140 years ago today - Mar 18, 1884

[James E. Talmage]
My Hashish eating friend gave me further details at odd times today. Three of us in the University have entered upon the study of the Narcotics in use..

[The Journals of James E. Talmage—Excerpts, Compiled by J. Trevor Antley, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dOE6pgN6OkBJIq-X73JGpCdt0p5b8_UdfTfLREz4uTg/]

175 years ago today - Mar 18, 1849

[Hosea Stout]
.... John Taylor who in the course of his remarks deprecated the practice of swearing & called on all who would agree to flog any one whom they heard to swear to raise their hands whereupon many did while many did not vote either way. I suppose they rightly considered that it would be rather a fast way of getting into business. This was my feelings.

[Diaries of Hosea Stout]

190 years ago today - Mar 18, 1834

Joseph Smith secretly ordains Lyman Wight as "Baneemy" which Wight understands as a military calling.

[Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Appendix 7: Selected Chronology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-47, http://amzn.to/origins-power]

10 years ago today - 2014-03-17

Church PR Department rejected Ordain Women's Ticket Request

The Church PRDepartment published a letter in the Deseret News rejecting Ordain Women's request for 250 tickets to the Priesthood Session of Conference. The letter states that the press will be barred from Temple Square and states the Ordain Women should be relegated to the "Free Speech Zones" located outside of Temple Square. "

[Mormon Women's History Timeline, http://www1.chapman.edu/~remy/MoFem/mormonwomen.html]

45 years ago today - Mar 17, 1979

In one of his nationally syndicated essays, political conservative William F. Buckley praises the LDS missionary program as "a kind of privately financed peace corps."

[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database ( http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase )]]

125 years ago today - Mar 17, 1899

[Brigham Young Jr.]
God is blessing the people. I pray Him earnestly to open the way the Pres[ident] [George Q.] Cannon may go to the Senate for I believe he is the man that God wants there to defend His people from the assaults of of lunatic religionists and people here who are robbers and have one desire to drive us out & have our warm places.

[Brigham Young Jr. Diary, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910-1951, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah 2010]

55 years ago today - Mar 17, 1969

First Presidency Letter: "Where the military regulations are of a character that "hinders", that is, makes impossible the wearing of the regulation garments, either in training on the drill grounds or in combat zones, effort should be made to wear underclothing that will approach as near as may be the normal garment. Where military regulations require the wearing of two-piece underwear, such underwear should be properly marked, as if the articles were of the normal pattern. If circumstances are such that different underwear may be turned back to the wearer from that which he sends to the laundry, then the marks should be placed on small pieces of cloth and sewed upon the underwear while being worn, then removed when the underwear is sent to the laundry, and resewed upon the underwear returned. . . . Every effort should be made to protect the garments from the gaze and raillery of scoffers. . . . If the scoffing became unbearable and the wearer should decide that the Lord would
consider he was really "hindered" by the scoffers from wearing the garments, and if he should therefore lay them aside, then the wearer should resume the wearing of the normal garment at the earliest possible moment. A certain amount of curiosity and light comment may be frequently expected, wherever, for one cause or another, the garments are brought into view, but this is not the "hindering" of which the Lord spoke as excusing obedience."

175 years ago today - Mar 17, 1849

Brigham Young instructs Council of Fifty regarding two imprisoned men: "He would show them he was not afraid to take their Head but do as you please with them." Council allows them to live.

140 years ago today - Mar 17, 1884

Future apostle James E. Talmage, at Johns Hopkins University, writes in his journal: "Mar 17. I have been engaged some time in the study of the effects of Narcotics upon the system, i.e. studying the same theoretically only. Today I found a gentleman who works in the same Laboratory as I, and who has for 2 years been addicted to the habit of eating Haschich or extract of Cannabis Indica. He was very willing to give me any data from his own experience; and gave me such." Five days later he includes himself as a subject by taking "Cannabis Indica" himself.

60 years ago today - Mar 16, 1964

Sharlene C. Wells (Hawkes), later the second Latter-day Saint to be crowned Miss America (1985), is born in Asuncion, Paraguay.

75 years ago today - Mar 16, 1949

The Church News reports that a paraplegic convert Mrs. Luett J. Standliff has been baptized while strapped to a stretcher in the Salt Lake Tabernacle baptistery.

[The Mormon Hierarchy - Extensions of Power by D. Michael Quinn, [New Mormon History database ( http://bit.ly/NMHdatabase )]]

115 years ago today - Mar 16, 1909; Tuesday

[Heber J. Grant]
4:20 had a long talk with Brother A[lpha]. J. Higgs regarding the manifesto issued by the Church. I learned that some people think that there is a chance for plural marriages to be performed, notwithstanding this manifesto and all the declarations that have been made by the Presidency and the Apostles. Brother Higgs assured me that he would use his influence to correct any such impression as this.

[Heber J. Grant, Diary]

120 years ago today - Mar 16, 1904

[John W. Taylor to Joseph F. Smith]
I received telegram and letter about going to Washington [D.C.] for the purpose of testifying in the [Reed] Smoot case [Senate hearings], and I think I fully appreciate what you say upon the subject, and, I must ask you to excuse me from complying with your request in this respect, both on account of my business interests and my own positive disinclinations to do so. ...

[John W. Taylor, Letter to Joseph F. Smith, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]

120 years ago today - Mar 16, 1904

Carl A. Badger, secretary to Apostle and U.S. Senator Reed Smoot writes a letter to a friend: "The people at home may be proud of the showing we have made here, but I am not. It was with humiliation that I heard the brethren acknowledge that the[y] had broken the law of God and of their country. I know that it is folly to condemn individuals when we all are in the same muddle. Public sentiment, the sentiment that you and I have helped create, has sustained them in what they have done. The great wrong is in an attempt to continue what we have promised to give up [polygamy]. I for one hope that the whole truth will come out; I am not in a mood to hide a thing."

125 years ago today - Thursday, Mar 16, 1899

Pres. Jos. F. Smith said a question had been asked in reference to baptism for the dead. Read from Alma (Book of Mormon), Chap. 34, Verses 32, 33, 34, and 35. How can these passages, it was asked, be reconciled with [the] principle of the baptism for the dead? After a few moments of animated discussion, the idea seemed to prevail among the brethren, that, at the time of uttering those words, Amulek could not possibly have been acquainted with the principle of baptism for the dead.

[Stan Larson (editor), A Ministry of Meetings: The Apostolic diaries of Rudger Clawson, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1993, http://bit.ly/rudgerclawson]

130 years ago today - Mar 16, 1894

[James E. Talmage]
After the Legislature cuts the University of Utah's allocated budget by half, Talmage writes the following in his journal:

Personally, I have never had a desire for the presidency of the institution, and I am loath to step on deck just in time to marshal all hands as the vessel goes down. […] Did I think that the actions of the last Legislature represented the voice and wishes of the people, I should despair of the University's life; but I am convinced that the people have its interests at heart. the University of Utah, under name of the University of Deseret, was founded by Latter-day Saints in the earliest days of the settlement of Utah, in the days of the people's direst poverty. I have faith that it will live. [Journal]

[Chronology of the Life and Work of James E. Talmage, J. Trevor Antley, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MJsHY83JZL_n6CjWq11y1trT_CVXMMXAx2uYOWAwn0c/edit#heading=h.2zfdaoa]

140 years ago today - Mar 16, 1884

[James E. Talmage]
"In the course of my studies I have naturally been brought face to face with the alleged atheistic tendency of scientific thought and the conflict usually said to exist between Science and Religion. Now, I have felt in a dilemma—and begin now to fancy I see a way out. I have been unable to see the point of conflict myself:—my belief in a loving God perfectly accords with my reverence for science, and I can see no reason why the evolution of animal bodies cannot be true—as indeed the facts of observation make it difficult to deny—and still the soul of man is of divine origin. The dilemma which has troubled me is this—being unable to perceive the great difficulty of which Scientists, and Theologians, and Scientific-theologians refer—I have feared that my investigation of the subject was highly superficial, for when such great men as most of the writers upon this subject are—find a puzzle, it would be high egotism for me to say I find no puzzle. And the fancied exit
which I see has appeared from my reading some of John Stuart Mills' writings and I feel—that if I had none other idea of a Deity that those men have, viz., that of an unknown being, whose acts as Mill says "contrary to the highest human morality"—I too would hail atheism with delight.. I could never believe in such a God as theirs, not though one should rise from the grave to declare Him to me. And just as certainly do I perceive that there can be no antagonism between the true science as revealed and made easy by the Priesthood, and the God whose attributes and passions of love and mercy are also declared by that same Priesthood [...]"

[Chronology of the Life and Work of James E. Talmage, J. Trevor Antley, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MJsHY83JZL_n6CjWq11y1trT_CVXMMXAx2uYOWAwn0c/edit#heading=h.2zfdaoa]

145 years ago today - Mar 16, 1879

[John Gilbert]
.... I asked [Martin] Harris once if he had really seen the plates with his naked eyes?--his reply was, No, but with spiritual eyes. ...

[John H. Gilbert to James T. Cobb, 16 March 1879, Theodore A. Schroeder Papers, Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, New York Public Library, New York, New York., as cited in Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents: John H. Gilbert To James T. Cobb]

180 years ago today - Mar 16, 1844

The last Relief Society meeting in Nauvoo is held. The Relief Society doesn't officially meet for ten years. Emma says "if thier ever was any authourity on the Earth she had it— and had yet." She has the sisters vote to sustain Joseph Smith's "Voice of Innocence," which promoted sexual fidelity, and that she wanted "to examin the conduct of their Leaders of this Society— that you may sit in judgement on their heads". Some of the leadership of the society were secretly married to her husband Joseph.

John Taylor later gave the reason that Joseph's wife Emma "made use of the position she held [Relief society president] to try to pervert the minds of the sisters in relation to [plural marriage]."

185 years ago today - Mar 16, 1839

[Wilford Woodruff]
.... I Concluded to go & spent the night with Brother Hale & we had an interesting time together in talking about our travels together upon the Islands of the Sea & also Br Hale gave me an account of his sufferings & those of his family & all the Saints in Missouri during the past winter. For they have suffered much from the inhaditants of Missouri who have turned mob with Governour Bogs at their head. They came upon the Saints from time to time in battle aray. They shot the Saints down like wild beasts & butcherd others in cool blood &nocked the brains out of some after they [had] taken them prisioners. The soldiers shot down the cattle cows & hogs of the Saints for the purpose of destroying them.

The Saints at times stood in their own defence & some of their enemies fell befor them & In consequence of which the Governour Issued orders for the final extermination of the Saints out of the State & sent a general after his own heart to execute his orders forthwith ...

Elder David W. Patten one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Chosen to bear the keys of this last kingdom was one of the marters of the persecution in Missouri in the winter of 1838 he sealed his testimony with his Blood. He died strong in that faith that he had boldly declared through the U.S.A. for the last 7 years of his life &c.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]