Below you will find Prince’s research excerpts titled, “Temples, 1934.” You can view other years here.
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TEMPLES, 1934.
1934: Jan.: Temple recommend policies.
“Bishops are authorized to issue temple recommends to all faithful members of the Melchizedek Priesthood and adult women members of their wards. Recommends for the performance of the ordinance of baptism for the dead may also be issued to exemplary young people. Recommends must be countersigned by the president of the stake. It is important that all those who may desire to enter the Temple for endowments or other ordinances, should observe the law of tithing. The applicant should also observe all other principles of the Gospel, should keep the Word of Wisdom, not use profanity, should not join nor be a member of any secret oath-bound organization and should sustain without reservation the general and local authorities of the church. The privileges of the temple should come as a reward for faithful and diligent service.
In addition to the foregoing, women who are in good standing in the church and have been faithful and devoted members, but whose husbands are not members of the Church or are not worthy of a temple recommend, may, with the written consent of their husbands, be granted the privilege of receiving their endowments and doing temple work for the dead. The written statement of the husband should be presented at the temple, together with the usual temple recommend from the bishop of the ward endorsed by the president of the stkae, to be filed with the recommend. However, women should not be urged nor requested to take advantage of this ruling. It is a privilege to be granted those who have proved themselves worthy and who are desirous of receiving these blessings.
Temple recommends are valid until December 31 of the year in which they are issued. Bishops should be careful not to issue temple recommends until they are certain that those applying are members of record in their ward. Temple recommends should be signed personally by the bishop and be countersigned by the president of the stake.” (Handbook of Instructions for Stake Presidencies, Bishops and Counselors, Stake and Ward Clerks, No. 15, 1934, pp. 10-11)
19 Apr.: General Authorities who have not received 2nd anointings.
“I wrote Prest. Heber J. Grant as fol:
Dear Pres. Grant:
If the following named brethren, General Authorities of the Church, and their wives have received their Second blessings, the Salt Lake Temple Records do not disclose that fact, I therefore conclude that they have not except possibly Pres Hart who may have received his blessings in the Logan Temple:
J. Reuben Clark Jr. [GA in 1933]
Charles H. Hart [GA in 1906]
Antoine R. Ivins [GA in 1909]
Samuel O. Bennion [GA in 1933]
John H. Taylor [GA in 1933]
I understand that it is in order for a member of the Council of Twelve to recommend worthy members to the President of the Church to receive their Second blessings. Accordingly, I recommend that these brethren and their wives be invited to receive their blessings.”
(George F. Richards Journal; April 19, 1934. Bergera collection.)
15 Sep.: Baptize for all dead except murderers.
“When the baptismal font in the Nauvoo Temple was completed the Prophet said that the Saints were now given the privilege of being baptized for their relatives who had died, whom they believed would have embraced the Gospel, had they heard it in life. Of course, it is not possible for us now to know what the probable attitude of our ancestors would have been. We are, therefore, given the privilege of being baptized for all of our immediate ancestors except they be discovered guilty of murder. We hope the majority of them at least will be worthy and willing to receive the work we perform for them.” (Melvin J. Ballard, from the Herald-Journal, Logan, 15 Sep., 1934; in UGHM 26:4, Jan., 1935)
6 Oct.: Pay the unemployed to do your temple work.
“There are many faithful Saints who are out of employment. Why not spend some of our means in paying them to assist us in doing our temple work, and by so doing be a blessing to both the living and the dead?” (George F. Richards, 6 Oct., 1934; CR Oct., 1934, p. 75)
30 Oct.: Recommends needed for patriarchal blessings/ Sealing after civil marriages.
“President James Robert Price and Counselors
Maricopa Stake
914 Title and Trust Building
Phoenix, Arizona
Dear Brethren:
In order to safeguard the patriarchs throughout the Church from imposition on the part of unworthy people, it has been decided that in the future people desiring patriarchal blessings, whether from patriarchs in the Stake or the Patriarch of the Church, should secure from their Bishops and present to the patriarch a certificate of recommendation vouching for their worthiness as members of the Church.
Recommend forms for this purpose will be forwarded to you in the near future by the Presiding Bishopric of the Church.
After careful consideration, the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve have decided to grant permission to those couples who have been married by civil law to have their marriage solemnized in the Temple at such time as the local authorities feel assured of their personal purity and worthiness and of the genuineness of their desire for the blessings of the House of the Lord.
Any such couple who have associated together illicitly should not be recommended to the Temple until they have satisfied their Bishop that they have thoroughly arepented.
It is our desire, however, and we urge that you continue to emphasize to your people, as heretofore, the desirability of Temple marriage.
Please convey the foregoing information to the Bishops of wards in your Stake.
Sincerely your brethren,
H. J. Grant
David O. McKay”
(30 Oct., 1934, First Presidency Circular Letters, LDS Archives, CR 1/1)