Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate/Volume 3/Number 4/Our village
Messenger and Advocate.
KIRTLAND, OHIO, JAN. 1837.
OUR VILLAGE.
Nothing can be more gratifying to the saints in this place and their friends and brethren abroad than to contemplate the scene now before them. Every Lords day our house of worship is filled to the overflowing with attentive hearers, mostly communicants.
In the evening following the singers meet under the direction of Brother I. Carter and J. Crosby Jr. who give instructions in the principles of vocal music.
On monday evening the quorum of high priests meets in the west room of the attic story where they transact the buisiness [business] of their particular quorum, speak, sing, pray, and so worship the God of heaven. On Tuesday evenings the Seventies, meet in the same room occupied by the high priests the preceding night. They then and there listen to the advice and instructions given them by their president as well as speak, sing, pray and talk of the goodness and power of God.
On Wednesday evening the rooms are occupied by the quorum of Elders, where they receive instruction and advice from their venerable president and his able councellors [councilors].
On Thursday P. M. a prayer meeting is held in the lower part of the house where any and all persons may assemble and pray and praise the Lord. This meeting, though free for all, is conducted more particularly by J. Smith senior, the patriarch of the church.
The members of the high council, and also "the twelve" meet but we believe not statedly in each week as do others, of the different quorums mentioned.
D[u]ring the week a school is taught in the attic story of the house, denominated the "Kirtland High School" con[sist]ing of about 135 or 40 students under the superintendence of H. M Hawes Esq. professor of the Greek & Latin languages. The school is properly divided into three departments, (viz.) The classical, where the languages only are taught, the English department where mathematics, common Arithmetic, Geography, English grammar, writing and reading are taught, and the Juvenile department the first principles and rudiments of an education are taught. These two departments have each an instructor assigned them. The whole is under the supervision of Mr. Hawes as principal.
The school commenced in Nov. and on the first Wednesday in January and several classes passed a public examination in presence of the trustees of the School and the parents and guardians of the Scholars. We think the result of the examination, did honor to both teachers and scholars. Never did we witness greater progress in study in the same length of time and in so great a number of scholars.
Our streets are continually thronged with teams loaded with wood, materials for building the ensuing season, provisions for the market, people to trade, or parties of pleasure to view our stately and magnificent temple. Although our population is by no means as dense as in many villages, yet the number of new buildings erected the last season, those now in contemplation and under con[t]ract to be built next season, together with our every day occurrences, are evincive of more united exertion, more industry and more enterprise than we ever witnessed in so sparse a population, so far from any navigable water and in this season of the year.