Twentieth Century Attitudes While Elijah Abel, along with at least one other black, had been ordained to the priesthood during Joseph Smith's life, Brigham Young took a different stand. He instituted a very strict rule that no blacks were to be ordained or given temple ordinances. Elijah Abel outlived Brigham Young and the validity of his ordination was repeatedly discussed by the brethren (see All Abraham's Children, p. 216). The rationalization for restricting blacks developed over a period of years. Scholar Armand Mauss observed: . . . by 1908, as president of the church, [Joseph F.] Smith was now claiming...