Mixed messages from the leadership: Come to Zion, but not right now.

FLORENCE, NEBRASKA
Saturday, August 23, 1856
"Brethren!” Levi Savage had to shout, "none of these emigrants has any idea of what lies ahead. Only we the returning missionaries know what’s in store and most are going out of here tomorrow and will be in the Valley by the end of September.

What about these converts? With their aged and children, they've got a thousand miles to go and even at twenty miles a day, it would be the middle of October when they arrive. In the mountains they won't get barely ten miles and at that rate they'd not see the Valley until November. That is, those still alive would see the Valley. "

"Oh ye of little faith, Elder Savage!” one of the emigrants shouted, "did ye not preach to us about having faith and the Lord God would provide?"

Shaking his head, Savage angrily responded,

"Yes, I preached that very thing. I also preached with an understanding that God is not to be tempted.
When we know better we should not knowingly throw ourselves off the cliff to force Him to prove His love by an extorted act of rescue. We are then like what Satan wanted when he tempted the Lord.

'If you are the Son of God,' Satan said, 'then throw yourself off this high place and let the angels save you.'

'Get thee behind me Satan," the Lord answered, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'

Brothers and Sisters, when we foolishly abandon common sense and logic and throw ourselves recklessly on the mercy of God, we force His hand. In our own way we say, 'God, if you love us, PROVE IT!! Save us when no other can!'

Do you want to do that to God?

You do so by getting to your feet and starting up that trail this late in the year, when God's own natural colder season is less than a month and a half away. Must God alter his own forces and seasons of nature just because you demand it of Him?

In no time you will be in an impossible situation and the only one with a choice after that will be God. You will not have any choices left. We should stay here until Spring, my beloved friends."

The reaction to Savage was mixed, confused of feeling.

A newspaper was shoved into Abigail's hand as she, Rose and Jacob stood in the crowd listening to the Elders. She saw the paper was THE COUNCIL BLUFFS BUGLE, published in the town just across the Missouri River from Florence. The story was an admiring report of the passing of a recent handcart company. Someone had circled that last paragraphs with a pencil.

"Now it may seem to some that these people endure great hardships in traveling hundreds of miles on foot, drawing carts behind them 

This is a mistake, for many informed me that after the first three days travel, it requires little effort for two or three men or women to draw the light handcart with its moderate load of cooking utensils and baggage. 

It is also a fact that they can travel farther in a day and with less fatigue than the ox teams. These trains are composed of Swedes, Danes, Germans, Welsh, Scotch and English and the best evidence of their sincerity is the fact that they are willing to endure the fatigues and privations of a journey so long. 

This is enthusiasm. This is Heroism indeed. Though we cannot coincide with them in their belief, it is impossible possible to restrain our admiration of their self-sacrificing devotion to the principles of their faith."

Abigail handed it to Rose, who read it aloud to Jacob, who noticed several copies being handed around the crowd.

"The Elders are right, despite what it says here, Mama."

But Abigail looked as if she'd just seen a burning bush.

" What we do here is an act of faith, no matter how many rules of common sense Elder Savage recites."

One of the emigrants had mounted the platform to speak, waiting to be recognized by the Elders and the crowd. Abigail did not know the man, but had heard of him as President of the Dublin Conference. His speech was definitely Irish.

"Brothers and Sisters, some of you have seen the newspaper from Council Bluffs concernin our fellow Saints who've passed by on their way to Zion. Let me refresh yer thoughts with a readin from the Millenial Star:

‘The Lord can rain manna on the plains of America just as easily as He did on the deserts of Arabia, or as He sent quails into the camp of the Saints on the Mississippi River in 1846. Ancient Israel traveled to the Promised Land on foot, with their wives and little ones. The Lord calls upon modern Israel to do the same.'

Now I ask ya, Brothers Sisters, have we not been called home to Zion? Have we not been promised blessings of the Lord from the Prophet himself? Sure we're ignorant of the country and weather, and we're the poor and simple escapin from the wickedness of the Old Country, but we are honest and eager to go to Zion as soon as we can.

If we are goin to act like our faith has suddenly just died on the vine, I don't think we're worthy of the Lord's blessings. We got to trust in the Lord, Brothers and Sisters and let Him guide our path. Let Him lighten our loads. Let Him preserve our lives and our animals. Let Him take us to Zion.....NOW!"

Applause and shouting were thunderous and despite the announced plan to elicit a vote on the matter, the Elders knew which way the vote would go...
... and did go.

After the vote Levi Savage retook the speaker's place.

"Brothers and Sisters, what I have said I know to be true; but seeing you are to go forward, I will go with you."

He was interrupted by a burst of cheers.

"I will help you all I can. I will -"

Another burst of applause.

“- work with you, rest with you, suffer with you and, if necessary, I'll die with you. May God in His mercy bless and preserve us!"

No more bursts of cheering, only a scattering of murmurs at the sound of one simple word capping his promise to abide by their decision.

"Amen, Elder Savage. Amen!"

A broken promise: Jacob, Rose and Turner's marriage plans

Jacob stared at the older woman, angry. Lines creased his forehead as he weighed his whether-to's. Finally, he stood and walked into the tent. When he emerged, Rose trailed along behind petulantly, her arm looking to be a permanent attachment to his hand.

"Siddown Rose and hear me out. I ain't comfortable with head-on talkin like this where I have to rein in my temper. Usually fer me, I only talk head-on when I'm bein challenged. But you got to know this thing I already know.  If what yer Ma explains is true, you got to know at least this one thing and I'm damned fer tellin ya and damned if I don't."
"Jacob, you don't have to -"
"Shut up, Rose! You tole yer Ma to shut it and now I'm a tellin you the same. Shut yer mouth and jes listen! Unnerstand?"

He was angry ...and afraid...and Rose saw both. She had to laugh.
"Please continue Jacob. You're quite interesting when you're angry."


Blushing, he saw Abigail squelch a giggle, felt his blush and blustered on without fanfare or preamble; just straight to the point.
"Rose, afore he left, Turner Cole tole me he'd marry you with no holdin back at all and made me promise never to tell anybody.
I ain't...til now."


"Then why didn't he say so?"
"Would'na been proper on his part. And how'd he know you would'na joint up with the Church just to egg im on?"


"He thought I would do something like that? Just to catch him?"
And before her own temper pushed out words of disgust, she caught her mother's silent rebuke.
You did do something like that when you got baptized anyway. Don't get righteous about it now.


Abigail was right and Rose could only stare into Jacob's eyes, not sensing the man's pain in discussing her affections concerning another man.


Jacob still had that same feeling in his gut.
Every damn time he thought about her anymore...
"Jacob Hannah, are you telling me Turner Cole went home with the idea he'd ask me to marry him when I came to Utah?"


Sighing, shaking his head and shrugging in a way only a big man does, Jacob looked into the fire.
"That's about the size of it. I think he meant he'd have no problem takin you to wife after you got baptized. He was willin to take the Lord at His word and if your sins was no more rememberd by the Lord, why should Turner Cole remember them?"


"Then why on earth did he get married?"
"Don't for sure know. Me'n Turner've always been close but not so close that he'd share his love life with me.
By the time we got to the age of interest, I spent more time with my Pa bein a woodsman and he stayed closer to the city and the religious stuff. Maybe he was commanded."


"But you both said there weren't arranged marriages in Zion."
"There ain't like that, but maybe he was commanded to start takin wives, but I doubt that too. Turner is still too young to start actin apostle-like."
"Meaning that he still might have marriage with me in mind - as a plural wife?
My God, Jacob!"


Abigail gestured, upset. "I certainly agree there Rose! Jacob, how could Turner or any good man be that casual about this?"


"Whaddaya mean casual? Far as I can see there wasn't nothin casual about thinkin about Rose and whether or not marryin her was somethin real in his heart.
Sharin it with me warn't casual. He never spected I'd ever tell you afore he could do somethin about it hisself.

And if he decided to do nothin, then I'm the only one he'd have to splain it to since you'd never a known. I'm the casual blabbermouth here."


"But Jacob," responded Abigail, “it sounds like he thought we would go dragging a handcart into Utah, ready to accept his proposal just because he wanted it that way. I mean, would Turner just walk up to us, maybe give a hug and tell my daughter,
'Welcome to Zion, Rose. By the way will you marry me?'
No courtship? No wondering if Rose cares in return, assuming he cares in the right way?"


"Hell, I don't know Sister! I ain't been involved with women and don't know how it's done, specially with plurals. I don't think I'll ever be commanded to take more'n one wife."
Oh? And why not, Jacob?", Rose wanted to know.
"Cause I'm not able to do it, maybe not even manage one wife. I don't have the temper to manage women in that way and everybody who knows me knows that too.


Old Brigham'd never be that blind as to call me to take more'n one woman."
"But Jacob, you have just as much right."
"Right?
Right hell!  No I don't.
I ain't the man of the spirit like Turner. If the Prophet tole Turner to get hisself a wife or two, Turner'd have the spirit enough to know it was right.

I ain't that way. If Brigham tole me that, I'd have to take it on faith cause no spirit would ever prompt my soul to know it was right.


My gut feelin would be to tell Brother Brigham right where he could go hang his hat. And since I ain't likely to be some Church big shot any time, I wouldn't have no obligedness to show a public example by acceptin the difficult callin like Heber Kimball did.


My only wife'd never have to pray to God about me stayin awake at night tryin to decide whether or not to refuse that commandment from the Prophet."

Rose embraces a truth

"My dear daughter, this is a traveling group of Children of Israel. We're leaving our 'Egypt' to go to the Promised Land and the Lord and the P.E.F. have made it possible. It's a miracle like unto the parting of the Red Sea.
Rose, my Rose, I hope you find a new life out there!"
Rose sighed,
"I've already found a new life Mama, whether I like it or not. This is my new life.
But everyone here is so SERIOUS!
The men never smile. At least the men around the docks at Insley and the women smiled at each other."
"Yes, they probably did. And probably screamed and profaned at each other, Rose, and beat each other didn't they?
These are a new kind of man and woman you're seeing.
These who are also poor are betting their all on one more turn of the card. Some of them have been so foolish as to quit their jobs as soon as emigration with the cheaper handcart method was proposed. They didn't need to save up as much money as they thought, but took no thought for how far down the road they'd have to wait before ships could be chartered.
Some of these people were living on charity when they left, barely keeping back enough money to pay their way through. If they need anything on the journey they'll be out of luck."
"Mama, we'll all be out of luck if Utah turns out to be  something other than Zion."
"Rose, please don't tell me you -"
"Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we're going; more glad that I'm leaving Insley. I'm just hoping it won't be too hard there where we're going."
"Well child, you had faith to be baptized. Surely you can find enough to trust the Lord to get us there safely."
"Mama, Mama. I got baptized to make sure there wouldn't be any trouble with both of us going with the help from the P.E.F.”
"Then you still don't believe it's true?"
"I guess I believe part of it is true, but until I see for myself that these Elders are really what they say they are and that in Zion women are happy, I won't be able to do more than what I've already done.