Did You Know?

“The Song of the Righteous”

Singing hymns has always been an important part of Latter-day Saint worship. In 1830 the Lord commanded Emma Smith “to make a selection of sacred hymns” (D&C 25:11). During the next five years—a very difficult period in her own life and in Church history—Emma Smith collected and adapted hymns with the able assistance of William W. Phelps. Finally, in August 1835, the Church’s first hymnal was published.

Emma’s compilation, A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints, contained 90 hymns. Because the early Saints felt a need for new texts that expressed the doctrines and beliefs of the Restoration, 30 to 40 of those original 90 hymn texts were written by LDS authors. Twenty-six of the hymns in Emma’s hymnbook are still in our current English hymnbook.

It Happened in August

Following are significant events that happened in Church history during the month of August.

2 August 1831: During a ceremony in Jackson County, Missouri, Sidney Rigdon (right) dedicated the “Land of Zion” for the gathering of the Saints. The following day the Prophet Joseph Smith dedicated a site for a future temple at Independence (top).

25 August 1878: The first Primary, founded by Aurelia Spencer Rogers (left), was held in Farmington, Utah. Less than two years later, on 19 June 1880, a Churchwide Primary organization was established, with Louie Bouton Felt as the first president.

Leadership Tip

If you want to develop interpersonal skills, try volunteering for something that will build your confidence. Join a school or community service organization or participate in an organized sport. Belonging to a group and participating in worthwhile activities can help you develop interpersonal skills that will serve you in other settings.

Art Online

Exhibits in the Museum of Church History and Art are available at www.lds.org/museum. Take a virtual tour of the museum, or see a gallery of previous winners in the museum’s international art competitions.

The competition is held every three years. The current deadline is November 2005. To submit artwork, fill out an entry form and submit photos of your artwork online, or request an entry form via e-mail at [e-mail]. The Web site and entry forms are available in English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

From top left: Elect Lady, by Liz Lemon Swindle; photograph of hymnbook by Randall J. Pixton; Dedicating the Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri, by Dale Kilbourn; bust of Sidney Rigdon by Ed Fraughton; Aurelia Spencer Rogers, by Louie Felt Keysor; paintbrush photograph © Photodisc