Chapter LXVIII

OBSEQUIES OF PRESIDENT KIMBALL--TRIBUTES AND TESTIMONIES OF HIS BROTHER APOSTLES--"HE WAS A MAN OF AS MUCH INTEGRITY AS ANY MAN WHO EVER LIVED"--EARTH RETURNS TO EARTH AND THE SPIRIT UNTO GOD WHO GAVE IT.

The day set for the funeral of President Kimball was Wednesday, the 24th of June. The place, the large Tabernacle, Salt Lake City. His own desire, expressed many times before his death, was that it should be held at his private residence, and with as little display as possible; but out of deference to public sentiment, and to accommodate the great multitude of his friends who desired to be present, it was found necessary to hold the services in the Tabernacle.

Throughout the city on that day, all ordinary business was suspended, and draped flags, at half mast, swung to the breeze from the tops of public and private buildings. It was a general time of mourning. The very heavens seemed weeping in unison with the earth. The skies were hung with black clouds, the solemn thunders roared, the wind sighed and moaned, and the rain fell heavily.

Long before the hour for the commencement of the services, thousands were on their way to the Tabernacle to pay the last tribute of respect to the memory of the mighty dead; one whom all Israel revered and mourned as a father and a friend. Notwithstanding the pouring rain, fully eight thousand people assembled within the vast auditorium. Many of the settlements and counties throughout the Territory were represented by their leading men.

While the masses congregated at the Tabernacle, Presidents Brigham Young and Daniel H. Wells, with the Apostles and many others, representing general and local authorities in the Priesthood, repaired to the late residence of President Kimball, where the funeral procession formed under the personal supervision of President Young.

The procession moved from the residence at 2 o'clock p. m., in the following order:

1st. Croxall's brass band, consisting of Messrs. M. Croxall, C. Evans, R. Golightly, T. McIntyre, W. D. Williams, J. Croxall, T. Croxall, T. Griggs, J. Cartwright, J. Currie, W. Foster, C. Sansom, B. Eardley, H. Sadler, J. Wakeham, W. Adkins, G. Wareing, D. Evans, H. Sperry and W. Lloyd.

2nd. Of the High Council, Elders W. Eddington, J. L. Blythe, C. V. Spencer, W. H. Folsom, T. E. Jeremy, J. Squires, P. Nebeker and G. W. Thatcher.

3rd. Of the Presidency of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion, Elders D. Spencer and G. B. Wallace.

4th. Of the Presidency of the Seventies, Elders Joseph Young, L. W. Hancock, A. P. Rockwood, H. S. Eldredge and J. Van Cott.

5th. The Presidency of the High Priests, Elders John Young, S. W. Richards and E. D. Woolley.

6th. Presiding Bishop E. Hunter and his Counselors, L. W. Hardy and J. C. Little.

7th. Of the Twelve Apostles, Elders Orson Pratt, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Geo. A. Smith, Ezra T. Benson, Lorenzo Snow, Geo. Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith.

8th. President Brigham Young and Counselor Daniel H. Wells.

9th. The corpse, in a neat coffin wrapped in black broadcloth and deeply fringed with white cashmere and black lace, borne by twelve pall-bearers, namely, Elders R. T. Burton, T. McKean, G. W. Grant, L. S. Hills, B. Y. Hampton, W. Calder, H. Heath, A. Dewey, H. S. Beatie, H. P. Richards, H. Dinwoodey, and John T. Caine.

Immediately following the remains walked the three eldest sons of President Kimball, namely, William H., Heber P., and David P., succeeded by his wives, the elder sons and daughters, the younger sons and daughters, and many other relatives in the rear. The families of Presidents Young and Wells in carriages, and a number of the most prominent citizens on foot, terminated the procession.

To the solemn strains of the "Dead March in Saul," from Captain Croxall's band, the cortege, passing down East, North and West Temple Streets, successively, to the west gate of Temple Block, entered the Tabernacle at door No. 32, north side, and occupied reserved seats in front of the stand. The casket with the remains was deposited on a draped bier raised from the middle aisle. Seven elegant vases of roses and other beautiful flowers were placed upon the coffin. During the services a bird flew into the building and, alighting on the coffin, remained for several minutes.

In consonance with the solemnity of the scene, the interior of the Tabernacle was draped in mourning.

The assemblage was called to order by President Brigham Young.

The choir then sang the following hymn, composed for the occasion by Sister Eliza R. Snow:

Be cheer'd, O Zion--cease to weep:
Heber we deeply loved:
He is not dead--he does not sleep--
He lives with those above.

His flesh was weary; let it rest
Entombed in mother Earth,
Till Jesus comes--when all the bless'd,
To life will be brought forth.

His mighty spirit, pure and free
From every bond of Earth,
In realms of immortality,
Is crowned with spotless worth.

He lives for Zion:--he has gone
To plead her righteous cause,
Before the High and Holy One--
Let all the Saints rejoice.

Let wives and children humbly kiss
The deep-afflicting rod:
A father to the fatherless,
God is the widow's God.

Elder George Q. Cannon offered the opening prayer.

The choir sang "Farewell all earthly honors," with the chorus "There is sweet rest in heaven," and remarks were then made as follows, by the speakers named:

ELDER JOHN TAYLOR.

"Were I to give way to my feelings at the present time I should
not be able to address this congregation. I feel as, I suppose,
most of you feel--sympathy with the family of the deceased who now
lies before us. When I speak of this as being my feeling, I am
aware that I express the feeling of the generality of this people.
In this bereavement that has afflicted us, we all participate. A
wave of sorrow has rolled throughout the Territory, and feelings
of sympathy and sorrow gush up from the fountains of every heart.
We have met at this time to pay the last tribute of respect to no
ordinary personage, but to a good man who was called and chosen,
and faithful; who has spent a lifetime in the cause of God, in the
establishment of the principles of truth and in trying to upbuild
the Church and Kingdom of God on the earth; who has endeared
himself by his acts of kindness, affection, integrity,
truthfulness and probity to the hearts of thousands of Latter-day
Saints, who feel to mourn at this time with no ordinary sorrow.

"That he is esteemed and venerated by this people as a friend, a
counselor and a father, this immense congregation, who have met on
this inauspicious occasion, is abundant testimony and proof, if
any is wanting. But his life, his acts, his services, his
self-abnegation, his devotion to the cause of truth, his
perseverance in the ways of righteousness for so many years have
left a testimony in the minds, feelings and hearts of all who feel
to mourn his departure from our midst. But we meet not at the
present time particularly to eulogize the acts of Brother Kimball,
who is one of the First Presidency, and who stands, or who has
stood as one of the three prominent men that live on the face of
the earth at the present time.

"We do not mourn over him as over an individual in a private
capacity; neither, when we reflect on the circumstances with which
we are surrounded, and the gospel we believe in, do we mourn that
he lies there as he is. For although to us he is absent and
lifeless and inanimate, yet his spirit soars above clothed upon
with immortality and eternal life. And as he has been in
possession of the principles of eternal truth, by and bye, when
the time shall roll around, that gospel and the principles of
truth that he has so valiantly proclaimed for so many years, will
resurrect that inanimate clay, and He who, on the earth proclaimed
"I am the resurrection and the life," will cause him again to be
resuscitated, reanimated, revivified and glorified, and he will
rejoice among the Saints of God worlds without end.

"It is not then an ordinary occasion upon which we have met at the
present time. It is not to talk particularly about our individual
feelings and bereavement, although they are keen, poignant and
afflictive; but we meet at the present time to perform a ceremony
and to pay our last respects to the departed great one who lies
before us. We do not mourn as those who have no hope; we do not
sympathise with any foolish sympathy. We believe in those
principles, that he, for so many years, has so strenuously
advocated, and believing in them, we know that he has simply
passed from one state of existence to another. It is customary
for men to say "how have the great fallen!" But he has not fallen.
It is true that he has gone to sleep for a little while. He
sleeps in peace. He is resting from his labors and is no more
beset with those afflictions with which human nature always has to
contend: he has passed from this stage of action, he has got
through with the toils, perplexities, cares and anxieties in
regard to himself, his family, and in regard to the Church with
which he was associated; and in regard to all sublunary things,
and while mortals mourn "a man is dead," the angels proclaim "a
child is born."

"We believe in another state of existence besides this; and it is
not only a belief, but it is a fixed fact, and hence for a man of
God to bid adieu to the things of this world is a matter of
comparatively very small importance. When a man has fought the
good fight; when he has finished his course; when he has been
faithful, lived his religion and died as a man of God, what is
there to mourn for? Why should we indeed be sorrowful? There is a
church here on earth; there is a church also in the heavens. He
has migrated from one, and has passed into the other.

"We have had leave us before, Joseph, Hyrum, David Patten,
Willard, Jedediah, and a mighty host of good, virtuous, pure, holy
and honorable men. Some have died, as it were, naturally; others
have been violently put to death. But no matter, they are each of
them moving in his own sphere. Brother Kimball has left us for a
short time that he may unite with them. And whilst we are engaged
carrying on the work of God, and advancing and maintaining those
principles which he so diligently propagated and maintained while
he was on the earth, he is gone to officiate in the heavens with
Jesus, with Joseph and others for us. We are seeking to carry out
his will, the will of our President and the will of our Heavenly
Father, that we may be found fit to associate with the just who
are made perfect, and be prepared to join with the Church
triumphant in the heavens. It is this that our religion points us
to all the time.

"We embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he who now lies
before us was one of the first to proclaim it to thousands that
are here. And what did that teach us? To repent of our sins, and,
having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be baptized for the
remission of our sins, to have hands laid upon us for the
reception of the Holy Ghost and to gather together to Zion that we
might be instructed in the ways of life; that we might know how to
save ourselves--how to save the living and how to redeem the dead;
that we might not only possess a hope that blooms with immortality
and eternal life; but that we might have a certainty, an evidence,
a confidence that was beyond doubt or peradventure, that we were
preparing ourselves for a celestial inheritance in the kingdom of
our God. And when a man goes to sleep as Brother Kimball has done,
no matter how, he lays aside the cares of this world; the weary
wheels of life stand still, the pulse ceases to beat, the body
becomes cold, lifeless and inanimate; yet at the same time the
spirit still exists, has gone to join those who have lived before;
who now live and will live for evermore. He has trod the path that
we have all to follow, for it is appointed to man once to die, and
after that, we are told, the judgment. We have all to pass through
the dark valley of the shadow of death, and as I said before, it
matters little which way this occurs; but it does matter a great
deal to us whether we are prepared to meet it or not; whether we
have lived the life of the righteous; whether we have honored our
profession; whether we have been faithful to our trust; whether we
are prepared to associate with the spirits of the just made
perfect, and whether when He who has said "I am the resurrection
and the life" shall sound the trump we shall be prepared to come
forth in the morning of the first resurrection.

"Joseph Smith stands at the head of this dispensation. His brother
Hyrum Smith was associated with him. They were both assassinated.
No matter; they are gone. Brother Heber is now gone, and whilst we
mourn the loss they rejoice at meeting one with whom they were
associated before; for he was the friend of Joseph and Hyrum
Smith, and he was the friend of God, and God is his friend, and
they are his friends. And as they associated together in time so
they will in eternity. It behooves us then not to think so much
about dying, but about our living, and to live in such a way that
when we shall fall asleep, no matter when, or how it may
transpire, that our hearts may be pure before God. When I look
upon a man like Brother Kimball, I feel like saying let my last
end be like his. Let my life be as spotless, as holy and as pure,
that I may stand accepted before God and the holy angels. Our
ambition ought to be to live our religion, to keep the
commandments of God, to obey the counsel that those lips now
silent and cold have so often given to us; to honor our calling
and profession, that we may be prepared to inherit eternal lives
in the celestial kingdom of our God. May God help us to do so, in
the name of Jesus, Amen."

ELDER GEORGE A. SMITH.

"The occasion which has called us together is truly one of
mourning; but our mourning is not as the mourning of those who
have no hope. Our father, our brother, our President, has fallen
asleep. He has fallen asleep according to the promise that those
who die unto the Lord should not die, but should fall asleep.
Still, the circumstances with which, we are surrounded cause us to
feel keenly, deeply this bereavement of his company, of his
counsel, of his support, of his society, and the benefit of that
wisdom which ever flowed from his lips. Short is the journey from
the cradle to the grave, and all of us are marching rapidly in
that direction; and the present occasion is certainly calculated
to inspire in our minds a desire that in all our lives and actions
we may be prepared for that coming event, that we may be prepared
to rest in peace, and in the morning of the first resurrection to
inherit eternal life and celestial exaltation. The association
which we have had with President Kimball has been of long
standing. He entered the church early after its organization. In
1832, with President Brigham Young, he visited Kirtland, and made
himself personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph, whose bosom
friend he was from the time of their first acquaintance until the
day of his death. President Kimball was a man that seemed
embarrassed when called upon to speak in public in the early part
of his ministry. My first acquaintance with him was in 1833, when
in company with President Young he moved his family to Kirtland.
The Saints were then building the Kirtland Temple. He had but
little means, but he subscribed two hundred dollars and paid over
the money. Efforts were being made to build another house, for
school and other purposes, and he subscribed one hundred dollars
for that also, to buy the nails and glass. That was the first
public meeting at which I ever saw Heber C. Kimball. When he was
chosen one of the Twelve Apostles, and they were called into the
stand to bear their first testimony as Apostles to the Saints,
there was an embarrassment and a timidity about his appearance
that was truly humble. And when he went abroad to preach, many
felt almost afraid to have Brother Kimball preach because he had
not as great a flow of language as some others. But it turned
out, I am sorry to say, that some of those who were the most
eloquent seemed to be those who fell off by the wayside. It was a
dark hour around the Prophet in Kirtland, many having apostatized,
and some of them prominent Elders, when Brother Kimball and some
others were called upon to take a mission to England. He went
abroad when some of the first Elders were covered with darkness,
and apostasy ran rampant through the Church. He started almost
penniless, made the trip across the ocean, introduced the gospel
to England, and laid the foundation for the great work that has
since been accomplished there, accompanied by Orson Hyde, Willard
Richards and Joseph Fielding. Brothers Kimball and Hyde remained
in England about one year, and in that time 1,500 were baptized
there. It was strange, the power and influence which he had over
persons whom he had never before seen. On one occasion he went out
five days to some town which he had never visited before, and
among people whom he had never seen and who had never seen him,
yet in those five days he baptized eighty-three persons. It seemed
that there were a power and influence with him beyond that which
almost any other Elder possessed. He returned home just in time
to find the Saints in their troubles in Missouri. He had hardly
got home until the clouds of mobocracy intensified by apostasy
again gathered around the Prophet. In a short time after, Joseph
was in prison and his counselors were in prison and all were
closely guarded.

"During this time President Kimball visited the prison, the Judges
and the governor, and exerted himself to relieve the prisoners;
and he had a peculiar influence with him, so that he could pass
among our enemies unharmed, when others were in danger.

"When the Saints were driven from Missouri, as soon as their feet
were planted in Nauvoo, he built with his own hands a log cabin
for his family, and started again to renew his mission to Great
Britain, with President Young and others of his quorum. It is not
my intention to trace his history, but I have culled out these few
circumstances to show you his integrity, his faithfulness, and his
untiring labors to benefit mankind.

"We are called now to mourn; but we do not mourn as those who have
no hope. Brother Kimball was a man who was the son of nature. The
literature he loved was the word of God. He was not a man to read
novels. He studied the revelations of Jesus. His heart was filled
with benevolence. His soul was filled with love; and he was always
ready to give counsel to the weakest child that came in his way.
Thousands and thousands will remember him with pleasure.

"As we follow him to his last resting place, we must recollect
that those men who stood side by side with Joseph Smith the
Prophet, who bore with him his burdens, and shared his troubles;
who stood shoulder to shoulder with President Young while he faced
the storm of apostasy, mob power and organized priestcraft, are
rapidly passing away. Brother Kimball was foremost among them.
Joseph loved him, and truly it may be said that Brother Kimball
was a Herald of Grace. May we all so live that with our brother we
may inherit the blessings of celestial grace, is my prayer in the
name of Jesus, Amen."

ELDER GEORGE Q. CANNON.

"The scene in which we are participating this day reminds us more
strongly than any language can do, how frail is mortal existence,
and how slight a tenure we all have upon this life. Two weeks ago,
to-day, he, whose lifeless remains we now surround, was moving
among us in this Tabernacle; if not in the enjoyment of perfect
health, yet in the enjoyment of such a degree of health as not to
inspire us with any apprehensions as to his life. If we had been
asked, How long is Brother Heber likely to live? the probable
answer would have been, he is as likely to live ten or twenty
years as any other period. But since then, two weeks, two brief,
short weeks, have gone, and we have assembled ourselves together
to pay our last respects to his memory. It seemed to me when I
entered the building, and sat down and looked upon the
congregation, that the greatest eloquence I could indulge in would
be silence. Yet it is due to him that our voices should be heard
in instruction to those who remain, and in testimony of his great
worth; and if possible to spread before them, the great and
glorious example which he has set for us, and which if we will but
emulate and follow, will result in the attainment of the most
glorious blessings of which mortal heart can conceive.

"I have known Brother Heber from my childhood. To me he has been a
father. I never was with him but what he had good counsel to give
me. And when I speak this I speak what every one who was
acquainted with him might say. He was full of counsel, full of
instruction, and he was always pointed in conveying his counsel in
plainness to those to whom he imparted it.

"Have we any cause, in reality, to mourn to-day? Have we any cause
for grief and sorrow? When I stood by his bedside and saw his
spirit take its departure there was no death there; there was no
gloom. I had seen but two persons die before, and they died by
violence; but when I watched Brother Heber I asked myself, Is this
death? Is this that which men represent as a monster, and from
which they shrink with affright? It seemed to me that Brother
Heber was not dead, but that he had merely gone to sleep. He
passed away as quietly and as gently as an infant falling asleep
on its mother's lap; not a movement of a limb; not a contortion of
his countenance; and scarcely a sigh. The words of Jesus, through
Joseph, were forcibly brought to my mind,--"they that die in me,
their death shall be sweet unto them." It was sweet with him.
There was nothing repulsive, nothing dreadful or terrible in it,
but on the contrary it was calm, peaceful and sweet. There were
heavenly influences there, as though angels were there, and no
doubt they were, prepared to escort him hence to the society of
those whom he loved and who loved him dearly. I thought of the
joy there would be in the spirit land, when Joseph, and Hyrum, and
David, and Willard, and Jedediah, and Parley would welcome him to
their midst, and the thousands of others who have gone before, and
like them have been faithful. What a welcome to their midst will
Brother Heber receive! to labor and toil with them in the spirit
world in the great work in which we are engaged.

"It is now twenty-four years lacking three days, since Joseph and
Hyrum were taken away from us. Twenty-four years so fruitful in
labor, so abundant in toil, so rich in experience! During that
period Brother Heber has never wavered, never trembled. It may be
said of him with as much truthfulness to-day, as was said by
Brother Brigham on one occasion in Nauvoo, 'his knees never
trembled, his hands never shook.' He has been faithful to God; he
has been true to his brethren; he has kept his covenants; he has
died in the triumphs of the faith; and as the Savior has said,
'that which is governed by law is preserved by law and perfected
and sanctified by the same;' so will it be with him. He has gone
to the paradise of God, there to await the time when this
corruption shall put on incorruption, when this mortality shall
put on immortality.

"My brethren and sisters, here is an incentive to us to be
faithful. Contrast the death of this man with the death of the
apostate--the traitor. Contrast the future--as it is revealed to
us in the revelations of Jesus Christ--of this man, with the
future of the renegade from the truth, and the wicked and those
who love not God and who keep not His commandments. Are there any
incentives presented to us this day to be faithful? They are too
numerous for me to dwell upon or mention. There is every reason
why we should be faithful. It is easier to keep the commandments
of God than it is to break them. It is easier to walk in the path
of righteousness than it is to deviate from it. It is easier and
more pleasant to love God than it is to break His commandments.

"Then let us be true to God. Let us walk each day so that we may
be worthy, when our life is ended, to associate with him whose
spirit inhabited this tabernacle that lies here, and with others
who have gone before, and with those who remain, that we may dwell
together with them eternally in the heavens; which may God grant,
for Christ's sake, Amen."

PRESIDENT D. H. WELLS.

"It is a great calamity to humanity when a great and good man
falls. Earth needs their services. Good men are too scarce. The
loss is not so much to them as it is to us who remain--as it is to
humanity who are still left to wield an influence against the
wickedness which is on the earth, and to sustain holy and
righteous principles which the Lord has revealed from the heavens
for the guidance of man. Herein is the loss which we feel when
such men as Bro. Kimball are taken away, He has made his mark. He
has earned imperishable fame, and he will live in the hearts of
the good, the true and the faithful--in the hearts of the just;
and he will be remembered by the wicked, for he has often invaded
the realms of darkness and sustained holy and righteous principles
with all his might, power and influence, all the days of his life.
It is true, for him we need not mourn, because he has passed to
that home where Satan has no power. He has secured to himself a
crown of eternal glory and righteousness in the celestial kingdom
of our God. Not that he will come immediately unto this
exaltation. The Savior of the world, himself, did not enter into
His glory on the dissolution of His spirit and body; He went first
to minister to the spirits in prison, being clothed with the holy
Priesthood. So with our brother and beloved friend, for he is
still our friend, and, as has been remarked, he was the friend of
God and of all good men. He is not lost. He has only gone to
perform another portion of the mission which he has been engaged
in all his life, to labor in another sphere for the good of
mankind, for the welfare of the souls of men. But he has laid for
himself a foundation that is imperishable, on which a
superstructure of glory and exaltation will grow and increase
throughout all eternity.

"I do not stand here to eulogize our friend and brother to-day,
but to satisfy my own feelings and pay a tribute of respect to his
memory, for I loved him and he loved me, and he loved this people.
He has friends also where he is gone. Who can answer the question
whether they are more numerous than those who have assembled
together to-day and those throughout this Territory? Who can say
that they are not more numerous on yonder shore? Yet it matters
not. Those who are faithful will yet be gathered with him and
others, and come with him to a celestial glory, and with him dwell
where there is no sorrow nor affliction. He rests from his labor,
from the toil which surrounded him on the earth. This is, to-day,
a source of consolation to his family and friends, to those who
were intimately connected with him. They may be assured that he
rests in peace. Let his example be followed; let his teachings be
remembered; let us all live so that we may have a reasonable hope
of meeting with him and being associated with him in a never
ending future.

"May God help us to be faithful unto the end, as he has been; to
fight the good fight and keep the faith, that at last, with him
and those who have gone before, we may be found worthy to walk the
golden streets of that eternal city, whose builder and maker is
God: Amen."

PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG.

"I wish the people to be as still as possible and not to whisper.
I do not know that I can speak so that you can hear me; but if I
can I have a few reflections to lay before you. We are called here
on this very important occasion, and we can say truly that the day
of this man's death was far better to him than the day of his
birth. I will relate to you my feelings concerning the departure
of Brother Kimball.

"HE WAS A MAN OF AS MUCH INTEGRITY, I PRESUME, AS ANY MAN WHO EVER
LIVED ON THE EARTH.

"I have been personally acquainted with him forty-three years and
I can testify that he has been a man of truth, a man of
benevolence, a man that was to be trusted. Now he has gone and
left us. I will say to his wives and his children, that I have not
felt one particle of death in his house nor about it, and through
this scene we are now passing I have not felt one particle of the
spirit of death. He has fallen asleep for a certain purpose,--to
be prepared for a glorious resurrection; and the same Heber C.
Kimball, every component particle of his body, from the crown of
his head to the soles of his feet, will be resurrected, and he, in
the flesh, will see God and converse with Him; and see his
brethren and associate with them and they will enjoy a happy
eternity together.

"Brother Kimball has had the privilege of living and dying in his
own house in peace; and has not been followed up by mobs and
massacred. I consider this a great consolation to his family and
friends; and it is a great comfort to me to think that Brother
Heber C. Kimball had the privilege of dying in peace. It is not a
matter of regret; it is nothing that we should mourn for. It is a
great cause of joy and rejoicing and comfort to his friends to
know that a person has passed away in peace from this life, and
has secured to himself a glorious resurrection. The earth and the
fullness of the earth and all that pertains to this earth in an
earthly capacity, is no comparison with the glory, joy and peace
and happiness of the soul that departs in peace. You may think I
have reason to mourn. Brother Heber C. Kimball has been my first
counselor for almost twenty-four years. I am happy to state, it is
a matter of great joy to me; this is the third counselor that has
fallen asleep since I have stood to counsel this people--and they
have died in the faith, full of hope; their lives were filled up
with good works, full of faith, comfort, peace and joy to their
brethren. I have looked over this matter. In the fourteen years
that Brother Joseph presided over the Church, three of the
prominent counselors he had apostatized. This was a matter of
regret. Sidney Rigdon, F. G. Williams and William Law, whom many
of this congregation knew in Nauvoo, apostatized and left Brother
Joseph. I have not been under the necessity of mourning and
lamenting over the apostasy of any one of my counselors, and I
hope I shall never have this to regret. I had rather bury them by
the score than see one of them apostatize.

"A great deal could be said concerning Brother Kimball, whose
remains are here. He is not dead. His earthly tabernacle has
fallen asleep to be prepared for this glorious resurrection that
you and I live for. What can we say to one another? Live as he
has lived; be as faithful as he has been; be as full of good works
as his life has manifested to us. If we do so, our end will be
peace and joy, and we will fall asleep as peacefully. I held my
watch with one hand and fanned him with the other, while he
breathed his last.

"For this family to mourn is perhaps natural; but they have not
really the first cause to do so. How would you feel if you had a
husband or a father that would lead you from the truth? I would to
God that we would all follow him in his example in our
faithfulness, and be as faithful as he was in his life. To his
wives, his children, his friends, his brethren and sisters, to
this family whom God has selected from the human family to be his
sons and daughters, I say let us follow his example. He has gone
to rest. We can say of him all that can be said of any good man.
The Lord selected him and he has been faithful and this has made
him a great man; just as you and I can become if we will live
faithful to our God and our religion. There is no man but what can
do good if he chooses; and if he be disposed to choose the good
and refuse the evil. If any man choose the evil he will dwindle,
especially if he has been called to the holy Priesthood of the Son
of God. Such a man will dwindle and falter, stumble and fall; and
instead of becoming great and good, he will be lost in
forgetfulness.

"We pay our last respects unto Brother Kimball. I can say to the
congregation, we thank you for your attention. We are happy to see
you here. It would be a pleasure to us if it would be prudent, and
we had time, for you to see the corpse; but it would not be
prudent and we have not the time. This, perhaps, will be a matter
of regret to many of you; but you must put up with it. I want to
say to every one who wishes to see Brother Heber again, live so
that you will secure to yourselves a part in the first
resurrection, and I promise you that you will meet him and shake
hands with him. But if you do not live so, I can give you no such
promise.

"Now, my friends, I feel to bless you; and the family, the wives
and the children of Brother Heber C. Kimball. I bless you in the
name of Jesus Christ. Will you receive the blessings which a
father and husband has placed upon your heads? If you live for
them you will enjoy them. I think he has never cursed one of his
family; but his heart was full of blessings for them. He has
blessed his brethren and sisters and neighbors and friends. His
heart was full of blessings; but he was a scourge to the wicked
and they feared him. Now, my friends, I cannot talk to you, my
sore throat will not let me. But I feel to thank you for your
kind attention here to-day, in paying our respects to the remains
of Brother Kimball, and may God bless you. Amen."

At the close of the President's remarks, the choir sang: "O my Father, Thou that dwellest," and Bishop Edwin D. Woolley pronounced the benediction.

The procession then returned, proceeding to the spot selected by President Kimball as the final resting place of his mortal remains. Here, beside the grave of his beloved Vilate, his body was entombed.

And now occurred a remarkable, though purely natural phenomenon. As the first clods of earth fell upon the coffin, the setting sun burst forth from his cloudy covering, shedding a golden halo of glory upon the scene, while instantaneously in the eastern horizon appeared a rainbow, the bright and beauteous token of promise, directly spanning the grave. It was no illusion; and as the last particles of mother earth were gathered above the still bosom that slept below, the rainbow dissolved.

----

So passed from earth the immortal part of him whom men named Heber C. Kimball; one of God's "noble and great ones," recalled with honor from the toils of time to share with Him the triumphs of eternity. Freed from his mortal prison-house of sorrow and of pain, his mission in this life completed, he sought once more the scenes and society of Home, in the realms of eternal rest.

Past angels, Gods and sentinels, who guard
The gates celestial, challengeless and free,
That sovereign spirit soared unto its own;
By shouting millions welcomed back again,
With all his new-won laurels on his brow--
The meed of valor and of victory--
To exaltations endless as THE LIVES.