Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters. 105 
their labor and sacrifices would be lost. As many as 
legally could took pre-emptions; and as in law it would 
be necessary for each one to take these pre-emptions in 
their own name, and build houses and reside on them, 
there was danger that when they got full title it might 
be hard to control them. 
So the most solemn rites and ceremonies were gone 
through at the August Solemn Assembly in 1856; a full 
and complete sacrifice was called for. It was argued by 
him that as every one had for the past two years been 
in the “order of sacrifice” and hence were incapable of 
taking or holding title to anything, that everything ac- 
quired during that period went under the law of sacri- 
fice into the Chief Teacher’s, Thompson’s, control, to be 
laid up for their future inheritance. So each again gave 
Thompson a bill of sale of everything for the House of 
Ephriam, including growing crops, clothing, and a list of 
these things were written on a piece of paper, and they 
came into a darkened room and Thompson poured alcohol 
on this paper and burned it over the fire in token of their 
complete sacrifice of all they had and they all, men and 
women, were required to go through the ceremony of a 
sacrifice and consecration of their bodies to the Lord. 
The two chiefs, right and left supporters of Thomp- 
son, Guy C. Barnum and Rowland Cobb, came into the 
room stripped naked and surrendered their clothing in 
token of complete surrender and sacrifice of their bodies, 
and they were then given a single coarse cotton garment 
or frock, coming below the knees like a nightshirt, such 
as used to be worn in early days as.an over garment by 
New England farmers, called a smock frock. This 
Thompson named the “Garment of Holiness.” Barnum 
and Cobb then seated themselves on either side of 
Thompson, and the rest of the members, men and women 
in turn, came into their presence and went through a 
like ceremony. This garment was worn for a little time, 
but was not retained as a permanent fashion, but they 
retained only such clothing as was barely necessary, in 
fact, this had been the case for some time, but practically 
all their clothing and jewelry was given into the custody 
of Thompson, and he had large quantities stored in chests 
and boxes in his house. In consideration of the actual 
necessary clothing given back to them, which he nomi- 
