, that makes me very sad. I don’t want to see that happen. But it’s like I told you before. Joseph was the power that held you together. Now Joseph is gone.”
Caroline pulled herself up into a sitting position with some effort. She held a parasol over her head to shade her from the sun. She was looking at her husband with sudden understanding. “So that’s it.”
“What’s it?”
“If that’s how you see the Church, it’s no wonder that you’re not interested in becoming a member. It’s just the work of men to you, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “I know how you all feel. And I suppose I hope you’re right. But I also know human nature.” He looked around at the vast assembly. “And I know what I see here today.” He turned back to Nathan. “When this is over—tonight, I mean—I’d like to talk to the family about something.”
“The family?” Caroline asked in surprise.
Nathan was likewise a little taken aback by that. “About what?”
“About moving.” He took Caroline’s hand quickly as her eyes flew open in astonishment. “Not just us. The whole family. All of us. Carl and Melissa. Matthew and Jenny. Nathan and Lydia. Maybe it’s time to think about starting anew somewhere and—” He stopped, realizing that his timing was terrible. “Look, let’s suppose Sidney does take over. Even if it’s just a portion of the Church. How long before his call for blood up to the bridle bits brings out every anti-Mormon in the state against you? It won’t matter one bit whether you agree with him or not.”
“I—”
It was as if Joshua read his thoughts perfectly. “I was there in Far West that day too, remember. We know what Sidney’s fiery rhetoric caused.” Now he was very somber. “I just think we need to talk about the future, Nathan. Times are changing. They’re going to change even more. We need to talk about what that means for the family.”
Nathan was noncommittal. “Let’s wait and see what happens.”
“If Sidney wins, will you at least consider it?” Joshua persisted.
For a long moment their eyes held, and then Nathan slowly nodded. “If Sidney wins, yes, I’ll consider it.”
Joshua looked around, smiling to himself. He and Carl were the only men now with the family. There were a few other adult males around them, but they were like an occasional island in an ocean of women and children. He smiled because he saw the curious looks they were getting. He also smiled because a moment before, someone had whispered, “Who is that?” and there came the hushed response, “That’s Joshua Steed.” “Oh,” said the first, as though that explained everything.
The great majority of the men in the congregation were now seated in half circles around the podium and stand. In response to Brigham’s request that the brethren sit by quorums for the meeting, on the stand were the Quorum of the Twelve and the high council. Circling around them were the high priests, then the seventies, then the elders, and finally the quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood. From there the required order ended. The rest of the audience spread out behind them—women and children were the biggest group, but there were also the few men who were not yet priesthood holders or those, such as himself and Carl, who were the reprobate nonmembers.
Benjamin and Nathan had tried to explain to him and Carl about the seating arrangement and how this constituted a solemn assembly and what that meant. Joshua had at first brushed that idea aside and credited Brigham with nothing more than cheap posturing, a visible way to reassert the fact that he was in charge and to blunt Sidney Rigdon’s influence. Now, as he looked around, he wasn’t so sure. There was a certain solemnity to the whole proceedings that Joshua had not seen before in previous worship services.
When the song and prayer were done, Brigham immediately stood and moved to the podium. He was dressed in a white shirt with ruffles at the neck and a long coat with tails. He stood erect and dignified. The sun caught his hair, emphasizing the slight reddish tint to it. Though too far away to see his eyes clearly, Joshua could picture them—gray blue and filled with humor, or dark and threatening when he was angry. Brigham was two or three inches shorter than Joseph had been, and had a tendency at times to be stoop-shouldered, making him seem even less tall than he was. Brigham was a capable leader. He had proven that while Joseph was in Liberty Jail and he and the Twelve had led the people out of Missouri. But he was no Joseph Smith. And the only hope for keeping the Church together was to find another Joseph Smith. In Joshua’s mind, there was not the slightest question about that.
Brigham stood there for several moments, letting the last murmurings die away to total and complete silence. Even the soft breeze that had been rustling through the limbs of the trees above them seemed to have stopped in anticipation of what was about to happen.
“Attention all!” Brigham called out. His voice was firm and loud, carrying clearly across the heads of the group before him. “This congregation makes me think of the days of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon, the multitude being so great that all could not hear. I know it is a warm summer day. I know that you have already been here for a long time. But I request the brethren not to have any feelings against being convened again this afternoon, for it is necessary. We want you all to be still and give attention, that all may hear. Let none complain because of the situation of the congregation, we will do the best we can.”
Joshua felt Caroline stir beside him. Her eyes were fastened on Brigham and she leaned forward attentively. He looked around. His mother and Rebecca and Jenny and Melissa and even the older children were in the same posture. Brigham was asking for their undivided attention. It was an unnecessary request. He already had it.
“For the first time in my life,” Brigham went on, “for the first time in your lives, for the first time in the kingdom of God in this century, without a prophet at our head, do I step forth to act in my calling in connection with the Quorum of the Twelve. We are Apostles of Jesus Christ unto this generation—Apostles whom God has called by revelation through the Prophet Joseph. We are ordained and anointed to bear off the keys of the kingdom of God in all the world.
“This people have hitherto walked by sight and not by faith. You have had the Prophet in your midst. Do you all understand? You have walked by sight and without much pleading to the Lord to know whether things were right or not. Heretofore you have had a prophet as the mouth of the Lord to speak to you, but he has sealed his testimony with his blood, and now, for the first time, are you called to walk by faith, not by sight.
“The first position I take in behalf of the Twelve and the people is to ask a few questions. Here is what I wish to ask the Latter-day Saints: Do you as individuals at this time want to choose a prophet or a guardian? Inasmuch as our prophet and patriarch are taken from our midst, do you want someone to guard, to guide and lead you through this world into the kingdom of God, or not? All that want some person to be a guardian, a spokesman or something else, signify it by raising the right hand.”