[Brigham Young Sermon] The brethren were called together this morning to hear some instruction from President Young: he stated, that he wished that some of the brethren who had spare horses would raise one or two to draw the cannon '" that he supposed when they left Winter Quarters, that it was furnished with a team; but behold, when they had got out here a long way from home, the man, who had given the horses for that purpose, wished to take them away for their own use '" that his own horses were completely tired out in drawing it, & he thought it no more than right that others should step forward & assist '" that he wanted a man to drive the team, who would not permit 8 or 10 men & boys to ride on the cannon, that being the case, he thought two horses could easily draw it. Bro. Roswell Stevens furnished one for the day, one that had already drawn the cannon, belonging to put along side of one they already had. '" President Young slightly reproved Bro. Erastus Snow (who had charge of the cow herd yesterday) for neglect of duty '" the latter retorted, in no very measured terms, when the President proved by a number of individuals, that he was absent from, when he should have been present with, the herd '" Notwithstanding, Erastus continued to excuse himself, but President Young rebuked him very sharply, telling him that if he had been only a year or two in the church, he would be excusable; but, as he had been for a number of years therein, he ought to know better than to give way to a rebellious spirit, for he had seen a number of men go to the Devil from the same cause like unto Warren Parrish & Sylvester Smith, who apostatized at Kirtland several years ago '" a vote was taken, that all those who believed Bro. Snow was in the way of his duty yesterday, should say '"Yes'" '" contrary '"No'" It was unanimous in the negative '" President Young advised that in travelling every captain should remain with his company of 10 or, if he left, to appoint a man to act in his place '-that it was his mind that no [more] should be killed, either antelope, buffalo, or any thing else, '"for'" said he, '"my opinion is that if we do slay when we do not need, we will need, when we cannot slay'" '" He further said that men & boys should not, out of mere bravado venture near a herd of buffalo for some time or other they would get injured or nearly killed by them, & then they would begin to take the hint and wish they had obeyed counsel, & kept away. -- Gothenburg, Nebraska [Horace K. Whitney Journal, Archives, Church History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah..]
[The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009)]
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