11 April 1874
Retrenchment Association; Fourteenth Ward Meetinghouse, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory
[. . .]
Sis. E. R, Snow.
She had been much pleased with Sis. Horns [Mary Isabella Hales Horne’s] remarks in regard to those things pertaining to sacred duties; we are apt to make to[o] little of these things, by not attaching that sacredness to them we ought, we do not give them the importance we should. [n.p.]
Our Religion should always be uppermost with us when it is our duty to attend meetings we should make all cures [cares?] subservient to that. If it was so we should not devote so much of our time to the feeding and clotheing of our bodies as we do we take great pains with these things, but of how much more importance the cultivation of our minds. Our Religion was established by Jesus Christ and he laid down his life to establish it, then how holy, how noble, how earnest we ought to be to live the life of saints. Do we realize that God has called us out to be a righteous people and an example to the outside world! Our religion embraces every thing that is good, pure and noble, every true Science then have we not reason to be proud of it. Not make it a secondary thing.
God had endowed us with the gifts, the gifts of speech is a beautiful gift, and are we cultivating it as we ought.
I never wish to force my religion upon any one but desire to live so that if any do not wish to hear my testimony they may withdraw from my presence. Let us not be discouraged my sisters for God is feeling after us.
[. . .] [n.p.]