Salt Lake School of the Prophets, 1867–1883

Abstract

In December 1867, Brigham Young oversaw the opening of a School of the Prophets in Salt Lake City that existed until June 1874. Nine years after that school was disbanded, John Taylor briefly reconvened the Salt Lake School of the Prophets, which only lasted from August to October 1883.These schools have received less attention than the School of the Prophets established by Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, in the 1830s. However, the publication of this volume brings long overdue attention to them. The little known and little used minutes that were produced during these meetings present a fascinating and unique record of issues of importance to leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to Latter-day Saints living in Salt Lake City during the years the school was in operation. The minutes also provide an insight into the personalities of those who “stood at their head” (vii), as Young and Taylor directed the operation of their schools differently. In the case of Young, many of those who think they know him might be surprised with the individual revealed in the minutes.The impending coming of the railroad, coupled with concerns about national politics and growing anti-Mormon sentiments, and conflicts with indigenous residents, prompted Young to organize Schools of the Prophets throughout Utah Territory. Of these schools, the Salt Lake School of the Prophets was preeminent because a who's who of church leadership regularly participated. Unlike Smith's School of the Prophets, however, Young's school was not simply a meeting where a select group of “first elders” gathered to be trained in clearly-defined doctrinal topics. Instead, it differed in both curriculum and the fact that for a period of time it was open to all Latter-day Saint adult males in the community and its membership at one time exceeded a thousand.Young viewed the establishment of Schools of the Prophets as an important aspect of his efforts to unite church members in thought and action, to create a unique culture where theological and secular issues merged, and to build a Zion society. Embracing the Latter-day Saints scriptural declaration that individuals should be instructed in “all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:78), the Salt Lake School of the Prophets provided a forum for discussions on a wide range of theological, political, economic, and social issues. Topics not only ranged from the so-called Adam–God theory to the Word of Wisdom, but could, as was the case on September 2, 1871, include discussions upon the need for individuals to create a will—with Young's will being read as an example, “leaving out names & figures”—and the benefits of replacing outhouses with “dry earth closets” (215–16).A major focus of Young's school was setting the table for the introduction of economic cooperatives among the Latter-day Saints. With the establishment of United Orders in 1874, Young dissolved all the Schools of the Prophets throughout the territory.When Taylor reintroduced the Salt Lake School of the Prophets in 1883, it was more in line with Smith's school in terms of curriculum and membership. The minutes of the August 2, 1883, organizational meeting presents an overview of previous Latter-day Saint Schools of the Prophets.The volume also includes appendices that contain the rules for Young's school drafted in 1868; minutes of the 1869 trial of William Godbe and Elias Harrison for apostasy; minutes of the 1874 organization of the Salt Lake United Order recorded in the same volume as School of the Prophets minutes; minutes of the 1883 St. George School of the Prophets that operated at the same time as the Salt Lake School of the Prophets; and the December 1867 discourse by Young that opened his School of the Prophets.While the strength of the volume lies in the fact that it brings together into one source documents associated with the Salt Lake School of the Prophets, a weakness is its index. In a work where topics are of primary importance, not all topics that were discussed are indexed. There are also instances where individuals mentioned did not make the index, and other instances where individuals did make the index, but only comments on some topics did. The volume does contain a helpful biographical register of “selected members,” as well as a limited number of footnotes.Taken altogether, this volume and its treasure trove of Latter-day Saints thinking is worthy of note, particularly by anyone interested in the era of Latter-day Saint and Utah history when these minutes were created.