INTEREST IN EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS—CHOSEN SUPERINTENDENT OF COMMON SCHOOLS—COMMENDED BY AUTHORITIES AT WASHINGTON—DEATH OF PRESIDENT YOUNG—THE NEW LEADER—STANDING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES—ELDER TAYLOR'S PLACE IN THE QUORUM—THE HAND OF THE LORD.

The interest which Elder Taylor had taken for some years in the educational affairs of Utah, resulted in his election, in 1877, to the office of Territorial Superintendent of district schools. His labor in that department of the public service, however, was considerably interfered with, at least as to details, by his being called to operate in a higher and more important sphere. Still school interests were, by no means, neglected. He called to his assistance the most competent educators in the Territory, and under his direction the work they accomplished, was perfectly satisfactory.

In his bi-annual reports to the Territorial Legislature, in addition to giving the usual general and statistical information from his own Territory, he incorporated a brief summary of important educational statistics for all the states and territories, which led Charles Warren, Esq., acting commissioner of education at Washington, to write him a letter of commendation, in which the following occurs:

"The example thus set is a good one, and only by this means, while Congress limits the circulation of our reports, can the statistics, laboriously collected at this central office, reach the vast body of minor school officers and teachers, for whose benefit they should be spread abroad. It is to be hoped that other superintendents will follow the pattern thus presented, and thus enable all school officers and teachers in their several states or territories, to compare their own statistics with those of others elsewhere."

The circumstances which called Elder Taylor to a higher sphere of labor than that of superintendent of district schools, was the death of President Brigham Young. He died on the afternoon of the 25th of August, 1877. It was a sorrowful event. For thirty-three years Brigham Young had stood as the earthly head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its President, and the Lord's prophet, seer and revelator to it. Under God's direction he delivered the Saints from the oppression of mob rule and violence at Nauvoo, and led them in an unparalleled exodus from civilization through wilderness and desert to the valleys of Utah. He located their settlements, taught them how to build forts for their protection from the savages; how to subdue the desert and make it fruitful; how to become self-sustaining, independent: and by these labors, he laid the foundation of a great commonwealth. He had not only been President of the people, he was, as well, their counselor, friend and brother. He had never betrayed their interests, they could and did trust him implicitly. In times of trial and sorrow they turned to him for comfort; in times of danger they looked to him to direct their action; in times of perplexity they went to him for the word of the Lord; and Brigham Young, full of a heaven-inspired wisdom, never failed them in any of these things. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that the Saints had come to look upon him as well nigh indispensable to the work of the Lord, or that a cloud of sorrow settled upon all Israel at his death.

But the work the Lord has established in these last days is independent of any man, be he ever so wise, or influential. This has been so frequently demonstrated that it is now accepted as a truism by the faithful. The work, called by the world "Mormonism," is God's work. He is its founder and its Grand Head. Earthly leaders,—Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and others, operate under His directions. They are but instruments in His hands; and as one passes away, He raises up another competent to carry out His purposes. Brigham Young was dead, but the Church of Christ still lived; and its Great Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, though in heaven,—far above the power of death, of mobs or any earthly accident,—was watching over its interests and guiding its destiny. Surely He is able to raise up another earthly leader for Israel! Indeed the man is already at hand. The Saints while weeping for the departure of their late President, recognize him through the mists of their tears. It is the man who in a voice full of power and inspiration that thrills every soul in the vast congregation assembled to pay the last tribute of respect to the remains of Brigham Young—it is the man who is saying:

"We are not alone! God is with us, and He will continue with us from this time henceforth and forever. And while we mourn a good and great man dead, I see thousands of staunch and faithful ones around me, and before me, who are for Israel, for God and His kingdom; men who are desirous to see His will done on earth, as angels do it in heaven."

We are not alone! God is with us! Israel did not doubt it. How could they? He who proclaimed it knew whereof he spake; and the Spirit of God which penetrated the hearts of the Saints as he uttered those words, bore witness that they were true. It was John Taylor who thus spoke.

At the death of President Young, Elder John Taylor was President of the quorum of Twelve Apostles. It is a principle well established now by precedent, that at the death of the President of the Church, the authority of presidency devolves upon the next quorum—the Twelve Apostles: and as Elder Taylor was the President of the Twelve, he became the mouth-piece of the Lord to the people, by virtue of that position so long as that quorum presided over the Church. Not alone by precedent, however, did the Twelve succeed to the presidency of the Church with Elder Taylor at their head, the arrangement was also sanctioned by the spirit of inspiration.

On the 4th of September, 1877, the two counselors of the late President Young and ten of the Twelve Apostles—Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, the other two members, were absent in England—held a meeting and waited upon the Lord. With humble, contrite and saddened hearts they earnestly sought to learn His will concerning themselves and the Church. The Lord blessed them with the spirit of union, and revealed to them what steps should be taken, and the following is what was done: Elder Taylor was unanimously sustained as the President of the Twelve; and with the same unanimity it was voted that the Twelve Apostles should be sustained as the presiding authority in the Church, while the counselors to the late President Young, John W. Young and Daniel H. Wells, were sustained as one with, counselors to and associated in action with the Twelve Apostles. To facilitate the transaction of business it was also voted that for the time being President Taylor should be assisted by John W. Young, Daniel H. Wells and George Q. Cannon, in attending to business connected with the temples, the public works and other financial affairs of the Church. They were a kind of executive committee. These preparations were made for pushing forward the work of the Lord in the earth, without even a halt or jostle.

Here it will be proper to note those circumstances which brought Elder Taylor to the exalted station he now occupied. The position in which the members of the Twelve stand in their quorum is determined by seniority of ordination, not of age. Therefore it is always the senior member by ordination that of right is the president of the quorum.

For a number of years, however, there were three members of the quorum living at the death of President Young whose names stood before President Taylor's: Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt and Wilford Woodruff. Doubtless Wilford Woodruff's name was placed upon the records before the name of John Taylor through some inadvertence, or perhaps through the incorrect idea that seniority of age decided the order in which the members of the quorum stood—Wilford Woodruff was the older man. John Taylor, however, was ordained before Wilford Woodruff, in fact, the former assisted at the ordination of the latter, so there could be no question as to his seniority of ordination. The attention of President Young and his counselors being called to these facts, it was decided—the Twelve also concurring—that John Taylor stood before Wilford Woodruff in the quorum, the names after this were so arranged.

During the troublous times at Far West, Missouri, Orson Hyde became involved in some difficulty, in connection with Thomas B. Marsh, which resulted in his excommunication, so that he lost his place in the quorum.

Orson Pratt was also involved in some difficulty in Nauvoo which led to his being dropped from his quorum, and Amasa Lyman was ordained to fill the vacancy.

Both Brother Hyde and Brother Pratt afterwards repented, were forgiven and received back into the quorum by ordination; and without any particular investigation or arrangement they took the positions formerly occupied by them. But both these brethren had been dropped from the quorum, and when they were received back by ordination, it is evident that all those who had remained in the quorum out-ranked them by seniority of ordination.

It was this consideration, doubtless, which led President Young, several years before his death, to have the name of John Taylor placed at the head of the quorum. Thus he stood in the same position that President Young did at the death of the Prophet Joseph; and like him was upheld "the President of the quorum of the Twelve, as one of the Twelve, and First Presidency of the Church."

But aside from his succeeding to this position by virtue of his standing in his quorum, his long experience in the Church, the love the Saints had for him, their confidence in his fidelity, together with his great abilities as a leader among men, pre-eminently qualified him for the position he was called upon to fill. And in those changes made under the direction of President Young, by which Elder Taylor was assigned his proper place in the quorum of the Apostles, may we not discern the inspiration of God preparing the way for the man whom the Lord designed to succeed to the leadership of His people, when President Brigham Young should be called home?