The Early Genre

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When the home literature (fiction stories for the youth authored by LDS writers) started to take off in the mid-1880s, what was the genre of the first stories?

a.                  Spiritual

b.                  Mystery

c.                   Christmas

d.                  Romance

Yesterday’s answer:

B   Night dippers

From the life of Thomas Evans Jeremy:   Elder Jeremy lived on a large farm, which he had rented from a rich land-owner, the same as others in the same neighborhood. This land-owner, who was an enemy to the “Mormons,” became very angry when he heard that Thomas E. Jeremy had united himself with them, and furthermore was spreading the doctrines of his creed among his other renters. On one occasion when Elder Jeremy brought him the half-yearly rent, this man commenced to abuse him and finally broke out in a passion, saying, “These damned night-dippers (meaning the ‘Mormons’) will lead you down to hell.” Bro. Jeremy, in his usual calm and conservative manner, told him in reply that although he knew his duty to his landlord, and would do what was right to him, he considered it his privilege to serve God according to his own conscience; and he felt it to be his duty to obey God more than man. This exasperated the landlord, who commenced to curse and swear, but was immediately seized by a strange but mighty power, which hurled him back in his chair and made him speechless, while he foamed profusely from the mouth, and his limbs were twisted nearly out of shape. He finally lost his reason and never recovered from the attack.

Jenson, Andrew, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jensen History Company, 1914), 2: 651.