The Lamanites

Looking at the present condition of the Indians or Lamanites, it might seem next to impossible for them to ever become “a white and delightsome people," as predicted in the Second Book of Nephi, but that prophecy will surely be fulfilled, for the Lord has spoken it. They became a dark and loathsome people in the first place because the curse of God rested upon their fathers, descending to the children, on account of their great wickedness, and that being the effect produced by the curse of the Almighty, the effect of His blessing will be the opposite, making them, instead of “dark and loathsome," “white and delightsome," and the latter effect will commence to operate and continue as the scales of darkness fall from their eyes and they believe on Jesus Christ their Savior. Many of the readers of the Instructor have, doubtless, known instances wherein people who have been afflicted with disease have been healed by the power of God, through the administration of the Elders, and this is quite as marvelous as the converting of the Lamanites from their present condition to that of a respectable people.

Almost the first question asked of the Elders by those Lamanites who were baptized was, “What can we do to be independent? We wish to support ourselves and be like the white people." The Elders to whom this question was put gave them good counsel, which they showed the greatest willingness to adopt. They were told it was very wrong to drink “fire water,’’ or whisky, and many of them would not touch a drop of the stuff on any account. They were told it was better to wash their faces and keep them clean than to paint them, and many of them have ceased to use paint. The majority of them in that western part are probably more honest than the same number of white men. About a hundred and seventy of them have taken to farming, and they raise wheat, potatoes and other products, and the writer is informed that Elder E. Tadlock recently took up a tract of land a hundred and sixty acres in extent for them to cultivate and settle upon; it will be seen, therefore, that no sooner do  the scales of darkness begin to fall from their eyes, than the foundation is laid for their becoming “a white and delightsome people,” an industrious and respectable people, and it will be seen from what has already been written of this article that a commencement has actually been made in that direction.

An account has been given in this article of three visitations of personages to the Goshute chief, Torbuka. Now the natural inquiry arising in the mind of tile young reader will be as to who the beings were who paid him those visits. Of course the writer cannot say definitely who they were, but, basing his conclusions on the Book of Mormon, he thinks there is good reason for believing that they were certain members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, chosen and got apart among the Nephites on this continent by Jesus Christ, personally, when he visited them after his crucifixion and resurrection at Jerusalem. You who have read the New Testament probably remember that John, “the beloved Apostle” of the Savior, asked of Jesus that he should be permitted never to taste of death unto the Lord should come to the earth in his glory, and that that desire was granted to him. Well, there were three of the Nephite Apostles who desired the same thing, and the Lord granted it to them. But it is probably best to give the passage in the Book of Mormon touching upon this matter, which will be found on page 488, 13th chapter of the Book of Nephi, par. 3, and the first three lines of par. 4:

“And it came to pass when Jesus had said these words, he spake unto his disciples, one by one saying unto them what is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father? And they all spake, save it were three, we desire that after we have lived unto the age of man that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto they in thy kingdom and he said unto them, blessed are ye, because ye desired this thing of me; therefore after that ye are seventy and two years old, ye shall come unto me in my kingdom, and with me ye shall find rest. And when he had spoken unto them, ho turned himself unto the three, and said unto them, what will ye that I should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father? And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired. And he said unto them, behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me; therefore more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death, but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father, unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled, according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory, with the powers of heaven; and ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory, ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, from mortality to immortality: and then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father. And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow, save it ne for the sins of the world: and all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand: and for this cause ye shall have fullness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fullness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one; and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me.

“And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger, save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed.”

[To be continued.]