Cover of Treasures in Heaven Fifteenth Book of the Faith Promoting Series, Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints — A Reader’s Guide

Treasures in Heaven Fifteenth Book of the Faith Promoting Series, Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints — A Reader’s Guide

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In Category - Sacred Texts

Authors: Lambert, George C. (George Cannon), 1848- [Compiler] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2015 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Eskildz, Niels P. L., 1836-; Lambert, Mary Alice Cannon, 1828-; Service (Theology) Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 31,594

Reading time 138 min

Text sections 4

For Treasures in Heaven Fifteenth Book of the Faith Promoting Series, Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints — A Reader’s Guide, the stored edition analysis reports 31,594 words, 2 hr 18 min estimated reading time, and 4 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 28.6 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Eskildz, Niels P. L., 1836-,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #49830

This 1914 compilation of firsthand accounts and editorial reflections focuses on Latter-day Saint temple work, genealogical research, and the principle of unselfish service, using specific examples like Carolina Corradi's proxy ordinances for nearly 1,900 ancestors.

Editorial Edition Score 4.6/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg49830

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Birth of Niels--Obscure Childhood--Crippled, Helpless Condition--Gospel Preached--Taught Needlework--Training in Bible and Lutheran Creed--A Prophetic Priest--Remarkable Prediction Concerning Niels. Page 7.

Death of his Mother--Life in Aalborg--Conversion to Mormonism--Heavenly Message to Elder Kempe--His Obedience thereto--Baptism of Niels--His Relatives Ashamed of Him--Proposition to Make Him a Lutheran Preacher. Page 12.

Desire to Migrate--Discouraging Prospects--Help From an Unexpected Source--Religious Discrimination--Contends for His Rights--Effects a Compromise--Characteristics of Niels--Spiritual Impressions and Premonitions. Page 17.

A Vision and its Pre-Mortal Counterpart--Beset by Evil Spirits--Deliverance Therefrom--Preparations to Migrate--Long Voyage--Toilsome Journey--Lost on the Plains--Help from the Lord. Page 21.

Feat as a Pedestrian--Lessons Learned and Ambition Developed While Traveling--Arrival in Salt Lake City--Employment Diligently Sought--Precarious Success--Miraculously Fed. Page 27.

Invests in Real Estate--Acquires a Home--Vicarious Work in Logan Temple--Consequent Elation--Promise to a Dying Friend--Gratuitous Fulfillment in Manti Temple. Page 33.

Completion of Salt Lake Temple--His Work Therein--Sister Corradi Inspired to Apply to Him--Devoted Work for her Kindred--His Severe Afflictions--Saving Work for 2200--Graceful Old Age. Page 37.

CHAPTER VIII. Modern Stoic--His Modest Obscurity--What Religion Has Done for Niels--Philosophic Way in Which He Views Death. Page 40.

A WOMAN WITH A PURPOSE

Purpose Essential to Success--Birth and Parentage of Carolina Corradi--Her Mother's Prescience--Preparation for Future Career--Devoted Work in Behalf of Dead Kindred. Page 47.

A Rich Man's Handicap--Wealth Not Essentially Bad--But Qualities its Possession Develops a Bar to Salvation--Typical Case of a Man Reared in Affluence--Unpromising Start in Married Life--How He Became Interested in Temple Work--Worthy Example in Recent Years. Page 55.

Prediction from Malachi Fulfilled--Birth and Childhood of Mary Alice Cannon--Cannon Family Embrace the Gospel--Migrate--Mother's Death at Sea--Arrival at Nauvoo--Father's Death--Her Marriage. Page 65.

Strenuous Life in Nauvoo--City Besieged--Thrilling Experience--Miracle of Quails--Run Over by Wagon--Wagon Sinks to Bottom of River--Life in Utah--Mission Abroad--Her Posterity. Page 74.

EXAMPLES OF RIGHTEOUS ZEAL

Night Workers Who Serve in the Temple During the Day--Many Women Serve at Great Personal Sacrifice--Temple Work a Boon to the Blind. Page 89.

BIRTH OF NIELS--OBSCURE CHILDHOOD--CRIPPLED, HELPLESS CONDITION--GOSPEL PREACHED--TAUGHT NEEDLEWORK--TRAINING IN BIBLE AND LUTHERAN CREED--A PROPHETIC PRIEST--REMARKABLE PREDICTION CONCERNING NIELS.

Perhaps no better example of unselfish service in the interest of others, of patience and forbearance under the burden of a serious physical handicap and courage and persistence in a labor of love and sacrifice can be found than is afforded in the life of the hero whose portrait is herewith presented.

Niels P. L. Eskildz was born May 31, 1836, at Lindholm, County of Aalborg, Denmark, only a few miles from the city of Aalborg, which is celebrated as being the birthplace of President Anthon H. Lund. The parents of Niels were unassuming, country folks, with nothing to distinguish them from their industrious and respectable neighbors except their rather unusual size and a certain pride of bearing and correctness of speech, due to their superior education, and the fact that they were both descendants in a direct line from noble, titled families.

They had a small farm, the cultivation of which furnished them little more than a modest living, and the father combined the occupation of butcher with that of farmer, by slaughtering animals and selling meat in the village market place every Wednesday and Saturday.

[Image: Niels P.L. Eskildz]

Niels was the youngest of the family, having two brothers of almost gigantic stature and a sister who, when grown, was the largest woman in that part of Denmark. Niels also, would doubtless have grown to be an unusually large man had he not met with an awful accident when ten years of age.

Denmark is a country almost without fences, the farms being separated one from another by imaginary lines. Instead of the cows and sheep owned by the farmers being allowed to range at will in pastures, the custom was and still is to stake them out individually, and lead them in at night. As a rule the cows are models of decorum, and one of the prettiest as well as commonest sights of the country is to see a boy or girl marching a number of cows, like so many soldiers, in double file and close rank from the pasture to the barn.

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The volume opens with a letter from compiler George C. Lambert to the First Presidency, requesting sanction to resume the Faith Promoting Series after a thirty-year hiatus. The reply, signed by Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, and Charles W. Penrose, appoints a committee to read the manuscript. This framing establishes the work as an officially approved collection intended for the instruction and encouragement of young Latter-day Saints, priced at twenty-five cents per volume. The preface immediately anchors the book in the Savior's teaching that those who labor solely for worldly things “have their reward,” setting a doctrinal lens for the narratives that follow.

A Compiler’s Purpose and the Structure of Example

The preface and opening correspondence reveal Lambert’s dual aim: to resume a popular series and to produce volumes that “subserve the interests of the Church.” The first volume, Treasures in Heaven, is described as relating to temple work, while a second, Choice Memories, would contain varied incidents. This explicit categorization suggests the book is organized thematically rather than chronologically. Readers should expect each chapter to present a distinct case study—such as the detailed account of Carolina Corradi—rather than a continuous argument. The preface’s emphasis on unselfish service as the Savior’s “most frequently and thoroughly impressed” lesson signals that each narrative will be evaluated by that standard.

Carolina Corradi: A Portrait of Filial Devotion

The excerpt concerning Carolina Corradi offers the most extended example in the provided text. She earned $2.00 per day as a seamstress, employed a genealogist to trace her ancestors, and hired Brother Eskildz to perform proxy ordinances for male kindred while she worked for female kindred. The account states she had done or caused work for “almost 1800” names, aiming for 1900. Notably, she “did not know, and she did not care to know” how much money she had spent. The narrator describes her as “the personification of self-sacrifice and filial devotion.” This portrait emphasizes meticulous record-keeping—no names duplicated or omitted—and a reluctance to seek notoriety, aligning with the preface’s critique of seeking praise.

Wealth as a Spiritual Handicap

A section titled “An Exception. A Rich Man’s Handicap” directly addresses the tension between wealth and salvation. It cites Matthew’s gospel: “a rich man shall hardly enter the kingdom of heaven.” The text argues that wealth is “more frequently a bar to the service of the Lord than a help,” countering the assumption that the wealthy would be more generous. The heading promises a “typical case of a man reared in affluence” and his “unpromising start in married life,” followed by how he became interested in temple work. This structure suggests the book uses contrasting examples—Corradi’s modest means versus this man’s affluence—to illustrate that spiritual worth is independent of material resources.

Reading the Excerpts as a First-Time Reader

The provided excerpts are front matter and two narrative segments, leaving the middle and later portions unknown. A first reader should note that the book’s didactic purpose is explicit: each story is meant to promote faith and encourage temple work. The compiler’s voice is present in editorial comments, such as the closing praise of Corradi. The narratives are detailed but selective, focusing on measurable outcomes (number of ordinances, cost, genealogical records) and emotional rewards (“great joy and satisfaction”). Readers may find that the book’s effectiveness lies in the cumulative weight of these examples rather than in any single dramatic arc.

As you read, attend to how each narrative balances practical detail—dollars spent, names recorded—with spiritual assurance. The compiler’s introductions and conclusions often frame the moral, so watch for those signposts. The book is best approached as a series of discrete testimonies rather than a continuous story; its power emerges from the repetition of faithful labor across varied circumstances.

Some evenings, reading about Carolina Corradi’s quiet, unbroken labor for her nineteen hundred ancestors, I keep thinking of another little book—A Little Catechism; With Little Verses and Little Sayings for Little Children — Reading Notes. Both feel like small, patient gatherings rather than grand statements. Perhaps love simply shows itself in what we faithfully gather, over and over.