Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-daySaints.
JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE.
Salt Lake City,
1882.
No apology is necessary for publishing as a volume of the"FAITH-PROMOTING SERIES" some portion of the history of the latePresident Heber C. Kimball. Knowing the estimation in which he washeld while living by the Latter day Saints universally, and that thememory of his virtues and life-long devotion to the cause of God isstill fresh in their hearts, we feel assured that they will regard asan acceptable offering the brief account of his experience containedin this volume. We only regret that we cannot in the present work givea sketch of his entire life, or at least all of those incidents fromit which would tend to promote faith in young readers. His was anexceedingly active and interesting life, and it is scarcely necessaryto state that the sketch here published, covering a period of onlya little over four years, contains but a fraction of that which isinteresting and wonderful in his life's experience. However, what ishere given will doubtless convey many valuable lessons to those whoread it, and will serve to indicate the character of the great man ofwhom it treats.
Heber Chase Kimball was one of the greatest men of this age. There wasa certain nobility about his appearance as well as his disposition thatwould have made him conspicuous in any community, and the Church ofJesus Christ afforded ample scope for the exercise of his ability, andthe trying scenes through which he passed called into play his bestpowers.
He was a man of commanding presence, with eyes so keen as to almostpierce one through, and before which the guilty involuntarily quailed.He was fearless and powerful in rebuking the wrong-doer, but kind,benevolent and fatherly to the deserving. He possessed such wonderfulcontrol over the passions of men, combined with such wisdom anddiplomacy that the Prophet Joseph Smith called him "the peace-maker."His great faith, zeal, earnestness, devotion to principle, cheerfulnessunder the most trying circumstances, energy, perseverance and honestsimplicity marked him as no ordinary man. He possessed great naturalforce and strong will power, yet in his submission to the Priesthoodand obedience to the laws of God he set a pattern to the whole Church.His example throughout life was one of which his posterity may everthink with pride, and which the Saints generally will do well to follow.
No man, perhaps, Joseph Smith excepted, who has belonged to theChurch in this generation, ever possessed the gift of prophecy to agreater degree than Brother Kimball. Although not at all pretentious,he was somewhat celebrated among his acquaintances for his propheticinspiration. The prediction which he made soon after the arrival ofthe Pioneers in Salt Lake Valley, that the destitute Saints would soonbe supplied with clothing, and that "States goods" would be sold inSalt Lake City as cheap as in New York, seemed most unreasonable atthe time it was uttered. Its fulfillment, however, by the unexpectedinflux of gold-seekers, making their way to California, and anxious tolighten their loads by selling their goods at almost any price, is nowa matter of history. Scores of other predictions were made by him andas literally fulfilled.
Brother Kimball was the only one of his father's family who embracedthe gospel, but now his is one of the most numerous families in theChurch. At the time of his death, which occurred June 22, 1868, he wasthe father of sixty-five children, of whom thirty males and elev