175 years ago today - Jan 2, 1846

[Brigham Young]

He alluded to the privilege which we now have of meeting in this house and said that we could worship God in the dance, as well as in other ways. He alluded to the ordinances of the endowment, and said they must always be attended to in an upper room, when we see a temple built right, there will be places for the Priests to enter and put on their robes, and offer up sacrifices, first for themselves, and then for the people.

The way for us to grow & thrive is for us to serve the Lord in all we do.--and as we have called upon the different quorums to meet together once a day, so it will eventually be with the whole church. There will be houses for them to meet in....

Now as to dancing in this house--There are thousands of brethren, and sisters that have labored hard to build these walls and put on this roof, and they are shut out from any opportunity of enjoying any amusement among the wicked--or in the world--and shall they have any recreation? Yes! Where? Why in the Temple of the Lord. That is the very place where they can have liberty--and we will enjoy it this winter and then leave it. ... And we will leave this wicked nation, to themselves, for they have rejected the gospel, and I hope and pray that the wicked will kill one another & save us the trouble of doing it. ...

The U.S. Government says if we let the Mormons go out from this nation they will give us trouble--well perhaps their fears will come upon them--Where is there a city of refuge, on the face of the earth but this. They have tried to break us up. ...

-And now brethren will it hurt your feelings any if we dance a little. We need a little recreation--My mind is continually upon the stretch, because I know that this church must be saved. ...

I mean that there shall not be a fiddle in this church but what has holiness to the Lord upon it--nor a flute; nor a trumpet, nor any other instrument of music--and if they will not make music exclusively for the Lord's house, they shall not play at all.

[Nauvoo Temple - Heber C. Kimball Journal, Mss, in Elden J. Watson, ed. Brigham Young Addresses, 1801-1877: A Chronological Compilation of Known Addresses of the Prophet Brigham Young, 6 vols. (Salt Lake City: Privately published, 1971)]