Joseph and his companion reached Washington on the 28th day of

November, 1839; and secured rooms at the corner of Missouri and Third

streets. The Prophet determined that the cause of his people should

be vigorously presented. He visited the leading men of the nation,

including the President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. He had

prepared for presentation to Congress an eloquent memorial in which was

plainly stated the crime of Missouri. Nothing was set down in malice;

but the facts were all given in such a straightforward way that they

formed apparently an irresistible argument.

The closing paragraphs of this paper must be here presented:

The above statement will also show, that the Mormons on all

occasions submitted to the laws of the land, and yielded to its

authority in every extremity, and at every hazard, at the risk of

life and property. The above statement will illustrate another

truth: that wherever the Mormons made any resistance to the mob, it

was in self-defense; and for these acts of self-defense they always

had the authority and sanction of the officers of the law for so

doing. Yet they, to the number of about fifteen thousand souls,

have been driven from their homes in Missouri. Their property to

the amount of two millions of dollars, has been taken from them

or destroyed. Some of them have been murdered, beaten, bruised or

lamed, and have all been driven forth, wandering over the world

without homes, without property.

But the loss of property does not comprise half their sufferings.

They were human beings possessed of human feelings and human

sympathies. Their agony of soul was the bitterest drop in the cup

of their sorrows.

For these wrongs the Mormons ought to have some redress; yet

how and where shall they seek and obtain it? Your constitution

guarantees to every citizen, even the humblest, the enjoyment of

life, liberty and property. It promises to all, religious freedom,

the right to all to worship God beneath their own vine and fig

tree, according to the dictates of their conscience. It guarantees

to all the citizens of the several states the right to become

citizens of any one of the states, and to enjoy all the rights and

immunities of the citizens of the state of his adoption. Yet of all

these rights have the Mormons been deprived. They have, without

a cause, without a trial been deprived of life, liberty, and

property. They have been persecuted for their religious opinions.

They have been driven from the state of Missouri, at the point of

the bayonet, and prevented from enjoying and exercising the rights

of citizens of the state of Missouri. It is the theory of our laws,

that for the protection of every legal right, there is provided a

legal remedy. What, then, we would respectfully ask, is the remedy

of the Mormons? Shall they apply to the legislature of the state

of Missouri for redress? They have done so. They have petitioned,

and these petitions have been treated with silence and contempt.

Shall they apply to the federal courts? They were, at the time of

the injury, citizens of the state of Missouri. Shall they apply

to the courts of the state of Missouri? Whom shall they sue? The

order for their destruction, their extermination, was granted by

the Executive of the state of Missouri. Is not this a plea of

justification for the loss of individuals, done in pursuance of

that order? If not, before whom shall the Mormons institute a

trial? Shall they summon a jury of the individuals who composed the

mob? An appeal to them were in vain. They dare not go to Missouri

to institute a suit; their lives would be in danger.

For ourselves we see no redress, unless it is awarded by the

Congress of the United States. And here we make our appeal as

_American citizens_, as _Christians_, and as _Men_--believing that

the high sense of justice which exists in your honorable bodies,

will not allow such oppression to be practiced upon any portion of

the citizens of this vast republic with impunity, but that some

measures which your wisdom may dictate, may be taken, so that the

great body of people who have been thus abused, may have redress

for the wrongs which they have suffered. And to your decision they

look with confidence, hoping it may be such as shall tend to dry up

the tear of the widow and orphan, and again place in situations of

peace, those who have been driven from their homes, and had to wade

through scenes of sorrow and distress.

And yet the appeal was vain, as far as any practical help was

concerned. Some members of Congress showed a great deal of interest in

the Prophet, and the cause which he was pleading; but after the most

earnest effort, the only result was to receive from Martin Van Buren

the famous, almost infamous, reply:

YOUR CAUSE IS JUST, BUT I CAN DO NOTHING FOR YOU.

And in the sense of this answer, if not in its words, the Senate and

House of Representatives coincided. No arm of national power would

be outstretched in behalf of the Saints. As, early in the Missouri

trouble, Governor Dunklin--to whom the people appealed, had sent

them back to their plunderers for redress and protection; so now the

President and Congress of the grandest republic under the sun, told

them to apply to Missouri to rectify the wrong. It was as if one who

had been robbed and beaten on the public highway, should apply to a

magistrate for help and should be sent back to ask the highwayman to

restore his purse and pour balm on his wounds.

In one of his interviews with Van Buren the latter coolly told the

Prophet: "If I take up for you, I shall lose the votes of Missouri."

This response shocked Joseph in more than a personal sense. He was

astounded that the flagrant outrages committed against his people

aroused no purpose of redress; but more than this, he felt the insult

offered to every American citizen when the chief executive of the

nation placed his political aspirations above his sense of right.

The Prophet himself was a man whose whole life was unstained by any

act of fear. He knew the right and dared all in its accomplishment.

Before such a man as he, towering in all his personal majesty and in

the grandeur of the cause he represented, how even the President of

the United States must have cringed when he confessed to the basest

motives which can animate a public man! Joseph could not, upon hearing

these words, disguise the contempt which he felt for the occupant of

that position to which every American citizen loves to pay honor. The

disdain which flashed from his eyes must have made even Martin Van

Buren feel small; for it is the universal testimony of enemies and

friends alike, that Joseph Smith's righteous scorn was terrible as the

lightning flash.

It is a historic picture, this meeting of the two presidents. The

subject of their interview was justice for an unpopular people, few

in number and poor in earthly influence. The manner in which the

negotiation was carried on, clearly shows the different natures of the

two men.

Van Buren, a truckler to political influence and power, was on this

occasion autocratic and insolent. Your sycophant is always, when

opportunity offers, a tyrant. Van Buren was no exception to this. The

opportunity to display the insolence of office without jeopardizing his

own interests was eagerly embraced. He doubtless had received his cue

from the traitorous officials who had besmirched the escutcheon of the

state of Missouri with their foul crimes against the Constitution, the

laws and the principles of justice, or from those who represented them,

and deported himself accordingly.

On the other hand, his visitor was but a private citizen in a political

sense, and was the religious leader of a mere handful of refugees,

exiled from home and all the comforts of this life, and now apparently

as helpless in politics as they were weak in numbers and distressed in

finances. And yet Joseph stood as an equal, overcoming vain arrogance

by natural dignity. Before they finally parted the advantage was all

with the humbler man; he crushed down the insolence of Van Buren by his

personal kingliness and his declaration of the principles of truth and

justice.

Becoming satisfied that there was little use for him to further press

the claims of the Saints, Joseph departed from the nation's capital

and returned to Nauvoo, reaching there on the 4th day of March, 1840.

While in the east he had preached the gospel at every opportunity,

in Washington, Philadelphia and other places, and had met with much

success. And this was a partial compensation for the utter failure of

his appeal.

After he returned home he wrote:

I arrived safely at Nauvoo, after a wearisome journey, through

alternate snow and mud, having witnessed many vexatious movements

in government officers, whose sole object should be the peace and

prosperity of the whole people; but I discovered this, that popular

clamor and personal aggrandisement are the ruling principles of

those in authority; and my heart faints within me when I see by the

visions of the Almighty, the end of this nation if she continues to

disregard the cries and petitions of her virtuous citizens.

In the Prophet's absence, Hyrum had acted as the president at Nauvoo.

He had labored assiduously for the temporal as well as the spiritual

advancement of the people, to sustain their bodily life and strength

through the trying winter and their faith through all the assaults

of the adversary. He had also published an account of the Missouri

persecutions, in the _Times and Seasons_, a semi-monthly paper begun at

Commerce in November, 1839, by Don Carlos Smith and Ebenezer Robinson.

CHAPTER XLVI.

THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES--MIRACULOUS OPENING OF THEIR WAY TO THE

OLD WORLD--ORDINATION OF WILLARD RICHARDS--SPECIAL LABORS OF EACH

APOSTLE--THE FIRST IMMIGRANTS TO ZION--JOSEPH'S LETTERS OF INSTRUCTION

AND COMFORT TO ELDERS AND SAINTS ABROAD.

They "went forth weeping, bearing precious seed;" but they "have

returned with rejoicing bearing their sheaves with them."

This is what the Prophet says of the Apostles and the other

missionaries who first went out from Nauvoo. The details of the sublime

work, which then was resumed with such unparalleled vigor and which

resulted in such a marvelous increase to the Church, will soon be

published in another work of this series. There is only space in this

volume for a recognition of the general movement and its success, as

Joseph observed it and as it brought many precious souls to restore the

numerical strength and the prosperity of the Saints.

We have seen how the Apostles went out from the poverty of Nauvoo and

Montrose. No man who reads the history of that mission, undertaken at

such a time, can doubt that they and their fellow-missionaries were

inspired; for no mere zealot, without the absolute consciousness of

divine direction and divine protection, would have joined the movement.

We shall now see how these men triumphed over that which to human

understanding was impossible. Briefly told:

Departing from Nauvoo ill and penniless, they made their way across

the country, scattering the seeds of truth on every hand. And before

they had reached the sea coast some of the harvest was ready to gather.

Their way was miraculously opened to them in this land, that they

might have means to pursue their voyage to another. Elders Taylor and

Woodruff reached England on the 11th of January, 1840, in company with

Elder Theodore Turley. Elders Young, Kimball, Parley P. and Orson

Pratt, and George A. Smith, accompanied by Elder Reuben Hedlock, landed

at Liverpool on the 6th day of April, 1840, just ten years from the day

of the Church's organization. The brethren found there Elder Willard

Richards and ordained him to the Apostleship in obedience to the

revelation. They scattered among the honest-in-heart, and each one of

them achieved a quick and lasting victory for the faith. In the name of

Jesus Christ they went forth healing the sick, restoring the lame and

opening the eyes of the blind. In all their labors they gave evidence

of such personal humility, bearing such a strong testimony to the truth

of the gospel that the honest-in-heart flocked by hundreds to the

standard which they reared.

Every one among those brethren performed some special labor or occupied

some special field. Elder Woodruff made the proclamation of the truth

in Staffordshire and afterwards in Herefordshire, which yielded a

wonderful harvest of fruit. Elder Taylor organized a large branch of

the Church in Liverpool and established the gospel in Ireland and

the Isle of Man. Elder Heber C. Kimball who had been so successful

on his previous mission in proclaiming the gospel in Lancashire,

opened the work in London; in this labor he was accompanied by

Elders Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith. In this conference the

faithful and talented young Elder, Lorenzo Snow, now an Apostle,

soon became president. Elder George A. Smith followed Elder Woodruff

into Staffordshire, in which field he continued to labor after Elder

Woodruff went to Herefordshire. Elder Smith set apart and directed

Elder William Barratt for a mission to South Australia; and about

the same time William Donaldson, an English convert, was ordained

and blessed to perform a mission in the East Indies. Elder Willard

Richards labored principally in Lancashire, though he spent some

time with Elder Woodruff in Herefordshire. Elder Orson Pratt carried

the work to Scotland. Elder Parley P. Pratt, under the direction of

President Brigham Young and the other brethren of the Twelve, began the

publication of the _Millennial Star_. President Brigham Young directed

the printing of the Book of Mormon, hymn book and other works, and

traveled and preached as opportunity offered, being looked up to and

sustained by his brother Apostles as their President.

As early as the 6th of June, 1840, a company of Saints sailed from

England to make their way to Nauvoo. This party consisted of forty-one

people, the first to emigrate from a foreign land to join the cause of

Jesus Christ in this last dispensation. Three months later the ship

_North America_ sailed with two hundred Saints. From this time on the

work of immigration has been too vast to be followed in the brief space

now at command.

The greatness of the work which the brethren were to perform in England

was revealed to Joseph by the Spirit, and he was impressed to extend

the missionary movement still further. On the 6th day of April, 1840,

Elder Orson Hyde, one of the Twelve Apostles, was directed to take a

mission to Jerusalem. He left his home in Commerce on the 15th of the

month, and in due time he reached his field and offered a prayer to

heaven from the Mount of Olives as an introduction to his work.

The preaching of the gospel in the Old World was a marvelous work and

a wonder. From the time of the first mission, Elders Joseph Fielding,

Willard Richards and William Clayton, with many other faithful

brethren, had kept open the source of the stream by their noble

efforts; but when the Apostles landed there again in obedience to

divine revelation, and put forth their hands, the little stream became

an on-rushing river bearing triumph for the Church upon its bosom.

From their labor the work spread into every land and has gathered up

its tens of thousands of heroic and self-sacrificing souls.

Such a foundation was laid that when the majority of the Apostles were

called home, the work continued, and it has continued up to the present

time.

Joseph's appreciation of their labor is evinced in a letter which he

addressed to them in October, 1840. He says:

BELOVED BRETHREN:

May grace, mercy and peace rest upon you from God the Father and

the Lord Jesus Christ. * * * *

Be assured, beloved brethren, that I am no disinterested observer

of the things which are transpiring on the face of the whole earth;

and amidst the general movements which are in progress, none is

of more importance than the glorious work in which you are now

engaged; consequently I feel some anxiety on your account, that

you may, by your virtue, faith, diligence and charity, commend

yourselves to one another, to the Church of Christ, and to your

Father who is in heaven; by whose grace you have been called

to so holy a calling; and be enabled to perform the great and

responsible duties which rest upon you. And I can assure you, from

the information I have received, I feel satisfied that you have not

been remiss in your duty; but that your diligence and faithfulness

have been such as must secure you the smiles of that God whose

servants you are, and also the goodwill of the Saints throughout

the world. The spread of the gospel throughout England is certainly

pleasing.

* * * * *

It is likewise very satisfactory to my mind, that there has been

such a good understanding between you, and that the Saints have so

cheerfully hearkened to counsel, and vied with each other in the

labor of love, and in the promotion of truth and righteousness.

This is as it should be in the Church of Jesus Christ: unity is

strength. "How pleasing it is for brethren to dwell together

in unity." Let the Saints of the Most High ever cultivate this

principle, and the most glorious blessings must result, not only

to them individually, but to the whole Church--the order of the

kingdom will be maintained, its officers respected, and its

requirements readily and cheerfully obeyed.

Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be

manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled

with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone,

but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole

human race. This has been your feeling, and caused you to forego

the pleasures of home, that you might be a blessing to others, who

are candidates for immortality, but strangers to truth; and for so

doing, I pray that heaven's choicest blessings may rest upon you.

* * * * *

Let the Saints remember that great things depend on their

individual exertion, and that they are called to be co-workers

with the Holy Spirit in accomplishing the great work of the last

days; and in consideration of the extent, the blessings and glories

of the same, let every selfish feeling be not only buried, but

annihilated; and let love to God and man predominate, and reign

triumphant in every mind, that their hearts may become like unto

Enoch's of old, and comprehend all things, present, past and

future, and come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of the

Lord Jesus Christ.

The work in which we are unitedly engaged is one of no ordinary

kind. The enemies we have to contend against are subtle and well

skilled in manoeuvring; it behooves us to be on the alert to

concentrate our energies, and that the best feelings should exist

in our midst; and then, by the help of the Almighty, we shall go

on from victory to victory, and from conquest to conquest; our

evil passions will be subdued, our prejudices depart; we shall

find no room in our bosoms for hatred, vice will hide its deformed

head, and we shall stand approved in the sight of heaven, and be

acknowledged the sons of God.

Let us realize that we are not to live to ourselves, but to God; by

so doing the greatest blessings will rest upon us, both in time and

in eternity.

And to the Saints scattered abroad the Prophet wrote:

BELOVED BRETHREN:

We address a few lines to the Church of Jesus Christ, who have

obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which has been

delivered to them by the servants of the Lord, and who are desirous

to go forward in the ways of truth and righteousness, and by

obedience to the heavenly command, escape the things which are

coming on the earth, and secure to themselves an inheritance among

the sanctified in the world to come.

* * * * *

The work of the Lord in these last days is one of vast magnitude

and almost beyond the comprehension of mortals. Its glories are

past description, and its grandeur unsurpassable. It is the theme

which has animated the bosom of prophets and righteous men from the

creation of this world down through every succeeding generation to

the present time; and it is truly the dispensation of the fullness

of times, when all things which are in Christ Jesus, whether in

heaven or on the earth, shall be gathered together in Him, and when

all things shall be restored, as spoken of by all the holy prophets

since the world began; for in it will take place the fulfillment of

the promises made to the fathers, while the displays of the Most

High will be great, glorious and sublime.

The purposes of our God are great. His love unfathomable, His

wisdom infinite, and His power unlimited; therefore the Saints

have cause to rejoice and be glad, knowing that this God is our

God forever and ever, and He will be our Guide until death. Having

confidence in the power, wisdom and love of God, the Saints have

been enabled to go forward through the most adverse circumstances,

and frequently when, to all human appearance, nothing but death

presented itself, and destruction inevitable, has the power of God

been manifest, His glory revealed and deliverance effected; and the

Saints, like the children of Israel, who came out of the land of

Egypt and through the Red Sea, have sung an anthem of praise to His

holy name. This has not only been the case in former days, but in

our days, and within a few months have we seen this fully verified.

Having, through the kindness of our God been delivered from

destruction, and secured a location upon which we have again

commenced operations for the good of His people, we feel disposed

to go forward and suit our energies for the up-building of the

kingdom and establishing the Priesthood in their fullness and

glory. The work which has to be accomplished in the last days

is one of vast importance and will call into action the energy,

skill, talent, and ability of the Saints, so that it may roll forth

with that glory and majesty described by the prophets, and will

consequently require the concentration of the Saints, to accomplish

works of such magnitude and grandeur.

The work of the gathering spoken of in the Scriptures will be

necessary to bring about the glories of the last dispensation. It

is probably unnecessary to press this subject on the Saints, as we

believe the spirit of it is manifest, and its necessity obvious

to every considerate mind; and everyone zealous for the promotion

of truth and righteousness is equally so for the gathering of the

Saints.

Dear brethren, feeling desirous to carry out the purposes of God

to which we have been called, and to be workers with Him in this

last dispensation, we feel the necessity of having the hearty

co-operation of the Saints throughout this land and upon the

islands of the sea; and it will be necessary for them to hearken to

counsel and turn their attention to the Church, the establishment

of the Kingdom, and lay aside every selfish principle,--everything

low and groveling.

During the remaining years of his life the subject of missionary work

was very near to the Prophet's heart. He desired that all men might

have the privilege of hearing the truth. The gospel was proclaimed

in many lands, including the distant isles of the sea, during his

lifetime; and a plan was laid for the most comprehensive and unselfish

system of proselyting since the day when Jesus Christ said to His

Apostles: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every

creature."

CHAPTER XLVII.

NAUVOO THE BEAUTIFUL--EVENTS THERE DURING THE YEAR 1840--RENEWAL OF

OUTRAGES BY THE MISSOURIANS--DEATH OF THE PROPHET'S FATHER AND EDWARD

PARTRIDGE--RETURN OF WILLIAMS AND PHELPS--JOSEPH'S HOPE FOR HIS CITY--

DEMAND BY GOVERNOR BOGGS FOR THE PROPHET AND HIS BRETHREN.

A general conference was held at Nauvoo on the 6th day of April, 1840,

at which Joseph presided and gave much instruction. Frederick G.

Williams came before the congregation and humbly asked forgiveness for

his former wrong-doing; he expressed a determination to do the will of

God, and the Church forgave him and received him into fellowship.

Commerce was officially recognized as Nauvoo by the post office

department on the 21st day of April, 1840. It was growing into the

dignity of a town. In a year after the first settlement of the Saints

there, two hundred and fifty houses had been built. The region was

becoming more healthful; and the Saints were achieving prosperity. It

is not the least of the miracles connected with this work that the

people have so often and so quickly risen from the ashes of their homes.

On the 27th day of May, 1840, the faithful Bishop Edward Partridge, the

first Bishop in the Church, died at Nauvoo, aged forty-six years.

Joseph bore this testimony concerning him:

He lost his life in consequence of the Missouri persecutions; and

is one of that number whose blood will be required at the hands of

his persecutors.

In June of this year, William W. Phelps made humble confession of his

wrong-doing and begged the fellowship of the Prophet and the Saints.

This event and the return of Frederick G. Williams were most gratifying

to Joseph, because Elders Williams and Phelps before their fall had

occupied a large place in his affections.

Through the season of 1840, many stakes were organized in different

parts of the country.

On the 7th day of July, four brethren, James Allred, Noah Rogers,

Alanson Brown and Benjamin Boyce, were kidnapped at Nauvoo by a large

party of Missourians and carried over the river. Before they were

able to escape, they were almost murdered. After much agony they got

loose from their chains and returned home. This event showed that the

mobocratic spirit was not dead. No excuse existed for the crime; the

men kidnapped were not even accused of any offense by their captors.

The barbarous deed was the precursor of a larger movement. A meeting

was held immediately at Nauvoo to protest against the renewal of such

outrages, and to appeal to the executive of the state of Illinois for

redress for this injury and protection from further wrong.

On Monday, the 14th day of September, 1840, Joseph Smith, Sen.,

Patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the

father of the Prophet, died at Nauvoo from the effect of exposure and

privation during the Missouri persecutions.

The Prophet says of him:

He was the first person who received my testimony after I had seen

the angel, and exhorted me to be faithful and diligent to the

message I had received. He was baptized April 6th, 1830.

In August, 1830, in company with my brother Don Carlos, he took a

mission to St. Lawrence County, New York, touching on his route at

several of the Canadian ports, where he distributed a few copies

of the Book of Mormon, visited his father, brothers and sister,

residing in St. Lawrence County, bore testimony to the truth, which

resulted eventually in all the family coming into the Church,

except his brother Jesse and sister Susan.

He removed with his family to Kirtland in 1831; was ordained

Patriarch and President of the High Priesthood, under the hands of

Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, Frederick G. Williams and myself, on

the 18th of December, 1833; was a member of the first high council,

organized on the 17th of February, 1834 (when he confirmed on me

and my brother Samuel H., a father's blessing).

In 1836 he traveled in company with his brother John 2,400 miles

in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire,

visiting the branches of the Church in those states, and bestowing

patriarchal blessings on several hundred persons, preaching the

gospel to all who would hear, and baptizing many. They arrived at

Kirtland on the 2nd of October, 1836.

During the persecutions in Kirtland in 1837, he was made a

prisoner, but fortunately obtained his liberty, and after a very

tedious journey in the spring and summer of 1838, he arrived at Far

West, Missouri.

After I and my brother Hyrum were thrown into the Missouri jails

by the mob, he fled from under the exterminating order of Governor

Lilburn W. Boggs, and made his escape in mid-winter to Quincy,

Illinois, from whence he removed to Commerce in the spring of 1839.

The exposures he suffered brought on consumption, of which he died

on this 14th day of September, 1840, aged sixty-nine years, two

months, and two days. He was six feet, two inches high, was very

straight, and remarkably well proportioned. His ordinary weight

was about two hundred pounds, and he was very strong and active.

In his young days he was famed as a wrestler, and, Jacob-like, he

never wrestled with but one man whom he could not throw. He was one

of the most benevolent of men, opening his house to all who were

destitute. While at Quincy, Illinois, he fed hundreds of the poor

Saints who were flying from the Missouri persecutions, although he

had arrived there penniless himself.

On the 3rd day of October, 1840, a conference was held at Nauvoo at

which it was decided to build a house of the Lord in that city and

that the Saints each give every tenth day of labor to the erection of

the holy edifice. At the conference, an address from the Prophet and

his counselors was presented to the Church, in which brief reference

is made to the changes within the two years then just past. The

communication says:

We feel rejoiced to meet the Saints at another General Conference,

and under circumstances as favorable as the present. Since our

settlement in Illinois we have for the most part been treated with

courtesy and respect, and a feeling of kindness and of sympathy

has generally been manifested by all classes of the community,

who, with us deprecate the conduct of those men whose dark and

blackening deeds are stamped with everlasting infamy and disgrace.

The contrast between our past and present situation is great. Two

years ago mobs were threatening, plundering, driving and murdering

the Saints. Our burning houses enlightened the canopy of heaven.

Our women and children, houseless and destitute, had to wander

from place to place to seek a shelter from the rage of persecuting

foes. Now we enjoy peace, and can worship the God of heaven and

earth without molestation, and expect to be able to go forward and

accomplish the great and glorious work to which we have been called.

Under these circumstances we feel to congratulate the Saints of the

Most High, on the happy and pleasing change in our circumstances,

condition and prospects, and which those who shared in the

perils and distresses, undoubtedly appreciate; while prayers

and thanksgivings daily ascend to that God who looked upon our

distresses and delivered us from danger and death, and whose hand

is over us for good.

The Prophet saw a grand city of Nauvoo to rise in the near future; and

his vision and hope were fulfilled.

Ascending the upper Mississippi in the autumn, when its waters

were low, I was compelled to travel by land past the region of the

Rapids. * * * My eye wearied to see everywhere sordid, vagabond

and idle settlers, and a country marred, without being improved,

by their careless hands. I was descending the last hillside upon

my journey when a landscape in delightful contrast broke upon my

view. Half encircled by a bend of the river, a beautiful city lay

glittering in the fresh morning sun; its bright, new dwellings,

set in cool green gardens, ranging up around a stately dome-shaped

hill, which was covered by a noble marble edifice, whose high

tapering spire was radiant with white and gold. The city appeared

to cover several miles; and beyond it, in the back-ground, there

rolled off a fair country, chequered by the careful lines of

fruitful husbandry. The unmistakable marks of industry, enterprise

and educated wealth everywhere, made the scene one of singular and

most striking beauty.

This is what Colonel, afterwards Major-General, Thomas L. Kane thought

of Nauvoo when his eyes rested upon it from a distance in 1846, only

seven years after the purchase by the Saints of the marshy ground upon

which the city stood. It partially shows how well the Prophet and

his fellow-laborers had been able to fulfill his high hopes of the

city's destiny. For the Prophet did have a definite and exalted plan

for Nauvoo. It was his purpose, under the direction of the Almighty,

to make this a fit abiding place for the Saints of the Most High; not

only a place where they might receive spiritual guidance, but a place

where the arts and sciences might be taught and where all the benefits

of civilization might be enjoyed. The Prophet understood the gospel

which he proclaimed--that it comprehended the material betterment

of all mankind; and he aspired to establish in Nauvoo such social

conditions as would show the efficacy of gospel teachings in the daily

life of the community. He wanted to demonstrate in Nauvoo to the gaze

of all the world how nearly perfect community life might become in a

free republic, when all men were animated by the same motives of pure

religion and unselfish association; how much they might be prospered

and how easily they might be governed.

On the 16th day of December, 1840, the charter of the city of Nauvoo,

with charters of the Nauvoo Legion and the University of the City of

Nauvoo, were signed by Governor Thomas Carlin, having previously passed

both houses of the Legislative Assembly of the state of Illinois.

Under the terms of these charters it would be possible for the Prophet

to demonstrate his social problem; but he was not permitted to do it

without molestation.

It had been held out to the world by shrewd observers that all the

charges made in the state of Missouri against the Prophet and his

companions were false and would not bear fair judicial scrutiny;

because, after the escape of the brethren, they lived openly at Nauvoo

and no effort was made to secure them by the officers of the adjoining

state. It seemed very clear that the men who had murdered and plundered

the Saints did not want to have their acts reviewed, even though the

Prophet's liberty was the price of their inaction. But they were

taunted by some of their prominent fellow-citizens with this fact,

and they decided to answer this disagreeable clamor by renewing the

persecutions against the Prophet. The old mob element was determined to

have vengeance for this logical exposure of its unjust deeds.

On the 15th day of September, 1840, after a silence of a year and a

half, Governor Boggs of Missouri made a demand upon Governor Carlin

of Illinois for Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Parley

P. Pratt, Caleb Baldwin and Alanson Brown, as fugitives from justice.

Governor Carlin complied with the requisition by issuing an order

for the apprehension of these men. When the officer went to serve

the papers, the brethren were away from home; and, learning of the

movement, they determined to evade the process--not that they feared

any righteous inquiry into their conduct, but, having once escaped from

Missouri murderers, they declined to give themselves up again to be

assassinated.

A leading article from the Quincy, Illinois, _Whig_ of that

period--written by the editor, who was only an acquaintance of the

Prophet and not in affiliation with the Church--presents the situation

so clearly that it should be preserved for all time to come:

We repeat, Smith and Rigdon should not be given up. The law

requiring the governor of our state to deliver up fugitives from

justice is a salutary and a wise one, and should not in ordinary

circumstances be disregarded; but as there are occasions when it is

not only the privilege but the duty of the governor of the state to

refuse to surrender the citizens of his state upon the requisition

of the executive of another,--and this we consider is the case of

Smith and Rigdon.

The law is made to secure the punishment of the guilty, and not

to sacrifice the innocent, and the governor whose paramount duty

it is to protect the citizens of his state from lawless violence,

whenever he knows that to comply with such requisition he could

be delivering the citizens into the hands of a mob as a victim to

appease the thirst of the infuriate multitude for blood, without

trial and against justice: under such circumstances, we repeat, the

governor is bound by the highest of all human laws, to refuse to

comply with the requisition; and will Governor Carlin pretend to

say that the present is not a case of this kind?

The history of the Mormon difficulties in Missouri, is of too

recent an origin not to be well known to the governor. A few

years since, when they had settled in the Far West, and had

gathered around them the comforts and conveniences of life, and

were beginning to reap the just reward of their industry and

enterprise, a mob attempted to drive them from their homes; as

peaceable citizens, enjoying all the rights guaranteed to them by

a republican Constitution, they had a right, and did call on the

governor of Missouri for protection. Did he, in obedience to the

oath which he had taken to support the constitution of the state,

respond to the call as a governor should? No! and forever will a

stain rest upon the name of Lilburn W. Boggs, and the state of

Missouri. Mr. Boggs told the Mormons that they must take care of

themselves--in fact denying them the protection of the constitution

under whose broad folds they had taken shelter. Thus denied the

protection of the state, they prepared to defend their homes, wives

and children. Did Mr. Boggs, as the controversy proceeded, remain a

neutral spectator, as his first intimation had given the Mormons to

understand? Oh, no! when the mob was forced to fly for safety--like

cowards as they were--then this wise and oath-bound executive,

called on the militia of the state, to aid in expelling--or rather,

to use one of the expressions of Mr. Boggs--in "exterminating"

the Mormons. Which is as much as to say, if the Mormons cannot

be driven from their homes, their possessions, and all else that

they hold dear, peaceably, why then, kill, murder, burn, destroy,

anything so the Mormons are "exterminated" from the state! Most

just, humane, wise, and patriotic Governor Boggs!

Many of them were barbarously butchered, and all shamefully

unsettled and cruelly driven from their comfortable firesides at an

inclement season of the year; those who escaped secret murder, were

inhumanly and savagely treated, their females violated, and their

property confiscated and plundered, by the barbarous vandals who

were persecuting them even unto death! and to such men and to such

people, would Governor Carlin deliver up two of our Mormon citizens

for a sacrifice! We oppose this barter and trade in blood, upon

higher grounds than the mere forms of law upon which the _Argus_

justifies the governor. If we believe that Smith and Rigdon had

been guilty of criminal acts in Missouri, and could have a fair

trial for such acts, under the laws of that state, we should be

among the first to advocate the surrender of those gentlemen. It

is not the laws of Missouri, of which we complain, it is of the

officers who are appointed to execute and carry out those laws.

Their conduct must be forever reprobated--it is a lasting disgrace

to the state.

The Mormons have resided in our state since they were driven

out of Missouri--behaving as good citizens. Smith and Rigdon in

particular, have resided ever since within the limits of our state,

undoubtedly with the full knowledge of the authorities of Missouri,

but no demand is made till the citizens of Missouri, pursuing

them in their new homes in this state, with the same disregard of

law that marked their previous conduct, a call is made upon the

governor of that state to deliver them over to our authorities to

be tried for violating our laws, then the very vigilant governor of

Missouri calls for the apprehension of Smith and Rigdon!

It may be that Governors Carlin and Boggs had a private

understanding--that a cartel, an exchange of prisoners, may be

agreed on between them. If it is so, the governor is trifling with

the lives of our citizens--with the lives of those whom he is sworn

to protect. Reason, justice and humanity, cry out against the

proceeding.

We repeat, that compliance on the part of Governor Carlin, would

be to deliver them not to be tried for crime, but to be punished

without crime; and that under those circumstances, they had a right

to claim protection as citizens of this state.

This was the beginning of a trouble which lasted during the few

remaining years of the Prophet's life. While he was upon one hand

building up Nauvoo into a beautiful city and spreading abroad the glory

of the gospel; upon the other hand, he was himself harassed and driven

day and night by the relentless efforts of vindictive enemies incited

by bigotry which failed to comprehend the grandeur of his work and the

purity of his soul.

From this time on, though his labor was constantly expanding, he

himself was being hedged in. And as the events of the remaining four

years crowd each other with lightning rapidity, this is the proper time

to pause and look at length upon his matured person and character, just

as he is about to rise to the zenith of his career and just at the hour

when all the forces of the adversary are being united in a movement to

drag him down and destroy the cause entrusted to his care.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

JOSEPH SMITH AT NAUVOO--HIS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERSONALITY--VIEWS OF

HIS OPPONENT COMMENTATORS--TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT TO HIS INSPIRATION.

When the Prophet first went to Commerce he was thirty-three years old;

and he was martyred in his thirty-ninth year. Despite the outrages

perpetrated upon him and the privations which he had endured, he

was during this period still a man of great physical beauty and

stateliness. He was just six feet in height, standing in his stockings,

and was grandly proportioned. In his mature years he weighed about two

hundred pounds. His eyes were blue and tender; his hair was brown,

plentiful and wavy; he wore no beard, and his complexion was one of

transparency so rare as to be remarkable; the exquisite clearness of

his skin was never clouded, his face being naturally almost without

hair. His carriage was erect and graceful; he moved always with an air

of dignity and power which strangers often called kingly. He was full

of physical energy and daring. Without any appearance of effort he

could perform astonishing feats of strength and agility, and without

any apparent thought of fear he met and smiled upon every physical

danger. From his boyhood up he was fond of athletics, and in his mature

years and at the very zenith of his fame he loved to unbend and wrestle

or jump with a friend. The men who could contest with him were very

few. When his situation would permit he was as happy as a school boy to

join in manly sports.

He showed a sense of gentle humor in his games. On one occasion two

sectarian ministers had addressed themselves to him with the boasted

purpose of conquering him in argument. His theological strength

dumbfounded them; he drove them from one position to another until they

were glad to cry for quarter. Then, as they were about to depart with a

crestfallen air, he said to them in a tone of kindness:

Come, gentlemen, since you withdraw from the contest of logic, let

us jump at a mark. I think I can beat you at this.

The preachers hastened away, filled with indignation, and spread all

manner of ridiculous reports concerning Joseph Smith because he could

condescend at times to run, or jump or wrestle like a boy. Probably

their defeat in argument had more than the professed shock to their

religious sensitiveness to do with their indignation. He was always

gentle and good-natured in his sports. Several men are yet living

who jumped or tried a fall with the Prophet. They say Joseph did not

lose dignity in these sports. His rare physical beauty and grace and

his athletic excellence set him far above his fellows and made his

condescension seem kingly.

Nearly every one of his commentators, whether friend or foe, speaks of

him as a handsome man, of distinguished appearance and possessing a

marvelous power of fascination. By his opponents, the inspiration which

was over him and upon him--enveloping and permeating him and radiating

from his whole being--was attributed to magnetism.

In every association with his fellow-beings he was considerate and

just. He was always willing to carry his part of the burden and to

share in any suffering or deprivation inflicted upon his friends. He

was gentle to children and universally won their love. Elder Lyman O.

Littlefield, now of Logan, Utah, was a boy thirteen years old with the

camp of Zion which went up into Missouri. He narrates an incident of

that journey which is characteristic of the Prophet's entire life, for

his deeds and words of thoughtfulness were a constantly flowing stream.

As we recollect Elder Littlefield's statement, it was this:

The journey was extremely toilsome for all, and the physical

suffering, coupled with the knowledge of the persecutions endured

by our brethren whom we were traveling to succor, caused me to

lapse one day into a state of melancholy. As the camp was making

ready to depart I sat tired and brooding by the roadside. The

Prophet was the busiest man of the camp; and yet when he saw me,

he turned from the great press of other duties to say a word of

comfort to a child. Placing his hand upon my head, he said, "Is

there no place for you, my boy? If not, we must make one." This

circumstance made an impression upon my mind which long lapse of

time and cares of riper years have not effaced.

Joseph always sought to help the distressed. A cry of sorrow quickly

touched his ear, and its appeal invariably aroused him to helpful

action.

When he had become educated and refined as gold in the furnace by his

communion with the Holy Spirit, his words were heeded as if they were

falling jewels. He never had to beg for listeners; nor had he to ask

twice an audience with any one who had once met him. The great men of

the nation, with whom he came in contact, felt the power of his mighty

spirit. He was their peer as a philosopher and a statesman. He was

more, because he not only knew the past, but he saw the future.

The judgment of a man's friends is always the best judgment, especially

when his character and career are such as to excite the jealousy and

enmity of the world. But in the case of Joseph the Prophet, while none

but his friends could understand the full strength and beauty of that

God-like soul, there were not wanting plenty of non-believers who

recognize in him a man of amazing power. When a man is dead, he is

usually judged by his works, and few characters can bear the judgment

of the world pronounced during their lives by their opponents. Joseph

Smith was one of the few. In speaking of his opponents we refer not to

the sectarian bigots or to the mobocrats and apostates; but we refer

to men of standing and reputation, who were not so foolish as to speak

falsely in describing his attributes. We refer to men who recognized in

Joseph Smith a social factor and in his work a social movement, even

while they denied his inspiration and its divinity.

A writer for the New York _Herald_ had visited the Prophet, and in 1842

that paper said:

Joseph Smith is undoubtedly one of the greatest characters of the

age. He indicates as much talent, originality and moral courage

as Mahomet, Odin or any of the great spirits that have hitherto

produced the revolutions of past ages. In the present infidel,

irreligious, ideal, geological, animal-magnetic age of the world,

some such singular prophet as Joseph Smith is required to preserve

the principle of faith, and to plant some new germs of civilization

that may come to maturity in a thousand years. While modern

philosophy, which believes in nothing but what you can touch, is

overspreading the Atlantic States, Joseph Smith is creating a

spiritual system, combined also with morals and industry, that

may change the destiny of the race. * * * We certainly want some

such prophet to start up, take a big hold of the public mind--and

stop the torrent of materialism that is hurrying the world into

infidelity, immorality, licentiousness and crime.

The Pittsburgh _American_ declared that Joseph Smith could not be

denied the attributes of greatness. A Cleveland paper responding said

that he was without education or genius, and that "he used to live near

these 'diggings.'" The Pittsburgh _Visitor_ then took up the argument,

saying:

_No man was ever a prophet near the edge of his own diggings_. * *

* We know that principally from a country which boasts its superior

intelligence; where ignorance is supposed to be banished, and every

man and woman taught to read and write; he [Joseph Smith] has built

up a name, a temple and a city, conquering all opposition, and this

both vindictive and powerful, and so entirely unaided that he can

exclaim like the proud and haughty Roman, "Alone I did it!"

If he is advancing the cause of truth, he certainly has claim to

our sympathies and respect, as well for its discovery as the bold

and determined manner in which he has maintained it. If it is a

gross imposture, as you assert, he must be both ingenious and

cunning to gloss over its deformities and make them so attractive.

We have nothing to do with his doctrines--we only consider him the

most remarkable man among the "diggins."

Probably the most comprehensive view taken of the Prophet by a man not

intimate with him was that of Josiah Quincy, who, in company with Hon.

Charles Francis Adams, the senior, visited Joseph Smith at Nauvoo on

the 15th day of May, 1844, just forty-three days before the Prophet's

martyrdom. Among many things descriptive of Joseph, Quincy says:

It is by no means improbable that some future textbook, for the

use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something

like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has

exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his

countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to

that interrogatory may be thus written: _Joseph Smith, the Mormon

Prophet_. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men

now living, may be an obvious common-place to their descendants.

History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as

this. The man who established a religion in this age of free

debate, who was and is today accepted by hundreds of thousands

as a direct emissary from the Most High--such a rare human being

is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory

epithets. Fanatic, impostor, charlatan, he may have been; but

these hard names furnish no solution to the problem he presents

to us. Fanatics and impostors are living and dying every day, and

their memory is buried with them; but the wonderful influence

which this founder of a religion exerted and still exerts throws

him into relief before us, not as a rogue to be criminated, but as

a phenomenon to be explained. The most vital questions Americans

are asking each other today have to do with this man and what he

has left us. A generation other than mine must deal with these

questions. Burning questions they are, which must give a prominent

place in the history of the country to that sturdy self-asserter

whom I visited at Nauvoo. Joseph Smith, claiming to be an inspired

teacher, faced adversity such as few men have been called to meet,

enjoyed a brief season of prosperity such as few men have ever

attained, and finally, forty-three days after I saw him, went

cheerfully to a martyr's death. When he surrendered his person

to Governor Ford, in order to prevent the shedding of blood, the

Prophet had a presentiment of what was before him. "I am going like

a lamb to the slaughter," he is reported to have said; "but I am as

calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense,

and shall die innocent." I have no theory to advance respecting

this extraordinary man. I shall simply give the facts of my

intercourse with him. At some future time they may be found to have

some bearing upon the theories of others who are more competent

to make them. Ten closely written pages of my journal describe

my impressions of Nauvoo, and of its Prophet, mayor, general and

judge. * * * *

Pre-eminent among the stragglers by the door stood a man of

commanding appearance, clad in the costume of a journeyman

carpenter when about his work. He was a hearty, athletic fellow,

with blue eyes standing prominently out upon his light complexion,

a long nose, and a retreating forehead. He wore striped pantaloons,

a linen jacket which had not lately seen the wash tub, and a beard

of some three days' growth. This was the founder of the religion

which had been preached in every quarter of the earth.

_A fine looking man_ is what the passer by would instinctively have

murmured upon meeting this remarkable individual who had fashioned

the mould which was to shape the feelings of so many thousands of

his fellow-mortals. But Smith was more than this, and one could not

resist the impression that capacity and resource were natural to

his stalwart person. I have already mentioned the resemblance he

bore to Elisha R. Potter, of Rhode Island, whom I met in Washington

in 1826. The likeness was not such as would be recognized in a

picture, but rather one that would be felt in a grave emergency. Of

all men that I have met, these two seemed best endowed with that

kingly faculty which directs as by intrinsic right, the feeble or

confused souls who are looking for guidance. This it is just to say

with emphasis; for the reader will find so much that is puerile and

even shocking in my report of the prophet's conversation that he

might never suspect the impression of rugged power that was given

by the man. * * * * * * *

"General Smith," said Dr. Goforth, when we had adjourned to the

green in front of the tavern, "I think Mr. Quincy would like

to hear you preach." "Then I shall be happy to do so," was the

obliging reply; and mounting the broad step which led from the

house, the Prophet promptly addressed a sermon to the little group

about him. Our numbers were constantly increased from the passers

in the street, and a most attentive audience of more than a hundred

persons soon hung upon every word of the speaker. The text was Mark

16:15, and the comments, though rambling and disconnected, were

delivered with the fluency and fervor of a camp-meeting orator. The

discourse was interrupted several times by the Methodist minister

before referred to, who thought it incumbent upon him to question

the soundness of certain theological positions maintained by the

speaker. One specimen of the sparring which ensued I thought

worth setting down. The Prophet is asserting that baptism for the

remission of sins is essential for salvation. _Minister:_ Stop!

What do you say to the case of the penitent thief? _Prophet:_ What

do you mean by that? _Minister:_ You know our Savior said to the

thief, "This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise," which shows

he could not have been baptized before his admission. _Prophet:_

How do you know he wasn't baptized before he became a thief? At

this retort the sort of laugh that is provoked by an unexpected hit

ran through the audience; but this demonstration of sympathy was

rebuked by a severe look from Smith, who went on to say: But that

is not the true answer. In the original Greek, as this gentleman

[turning to me] will inform you, the word that has been translated

paradise means simply a place of departed spirits. To that place

the penitent thief was conveyed, and there, doubtless, he received

the baptism necessary for his admission to the heavenly kingdom.

The other objections of his antagonist were parried with a similar

adroitness, and in about fifteen minutes the Prophet concluded a

sermon which it was evident that his disciples had heard with the

heartiest satisfaction. * * * * * * * *

In the afternoon we drove to visit the farms upon the prairie which

this enterprising people had enclosed and were cultivating with

every appearance of success. On returning we stopped in a beautiful

grove where there were seats and a platform for speaking. "When

the weather permits," said Smith, "we hold our services in this

place; but shall cease to do so when the temple is finished." "I

suppose none but Mormon preachers are allowed in Nauvoo," said the

Methodist minister, who had accompanied our expedition. "On the

contrary," replied the prophet, "I shall be very happy to have

you address my people next Sunday, and I will insure you a most

attentive congregation." "What! do you mean that I may say anything

I please, and that you will make no reply?" "You may certainly

say anything you please; but I must reserve the right of adding

a word or two, if I judge best. I promise to speak of you in the

most respectful manner." As we rode back, there was much dispute

between the minister and Smith. "Come," said the latter, suddenly

slapping his antagonist on the knee, to emphasize the production of

a triumphant text, "if you can't argue better than that, you shall

say all you want to say to my people, and I will promise to hold

my tongue, for there's not a Mormon among them that will need my

assistance to answer you." Some backthrust was evidently required

to pay for this; and the minister, soon after, having occasion

to allude to some erroneous doctrine which I forgot, suddenly

exclaimed, "Why, I told my congregation the other Sunday that they

might as well believe Joe Smith as such theology as that." "Did

you say Joe Smith in a sermon?" inquired the person to whom the

title had been applied. "Of course I did. Why not?" The Prophet's

reply was given with a quiet superiority that was overwhelming:

"Considering only the day and the place, it would have been more

respectful to have said Lieutenant-General Joseph Smith." Clearly

the worthy minister was no match for the head of the Mormon Church.

I have quoted enough [from letters of converts] to show what

really good material Smith managed to draw into his net. Were such

fish to be caught with Spaulding's tedious romance and a puerile

fable of undecipherable gold plates and gigantic spectacles? Not

these cheap and wretched properties, but some mastering force of

the man who handled them, inspired the devoted missionaries who

worked such wonders. The remaining letters [picked up from Joseph's

waste basket by Quincy] both written a year previous to my visit,

came from a certain Chicago attorney, who seems to have been the

personal friend as well as the legal adviser of the Prophet.

With the legal advice come warnings of plots which enemies are

preparing, and of the probability that a seizure of his person

by secret ambush is contemplated. "They hate you;" writes this

friendly lawyer, "because they have done evil unto you. * * * My

advice to you is, not to sleep in your own house, but to have some

place to sleep strongly guarded by your own friends, so that you

can resist any sudden attempt that might be made to kidnap you in

the night. When the Missourians come on this side and burn houses,

depend upon it they will not hesitate to make the attempt to carry

you away by force. Let me again caution you to be every moment upon

your guard." The man to whom this letter was addressed had long

been familiar with perils. For fourteen years he was surrounded by

vindictive enemies, who lost no opportunity to harass him. He was

in danger even when we saw him at the summit of his prosperity, and

he was soon to seal his testimony--or, if you will, to expiate his

imposture--by death at the hands of dastardly assassins. If these

letters go little way toward interpreting the man, they suggest

that any hasty interpretation of him is inadequate. * * * * * * * *

*

I asked him to test his [prophetic] powers by naming the successful

candidate in the approaching presidential election. "Well, I will

prophesy that John Tyler will not be the next President, for some

things are possible and some things are probable; but Tyler's

election is neither the one nor the other." We then went on to

talk of politics. Smith recognized the curse and iniquity of

slavery, though he opposed the methods of the Abolitionists. His

plan was for the nation to pay for the slaves from the sale of the

public lands. "Congress," he said, "should be compelled to take

this course, by petitions from all parts of the country; but the

petitioners must disclaim all alliance with those who would disturb

the rights of property recognized by the constitution and foment

insurrection." It may be worth while to remark that Smith's plan

was publicly advocated eleven years later, by one who has mixed

so much practical shrewdness with his lofty philosophy. In 1855,

when men's minds had been moved to their depths on the question of

slavery, Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson declared that it should be met in

accordance "with the interest of the South and with the settled

conscience of the North. It is not really a great task, a great

fight for this country to accomplish, to buy that property of the

planter, as the British nation bought the West Indian slaves."

He further says that the "United States will be brought to give

every inch of their public lands for a purpose like this." We

who can look back upon the terrible cost of the fratricidal war

which put an end to slavery, now say that such a solution of the

difficulty would have been worthy a Christian statesman. But if the

retired scholar was in advance of his time when he advocated this

disposition of the public property in 1855, what shall I say of the

political and religious leader who had committed himself, in print,

as well as in conversation, to the same course in 1844? If the

atmosphere of men's opinions was stirred by such a proposition when

war-clouds were discernible in the sky, was it not a statesmanlike

word eleven years earlier, when the heavens looked tranquil and

beneficent?

General Smith proceeded to unfold still further his views upon

politics. He denounced the Missouri Compromise as an unjustifiable

concession for the benefit of slavery. It was Henry Clay's bid for

the presidency. Dr. Goforth might have spared himself the trouble

of coming to Nauvoo to electioneer for a duellist who would fire

at John Randolph, but was not brave enough to protect the Saints

in their rights as American citizens. Clay had told his people to

go to the wilds of Oregon and set up a government of their own. Oh

yes, the Saints might go into the wilderness and obtain justice

of the Indians, which imbecile, time-serving politicians would

not give them in a land of freedom and equality. The Prophet then

talked of the details of government. He thought that the number of

members admitted to the lower house of the National Legislature

should be reduced. A crowd only darkened counsel and impeded

business. A member to every half million of population would be

ample. The powers of the President should be increased. He should

have authority to put down rebellion in a state, without waiting

for the request of any governor; for it might happen that the

governor himself would be the leader of the rebels. It is needless

to remark how later events showed the executive weakness that Smith

pointed out,--a weakness which cost thousands of valuable lives and

millions of treasure; but the man mingled Utopian fallacies with

his shrewd suggestions. He talked as from a strong mind utterly

unenlightened by the teachings of history. Finally, he told us what

he would do, were he President of the United States, and went on to

mention that he might one day so hold the balance between parties

as to render his election to that office by no means unlikely. * *

* * *

Who can wonder that the chair of the National Executive had its

place among the visions of this self-reliant man? He had already

traversed the roughest part of the way to that coveted position.

Born in the lowest ranks of poverty, without book-learning and with

the homeliest of all human names, he had made himself at the age

of thirty-nine a power upon earth. Of the multitudinous family of

Smith, from Adam down (Adam of the "Wealth of Nations," I mean),

none had so won human hearts and shaped human lives as this Joseph.

His influence, whether for good or for evil, is potent to-day, and

the end is not yet.

I have endeavored to give the details of my visit to the Mormon

Prophet with absolute accuracy. If the reader does not know

just what to make of Joseph Smith, I cannot help him out of the

difficulty. I myself stand helpless before the puzzle.

A member of Congress wrote to his wife after meeting Joseph in

Washington:

Everything he says is said in a manner to leave an impression

that he is sincere. There is no levity, no fanaticism, no want

of dignity in his deportment. He is apparently from forty to

forty-five years of age, rather above the middle stature, and what

the ladies would call a very good-looking man. In his garb there

are no peculiarities, his dress being that of a plain, unpretending

citizen. He is by profession a farmer, but is evidently well read.

* * * Throughout his whole address he displayed strongly a spirit

of charity and forbearance.

The Masonic Grand Master, in the state of Illinois, wrote of Joseph to

the _Advocate_:

Having recently had occasion to visit the city of Nauvoo I cannot

permit the opportunity to pass without expressing the agreeable

disappointment that awaited me there. I had supposed, from what

I had previously heard, that I should witness an impoverished,

ignorant and bigoted population, completely priest-ridden and

tyrannized over by Joseph Smith, the great Prophet of these people.

On the contrary, to my surprise, I saw a people apparently happy,

prosperous and intelligent. Every man appeared to be employed in

some business or occupation. I saw no idleness, no intemperance,

no noise, no riot; all appeared to be contented, with no desire to

trouble themselves with anything except their own affairs. With

the religion of this people I have nothing to do; if they can be

satisfied with the doctrines of their new revelation, they have a

right to be so. The constitution of the country guarantees to them

the right of worshiping God according to the dictates of their own

conscience, and if they can be so easily satisfied, why should we,

who differ with them, complain? * * * * * * *

During my stay of three days I became well acquainted with their

principal men, and more particularly with their Prophet. I found

them hospitable, polite, well-informed and liberal. With Joseph

Smith, the hospitality of whose house I kindly received, I was well

pleased. Of course, on the subject of religion we widely differed,

but he appeared to be quite as willing to permit me to enjoy my

right of opinion as I think we all ought to be to let the Mormons

enjoy theirs. But instead of the ignorant and tyrannical upstart,

judge my surprise at finding him a sensible, intelligent companion

and gentlemanly man. In frequent conversations with him he gave

me every information that I desired, and appeared to be only

pleased at being able to do so. He appears to be much respected

by all the people about him, and has their entire confidence. He

is a fine-looking man, about thirty-six years of age, and has an

interesting family.

An officer of the United States artillery who visited Nauvoo in

September, 1842, said:

The Smiths are not without talent, and are said to be as brave as

lions. Joseph, the chief, is a noble-looking fellow, a Mahomet

every inch of him. * * * The city of Nauvoo contains about ten

thousand souls, and is rapidly increasing. It is well laid out, and

the municipal affairs appear to be well conducted. The adjoining

country is a beautiful prairie. Who will say that the "Mormon"

Prophet is not among the great spirits of the age?

In 1842 or 1843, a Methodist preacher by the name of Prior visited

Nauvoo and on the Sabbath day attended religious services for the

purpose of hearing a sermon by the Prophet. He published the following

description of Joseph's appearance and words:

I will not attempt to describe the various feelings of my bosom

as I took my seat in a conspicuous place in the congregation, who

were waiting in breathless silence for his appearance. While he

tarried, I had plenty of time to revolve in my mind the character

and common report of that truly singular personage. I fancied that

I should behold a countenance sad and sorrowful, yet containing the

fiery marks of rage and exasperation. I supposed that I should be

enabled to discover in him some of those thoughtful and reserved

features, those mystic and sarcastic glances, which I had fancied

the ancient sages to possess. I expected to see that fearful,

faltering look of conscious shame which, from what I had heard of

him, he might be expected to evince. He appeared at last; but how

was I disappointed when instead of the heads and horns of the beast

and false prophet, I beheld only the appearance of a common man, of

tolerably large proportions. I was sadly disappointed, and thought

that, although his appearance could not be wrested to indicate

anything against him, yet he would manifest all I had heard of him

when he began to preach. I sat uneasily, and watched him closely.

He commenced preaching, not from the Book of Mormon, however, but

from the Bible; the first chapter of the first of Peter was his

text. He commenced calmly, and continued dispassionately to pursue

his subject, while I sat in breathless silence, waiting to hear

that foul aspersion of the other sects, that diabolical disposition

of revenge, and to hear rancorous denunciation of every individual

but a Mormon; I waited in vain; I listened with surprise; I sat

uneasy in my seat, and could hardly persuade myself but that he

had been apprised of my presence, and so ordered his discourse on

my account, that I might not be able to find fault with it; for

instead of a jumbled jargon of half-connected sentences, and a

volley of imprecations, and diabolical and malignant denunciations,

heaped upon the heads of all who differed from him, and the

dreadful twisting and wresting of the Scriptures to suit his own

peculiar views, and attempt to weave a web of dark and mystic

sophistry around the gospel truths, which I had anticipated, he

glided along through a very interesting and elaborate discourse

with all the care and happy facility of one who was well aware of

his important station, and his duty to God and man.

In 1843, an English traveler wrote a letter which appeared in most of

the American newspapers concerning a visit to Nauvoo. He first recites

many of the awful tales which he had heard concerning the Prophet

and the Saints, and describes the fears of his own life which were

entertained by his friends should he put himself in the Prophet's

power, evidently taking much credit to himself for his "chivalric" and

"foolhardy" enterprise. But when he reaches Nauvoo, he finds all his

fears and adventurous calculations dispelled; so he sits calmly down to

make a dispassionate review of the city and its founder. A portion of

his letter is as follows:

The city is of great dimensions, laid out in beautiful order; the

streets are wide, and cross each other at right angles, which will

add greatly to its order and magnificence when finished. The city

rises on a gentle incline from the rolling Mississippi, and as you

stand near the temple, you may gaze on the picturesque scenery

around; at your side is the temple, the wonder of the world; round

about, and beneath, you may behold handsome stores, large mansions,

and fine cottages, interspersed with varied scenery; at the foot

of the town rolls the noble Mississippi, bearing upon its bosom

the numerous seaships which are conveying the Mormons from all

parts of the world to their home. I have seen them landed, and I

have beheld them welcomed to their homes with the tear of joy and

the gladdening smile, to share the embrace of all around. I have

heard them exclaim, How happy to live here! how happy to die here!

and then how happy to rise here in the resurrection! It is their

happiness; then why disturb the Mormons so long as they are happy

and peaceable, and are willing to live so with all men? I would

say, "Let them live."

The inhabitants seem to be a wonderfully enterprising people. The

walls of the temple have been raised considerably this summer;

it is calculated, when finished, to be the glory of Illinois.

They are endeavoring to establish manufactories in the city.

They have enclosed large farms on the prairie ground, on which

they have raised corn, wheat, hemp, etc.; and all this they have

accomplished within the short space of four years. I do not

believe that there is another people in existence who could have

made such improvements in the same length of time, under the same

circumstances. And here allow me to remark, that there are some

here who have lately emigrated to this place, who have built

themselves large and convenient houses in the town; others on their

farms on the prairie, who, if they had remained at home, might have

continued to live in rented houses all their days, and never once

have entertained the idea of building one for themselves at their

own expense.

Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, is a singular character; he lives

at the "Nauvoo Mansion House," which is, I understand, intended to

become a home for the stranger and traveler; and I think, from my

own personal observation, that it will be deserving of the name.

The Prophet is a kind, cheerful, sociable companion. I believe that

he has the good-will of the community at large, and that he is ever

ready to stand by and defend them in any extremity; and as I saw

the Prophet and his brother Hyrum conversing together one day, I

thought I beheld two of the greatest men of the nineteenth century.

I have witnessed the Mormons in their assemblies on a Sunday, and

I know not where a similar scene could be effected or produced.

With respect to the teachings of the Prophet, I must say that there

are some things hard to be understood; but he invariably supports

himself from our good old Bible. Peace and harmony reign in the

city. The drunkard is scarcely ever seen, as in other cities,

neither does the awful imprecation or profane oath strike upon your

ear; but, while all is storm, and tempest, and confusion abroad

respecting the Mormons, all is peace and harmony at home.

In June, 1851, a work appeared entitled "The Mormons" published by a

journalist connected with the _Morning Chronicle_, London, England.

The author had made some close personal researches into the question,

and the volume was the candid expression of his matured views. Being

skeptical, and having little sympathy for a religious movement of this

character, naturally his conclusions were colored by his prejudices.

But he says:

Joseph Smith was indeed a remarkable man: and, in summing up

his character, it is extremely difficult to decide, whether he

were indeed the vulgar impostor which it has been the fashion to

consider him, or whether he were a sincere fanatic who believed

what he taught. But whether an impostor, who, for the purposes of

his ambition, concocted the fraud of the _Book of Mormon_, or a

fanatic who believed and promulgated a fraud originally concocted

by some other person, it must be admitted that he displayed no

little zeal and courage; that his tact was great, that his talents

for governing men were of no mean order, and that, however glaring

his deficiencies in early life may have been, he manifested, as he

grew older, an ability both as an orator and a writer, which showed

that he possessed strong natural gifts, only requiring cultivation

to have raised him to a high reputation among better educated men.

There are many incidents in his life which favor the supposition

that he was guilty of a deliberate fraud in pretending to have

revelations from heaven, and in palming off upon the world his new

Bible: but, at the same time, there is much in his later career

which seems to prove that he really believed what he asserted--that

he imagined himself to be in reality what he pretended--the chosen

medium to convey a new gospel to the world--the inspired of

heaven, the dreamer of divine dreams, and the companion of angels.

If he were an impostor, deliberately and coolly inventing, and

pertinaciously propagating a falsehood, there is this much to be

said, that never was an impostor more cruelly punished than he was,

from the first moment of his appearance as a prophet to the last.

Joseph Smith, in consequence of his pretensions to be a seer and

prophet of God, lived a life of continual misery and persecution.

He endured every kind of hardship, contumely and suffering. He was

derided, assaulted and imprisoned. His life was one long scene

of peril and distress, scarcely brightened by the brief beam of

comparative repose which he enjoyed in his own city of Nauvoo. In

the contempt showered upon his head his whole family shared. Father

and mother, and brothers, wife and friends, were alike involved in

the ignominy of his pretensions, and the sufferings that resulted.

He lived for fourteen years amid vindictive enemies, who never

missed an opportunity to vilify, to harass, and to destroy him;

and he died at last an untimely and miserable death, involving in

his fate a brother to whom he was tenderly attached. _If anything

can tend to encourage the supposition that Joseph Smith was a

sincere enthusiast_ maddened with religious frenzies, as many have

been before and will be after him--_and that he had strong and

invincible faith in his own high pretensions and divine mission, it

is the notability that unless supported by such feelings, he would

have renounced the unprofitable and ungrateful task, and sought

refuge from persecution and misery in private life and honorable

industry_. But whether knave or lunatic, whether a liar or a true

man, _it cannot be denied that he was one of the most extraordinary

persons of his time, a man of rude genius, who accomplished a much

greater work than he knew; and whose name, whatever he may have

been whilst living, will take its place among the notabilities of

the world_.

A writer in Chamber's Encyclopaedia speaking of the Prophet says.

From his early years he was regarded as a visionary and a fanatic;

a fact which is of the utmost importance as affording a clue to his

real character, and an explanation of that otherwise unaccountable

tenacity of purpose and moral heroism displayed in the midst of

fiercest persecution. A _mere_ impostor * * * would have broken

down under such a tempest of opposition and hate as Smith's

preaching excited.

The foregoing opinions quoted from the Prophet's contemporaries and

observers--his opponents, candid though they were--are as favorable

as could be looked for in a skeptical, materialistic age. They prove

all that can be asserted of the Prophet by his believers, except the

essential feature of his inspiration. This could not be testified to

by any except a believer. His reviewers, whom we have quoted, judge

entirely from external evidence. They saw the phenomenon presented

by his life and work, and recorded it; excluding entirely from their

consideration of his character and deeds all thought of the superhuman.

And yet such candid judgment of these men is worthy of preservation; it

reinforces to the world the idea expressed of him by those who accepted

the faith which he taught. If some of these opposing writers could have

known him as intimately as his brethren knew him, the same sincerity

which prompted their favorable testimony concerning his remarkable

character must have compelled them to speak of those finer qualities

which endeared him to the Saints. The Prophet was only a man; but he

was a good man, an inspired man, a better man than he could have been

without the inspiration of his master, Christ. In all his actions

he was fearless as an angel of light. Not in all that has ever been

written or said of him by friend or foe is there one word to impugn the

magnificent physical bravery and moral courage of Joseph Smith. Withal

he was as meek and gentle as a little child. Disciplined by the Spirit

of God, which was his constant monitor, he put away from him alike the

fear of men and the ambitions of the world. These were things which a

remote or casual observer would not be likely to discover.

It cannot be expected that any non-believer will testify to the

prophetic power of Joseph Smith. To admit it is to believe. And yet

this power, too, can be proved by external evidence. Of his predictions

not one word has failed. His inspiration may also be proved by eternal

evidence. It is now admitted by every student of his life and work that

the Book of Mormon came from or through him. This work could not have

been originated by any other man in the nineteenth century.

But the best evidence of the divine inspiration which had descended

upon him is not external. It is like faith in Christ. It is the whisper

of the Spirit. During Joseph Smith's lifetime many thousands of people

bore solemn testimony that they knew he was a Prophet of God. Since

his death many more thousands have declared the same knowledge. Such

proof may be insufficient for the world, but it is enough for the

Saints. The world says that men who knew him were deceived by his

personal magnetism. But what shall be said of men who believe and yet

never saw him? Very few of the Latter-day Saints living today ever met

the Prophet. Magnetism has a limited circle and a limited duration.

Inspiration is infinite and eternal. The men who never saw Jesus Christ

believe on Him because the Holy Spirit inspires belief; the men who

never saw Joseph Smith believe in him because the Holy Spirit inspires

belief. The Jews were witnesses to the miracles of our Savior. Their

great historian Josephus says:

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to

call him a man: _for he was a doer of wonderful works_, a teacher

of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to

him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was Christ.

And when Pilate at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us,

condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did

not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day;

as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other

wonderful things concerning him. And a tribe of Christians, so

named from him, are not extinct at this day.

But Josephus remained a Jew, and very few of his race accepted the

Redeemer, despite their knowledge of His works; they had only the

external testimony which is insufficient, they hardened their hearts

against the internal testimony which is all-convincing. Josephus'

testimony of Jesus Christ is no stronger considering the time in which

he lived, than is the testimony of some of Joseph Smith's unbelieving

commentators, considering the age in which they lived. If Christians

were dependent today solely upon the history of Christ's work, their

faith might be insecure; but they have that testimony of the Spirit

which gives to the sincere seeker after truth a conviction so firm as

to be unassailable by all the power of Satan. It is this same Spirit

which convinces the Saints of latter days that as truly as Christ

lived, God's Only Begotten Son, as truly as He performed a divine

mission upon earth, as truly as He died upon Calvary a martyr to redeem

a fallen world; just so truly was Joseph Smith ordained and inspired of

God to reveal his truths and lead men back out of the darkness of ages,

into communion with the heavens. The physical strength and the mental

power of an unbelieving world may be arrayed against the followers of

this Prophet of latter days; as these same powers were arrayed against

the early Christians. But prisons and crosses and swords and bullets

cannot undo a fact. They may operate upon the fears of men and they may

induce recantation; but they cannot destroy absolute knowledge.

As the years pass away the recognition of Joseph Smith's wonderful

career grows more widespread. The day is near, even if it has not

already come, when the world of thinking but unbelieving men must

accept him as a marvel. They confess the mystery of his power and the

unaccountable grandeur of his deeds, even while they dispute all claim

to inspiration. They say he "was a doer of wonderful works." They

confess their special amaze that an unlearned farmer lad, dwelling

in the backwoods in the early part of this century, should have

conceived of his own mind, a system of theology and a purpose of church

organization, a plan of social redemption, so vast, so extraordinary;

and that he should have held to his work with such heroic tenacity,

through all the ills of life and unto the final scene of martyrdom. No

words of a believer can of themselves convince an unbeliever. There is

but one power of demonstration, and that is to seek by humble prayer

for the voice of the Holy Spirit. So surely as man prays in faith and

meekness, so surely will the answer come. This answer is the testimony

of Jesus Christ; it is the testimony to His servant Joseph Smith.

The world will not put this to the test. Only here and there an honest,

humble soul, struggling to the light will bow before the eternal throne

and make sincere petition for guidance.

By this testimony will the age be judged. We declare unto all to

whom these words shall come that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.

Flesh and blood have not revealed it unto us, but our Father which is

in heaven: and this holy revelation is the gift, exclusively, to no

man and no class of men. It is free to all who will seek for it in

obedience and sincere humility.

CHAPTER XLIX.

DR. J. C. BENNETT JOINS THE CHURCH--NAUVOO CITY CHARTERED--NAUVOO

UNIVERSITY AND LEGION ORGANIZED--JOSEPH SMITH COMMISSIONED AS

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL OF THE STATE MILITIA--TEMPLE SITE--DEDICATION OF THE

TEMPLE--AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE.

With the establishment of Nauvoo as a city Dr. John C. Bennett came

into prominent association with the Church. He was a quarter-master

general of the state of Illinois, and a man of extensive acquirements

and many ambitions. At the time of the Prophet's imprisonment in

Missouri he had offered his services to secure Joseph's release, by

force, if necessary, but the tender was not accepted. His expressed

sympathy was no doubt sincere. He saw the sufferings of the people and

was drawn toward them. He saw the grandeur of the Prophet's character

and was attracted by it. When the people moved into Illinois, he made

a closer examination of their faith, and accepted it. No doubt he was

still sincere at this time; and if he had been willing to heed the

Prophet's warning and to be humble and pure, he might have been a

blessing to the Church for many years, and might have lived and died a

happy man, with a full assurance of eternal salvation.

On Sunday, the 24th day of January, 1841, Hyrum Smith received the

office of patriarch to the Church, to succeed his deceased father;

he was also by revelation sustained as a prophet and revelator to

the Church. The vacancy in the quorum of the First Presidency, thus

occasioned, was filled by the selection of William Law to be second

counselor to Joseph.

On the 30th day of January a special conference was held at Nauvoo at

which Joseph was elected sole trustee-in-trust for the Church, to hold

the office during his life, his successor to be of the First Presidency

of the Church. This action was taken in pursuance of the provisions of

an act of the Illinois Legislature concerning religious societies.

The charter of the city of Nauvoo was devised by Joseph, as he says

"on principles so broad that any honest man might dwell secure under

its protective influence without distinction of sect or party." It was

comprehensive, and in some respects unusual, but its provisions were

purely republican and the end designed by its framer was insured. It

was signed by Thomas Carlin, governor, and was certified by Stephen A.

Douglas, secretary of state.

On the 1st day of February, 1841, the charter for the city of Nauvoo

took effect. On the same day an election was held for mayor and members

of the city council. John C. Bennett was elected mayor; with William

Marks, Samuel H. Smith, Daniel H. Wells and Newel K. Whitney for

aldermen; and Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Charles C.

Rich, John T. Barnett, Wilson Law, Don Carlos Smith, John P. Greene and

Vinson Knight for councilors.

The twenty-fourth section of the charter of the city of Nauvoo was as

follows:

The city council may establish and organize an institution of

learning within the limits of the city, for the teachings of

the arts, sciences and learned professions, to be called the

"University of the City of Nauvoo," which institution shall be

under the control and management of a Board of Trustees, consisting

of a Chancellor, Registrar and twenty-three Regents, which Board

shall thereafter be a body corporate and politic, with perpetual

successors by the name of the "Chancellor and Regents of the

University of the City of Nauvoo," and shall have full power to

pass, ordain, establish and execute all such laws and ordinances

as they may consider necessary for the welfare and prosperity of

said University, its officers and students; provided that the said

laws and ordinances shall not be repugnant to the constitution of

the United States, or of this state; and provided, also, that the

Trustees shall at all times be appointed by the city council, and

shall have all the powers and privileges for the advancement of the

cause of education which appertain to the Trustees of any other

college or university of this state.

In pursuance of this provision, at the first meeting of the city

council Joseph Smith presented an ordinance organizing the university

and appointed a board of trustees. The purpose of this institution

of learning was to give the Saints and all others who loved learning

an opportunity to gain a knowledge of the arts and sciences; for

Joseph was ever desirous to bring his brethren and friends into close

acquaintance with all that was best in the experience of the world. One

of the trustees of the university was Daniel H. Wells, who also had

been elected an alderman of the city. He was not then a member of the

Church, but he was a young man of such manifest fairness and integrity

that the Prophet was glad of his assistance.

The twenty-fifth section of the city charter was as follows:

The city council may organize the inhabitants of said city,

subject to military duty, into a body of independent military

men, to be called the "Nauvoo Legion," the court martial of which

shall be composed of the commissioned officers of said legion,

and constitute the law-making department, with full powers and

authority to make, ordain, establish and execute all such laws

and ordinances as may be considered necessary for the benefit,

government and regulation of said Legion; provided said court

martial shall pass no law or act, repugnant to, or inconsistent

with, the constitution of the United States, or of this state; and

provided also that the officers of the Legion shall be commissioned

by the governor of the state. The said Legion shall perform the

same amount of military duty as is now or may be hereafter required

of the regular militia of the state, and shall be at the disposal

of the mayor in executing the laws and ordinances of the city

corporation, and the laws of the state, and at the disposal of the

governor for the public defense, and the execution of the laws of

the state or of the United States, and shall be entitled to their

proportion of the public arms; and provided also, that said Legion

shall be exempt from all other military duty.

In pursuance of the provisions of the charter the Nauvoo Legion was

organized on the 4th day of February, 1841. Subsequently citizens

of Hancock County enrolled themselves in the legion, and at the

election Joseph Smith was chosen as Lieutenant-General and John

C. Bennett Major-General, with Wilson Law and Don Carlos Smith as

Brigadier-Generals of the two cohorts of the Legion.

Speaking of the University and the Legion in a letter written at this

time, the Prophet describes their purpose in these words:

The "Nauvoo Legion" embraces all our military power, and will

enable us to perform our military duty by ourselves, and thus

afford us the power and privilege of avoiding one of the most

fruitful sources of strife, oppression and collision with the

world. It will enable us to show our attachment to the state and

nation, as a people, whenever the public service requires our aid,

thus proving ourselves obedient to the paramount laws of the land,

and ready at all times to sustain and execute them.

The "University of the City of Nauvoo" will enable us to teach our

children wisdom, to instruct them in all knowledge and learning,

in the arts, sciences and learned professions. We hope to make

this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and

through it to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of

practical utility, and for the public good, and also for private

and individual happiness. The Regents of the University will take

the general supervision of all matters appertaining to education,

from common schools up to the highest branches of a most liberal

collegiate course. They will establish a regular system of

education, and hand over the pupil from teacher to professor, until

the regular gradation is consummated and the education finished.

At a session of the city council held on the 8th day of February, 1841,

Joseph reported a bill for an ordinance to prohibit the sale of liquor

at retail, which was subsequently passed and put into effect under the

title "An ordinance in relation to temperance." The purpose of this

measure was to prevent dram drinking, and the event proved that it was

wisely and safely drawn, for Nauvoo, under the strict enforcement of

this provision, was able to get rid of the low and the depraved. In

the discussion of the bill the Prophet spoke at some length on the use

of liquors, showing that they operated as a poison upon the system and

demonstrating that even in medicine other and harmless things might

take their place.

The part taken by Joseph Smith indicates his willingness to join

in any practical labor for the advancement of his fellow-men and

for the welfare of his country. He consented to act as a member of

the city council because he desired to assist in the promotion of

a wholesome municipal government. His inspiration was not entirely

among the clouds. It prompted him to those practical works without

which no community can hope to achieve happiness and prosperity. He

became a trustee of the University because no man of his time loved

knowledge more than he, and he wished to assist the institution to

present the wisdom of past and present times to the rising generation.

He consented to act as Lieutenant-General of the Nauvoo Legion--not

that he loved military powers or expected to go to war, but that he

recognized the duty of every citizen to be prepared to give his arm to

his country's service. His conduct in this respect is a reminder that,

notwithstanding his divine appointment, he held himself amenable to

every law and every regulation of his country.

On the 1st day of March Councilor Joseph Smith presented bills for

ordinances providing for the freedom of all religious sects and

denominations, and the freedom of all peaceable public meetings within

the city of Nauvoo. The ordinances were passed in accordance with the

provisions of his bills. His purpose was not to secure freedom for the

Saints within the municipality; for this was made certain by their

numerical preponderance and by the fact that nearly all the officials

were of their number. But it was always Joseph's plan to encourage

further discussion and consideration of religious matters, and he

desired that no insult or injury should be offered by any of the people

of Nauvoo to any minister, or to any other person who might desire to

present views not in accordance with the opinions of the majority.

He himself and his associates had suffered so much at the hands of a

bigoted majority in the past that he determined to prevent any such

offense against justice and against heaven, by the citizens of Nauvoo.

On the 10th day of March, Governor Thomas Carlin issued a commission to

Joseph Smith as "Lieutenant-General, Nauvoo Legion, of the militia of

the state of Illinois."

The spiritual welfare of the people was never neglected by him,

and during this busy period he was still able to impart religious

instruction from time to time as the needs of the people made such

instruction necessary. A revelation was received on the 19th day of

January, 1841, concerning the building of the Nauvoo temple and the

order and authority of the Priesthood; also making proclamation to all

the world to give heed to the light and glory of Zion. In March of the

same year the Saints were commanded by revelation to build a city in

Iowa, across the river from Nauvoo, to be called Zarahemla.

The building of the Nauvoo house was directed by revelation that it

should be an abiding place for the weary traveler who might seek health

and safety and the opportunity to contemplate the word of the Lord. The

Prophet and his brethren went forward to fulfill this commandment.

The site selected for a Temple at Nauvoo was most beautiful for

situation. The city of Nauvoo was partly built on a level plain and on

a noble hill which rose boldly to a height which gave from its summit a

commanding view of the surrounding country. The site of the temple was

at the summit and in the foreground of this hill. The Mississippi river

swept in a half-circle around the lower level of the city, and a number

of the north and south terminations of the streets in that part were

on the river. The temple could be seen from up and down the river for

many miles, and was the most conspicuous building in all that region.

The view from its roof and tower was very grand--embracing an extensive

view of the river and a wide stretch of forest and improved lands on

both the Illinois and Iowa sides of the "Father of Waters."

On the 6th day of April, 1841, the first day of the twelfth year of the

existence of the Church of Jesus Christ in this last dispensation, a

general conference was convened in the city of Nauvoo. At the same time

conferences were being held in England under the direction of Brigham

Young and the other Apostles, nine of that quorum being in that land

and at Philadelphia under the direction of Hyrum Smith.

At Nauvoo the first step was to lay the corner stone of the temple as

directed by revelation from the Lord. On the morning of the 6th a vast

procession was formed, which proceeded to the grounds selected for a

site. A hollow square of people was formed around the spot, and the

officers of the Nauvoo Legion, with the architect of the building,

the speakers and others, were conducted to the stand at the principal

corner stone--the south-east. After an address by Sidney Rigdon,

followed by hymns and prayer, the architect, by direction of the

Prophet, lowered the south-east corner stone to its place, and Joseph

Smith pronounced the benediction, saying:

The principal corner stone, in representation of the First

Presidency, is now duly laid in honor of the great God; and may

it there remain until the whole fabric is completed; and may the

same be accomplished speedily; that the Saints may have a place to

worship God, and the Son of Man have where to lay His head.

After an adjournment for one hour, the people again assembled, and the

south-west corner stone was laid by direction of Don Carlos Smith and

his counselors, presiding over the High Priesthood. The north-west

corner stone was laid under the direction of the high council; and the

north-east corner stone was put in place under the direction of Bishop

Newel K. Whitney and other officers of the Aaronic Priesthood. As each

stone was placed in its position a prayer was offered, and blessings

were invoked upon it by the Priesthood of the quorum officiating.

This occasion was a time of much rejoicing for Joseph and the Saints.

After all their sufferings from mobocracy they had at last reached a

place where they could rest for a season and commence the erection

of a house of the Lord. The Lord had a great endowment in store for

His Saints. A suitable house was necessary in which to bestow this

endowment--a place where the holy ordinances of the gospel could

be administered. The foundation stones were now laid, and many and

fervent were the prayers which were offered up that the Saints might be

permitted to complete it. Joseph was eager to push the work ahead. The

people were sick and poor, and it seemed like a very heavy undertaking

for so few people as there were there to attempt the erection of such a

house. But God had commanded, and they stepped forth cheerfully to obey.

Joseph, in alluding to the proper manner of laying the foundation

stones of temples, said:

If the strict order of the Priesthood were carried out in the

building of temples, the first stone would be laid at the

south-east corner by the First Presidency of the Church. The

south-west corner should be laid next. The third or north-west

corner next; and the fourth or north-east corner last. The First

Presidency should lay the south-east corner stone, and dictate

who are the proper persons to lay the other corner stones. If a

temple is built at a distance, and the First Presidency are not

present, then the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are the persons to

dictate an order for that temple; and in the absence of the Twelve

Apostles, then the Presidency of the Stake will lay the south-east

corner stone, the Melchisedec Priesthood laying the corner stones

on the east side of the temple, and the Lesser Priesthood those on

the west side.

At a later time President Young explained concerning the laying of the

corner stones of the Salt Lake temple:

The First Presidency, who are Apostles, started on the south-east

corner; then the second Priesthood laid the second stone; we bring

them into our ranks at the third stone, which the High Priests and

Elders laid; we take them under our wing to the north-east corner

stone which the Twelve and the Seventies laid; and there again

joined the Apostleship. It circumscribes every other Priesthood,

for it is the Priesthood of Melchisedec, which is after the order

of the Son of God.

The conference at Nauvoo continued five days, and the time was a happy

one for the Saints. In an address to the people on the second day, the

Prophet said:

The Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

feel great pleasure in assembling with the Saints at another

general conference, under circumstances so auspicious and cheering;

and with grateful hearts to Almighty God for His providential

regard, they cordially unite with the Saints, on this occasion in

ascribing honor, glory and blessing to His holy name.

It is with unfeigned pleasure that they have to make known the

steady and rapid increase of the Church in this state, the United

States and Europe. The anxiety to become acquainted with the

principles of the gospel, on every hand, is intense, and the cry

of "Come over and help us" is reaching the Elders on the wings of

every wind; while thousands who have heard the Gospel have become

obedient thereto, and are rejoicing in its gifts and blessings.

Prejudice, with its attendant train of evils, is giving way before

the force of truth, whose benign rays are penetrating the nations

afar off.

The reports from the Twelve Apostles in Europe are very

satisfactory, and state that the work continues to progress with

unparalleled rapidity, and that the harvest is truly great.

In the eastern states the faithful laborers are successful, and

many are flocking to the standard of truth. Nor is the south

keeping back. Churches have been raised up in the southern and

western states, and a very pressing invitation has been received

from New Orleans for some of the Elders to visit that city,

which has been complied with. In our own state and immediate

neighborhood, many are avowing their attachment to the principles

of our holy religion, and have become obedient to the faith.

Peace and prosperity attend us, and we have favor in the sight of

God and virtuous men. The time was when we were looked upon as

deceivers, and that Mormonism would soon pass away, come to nought

and be forgotten. But the time has gone by when it was looked upon

as a transient matter, or a bubble on the wave, and it is now

taking a deep hold in the hearts and affections of all those who

are noble-minded enough to lay aside the prejudice of education and

investigate the subject with candor and honesty. The truth, like

the sturdy oak, has stood unhurt amid the contending elements which

have beat upon it with tremendous force. The floods have rolled,

wave after wave, in quick succession, and have not swallowed it up.

"They have lifted up their voice, O Lord, the floods have lifted

up their voice; but the Lord of Hosts is mightier than the mighty

waves of the sea," nor have the flames of persecution, with all

the influence of mobs, been able to destroy it; but, like Moses'

bush, it has stood unconsumed, and now at this moment presents

an important spectacle both to men and angels. Where can we turn

our eyes to behold such another? We contemplate a people who

have embraced a system of religion, unpopular, and the adherence

to which has brought upon them repeated persecutions. A people

who, for their love to God and attachment to His cause, have

suffered hunger, nakedness, perils, and almost every privation.

A people who, for the sake of their religion, have had to mourn

the premature deaths of parents, husbands, wives and children. A

people who have preferred death to slavery and hypocrisy, and have

honorably maintained their characters and stood firm and immovable

in times that have tried men's souls. Stand fast, ye Saints of God,

hold on a little longer, and the storm of life will be past, and

you will be rewarded by that God whose servants you are, and who

will duly appreciate all your toils and afflictions for Christ's

sake and the gospel's. Your names will be handed down to posterity

as Saints of God and virtuous men.

On the third day of the conference, the Prophet stated to the assembled

Saints that the presidents of the different quorums would be presented

before them for their acceptance or rejection. He declared the rule

of acceptance or rejection to be by a majority in each quorum; and he

exhorted them to deliberation, faith and prayer, that they might be

strict and impartial in their examinations. Objection was made to Elder

John E. Page, one of the Twelve Apostles, and his case was laid over

to be tried before his quorum. Elder Page had been called to accompany

Apostle Orson Hyde upon his mission to Jerusalem, but had felt the

sacrifice demanded was too great for him, and had delayed until this

time.

On this same day Lyman Wight was chosen as an Apostle to fill the

vacancy occasioned by the death of Elder David W. Patten.

About the 1st of May, 1841, Joseph received a visit at Nauvoo from Hon.

Stephen A. Douglas, of the Supreme Court of the state of Illinois.

On this occasion Douglas was accompanied by his political opponent

Cyrus Walker, Esq. "The Little Giant" had not yet entered upon the

greatness of his career in politics; but the Prophet recognized in him

a master spirit among men. Douglas himself was so deeply impressed by

the grandeur of the Prophet's character that he sought him out with

deference.

On the 24th of May, the Prophet directed a call to all the Saints to

gather to the counties of Lee in Iowa and Hancock in Illinois; and

directed the discontinuance of all stakes of Zion outside of these two.

Under date of June 1st, 1841, the Prophet records that Elder Sidney

Rigdon had been ordained a prophet, seer and revelator. This ordination

was probably attended to in the month of May.

CHAPTER L.

JOSEPH'S VISIT TO GOVERNOR CARLIN AT QUINCY--ARREST ON THE OLD

REQUISITION FROM MISSOURI--A SHERIFF NURSED BY HIS PRISONER--JUDGE

DOUGLAS DISCHARGES THE PROPHET ON WRIT OF "HABEAS CORPUS"--BROWNING'S

ELOQUENT APPEAL--DEATH OF DON CARLOS SMITH--EVENTS AT NAUVOO CLOSING

1841.

On the 1st day of June, 1841, the Prophet accompanied his brother Hyrum

and William Law as far as Quincy, Illinois, on their mission to the

east. While at Quincy he called upon Governor Carlin at the latter's

residence and was treated with marked respect and kindness. In the

lengthy conversation which Joseph had with Carlin, nothing was said

concerning the requisition formerly issued by the state of Missouri and

endorsed by Carlin for the arrest of the Prophet. This requisition had

been returned, not served; all excitement concerning it had died away;

and the absurd character of the demand made for Joseph's person was

supposed to be understood by Carlin and all the other officials of the

state.

After enjoying the hospitality of the Governor, Joseph withdrew and had

only proceeded a little distance on his homeward journey, when Carlin

sent Thomas King, sheriff of Adams County, Thomas Jasper, constable of

Quincy, and several others, as a posse, with an officer from Missouri

to apprehend the Prophet and deliver him up to the emissaries of Boggs.

This large party pursued Joseph and on the 5th day of June overtook and

arrested him at Heberline's hotel, Bear Creek, about twenty-eight miles

south of Nauvoo. With the formal act of arrest the offense charged

against the Prophet was made known, that he was "a fugitive from

justice;" but as the fact of his persecution in Missouri was well-known

to the posse, and as the officer from Missouri did not conceal the

vindictive hate with which he viewed his prisoner nor smother his

threats, many of the party left in disgust and returned to their homes,

declaring that they would have nothing to do with such outrageous

proceedings. Their action had a salutary effect upon the officers who

remained. Joseph was taken back to Quincy and there obtained a writ

of _habeas corpus_ from Charles A. Warren, master in chancery. Judge

Stephen A. Douglas arrived at Quincy that night and appointed a hearing

on the writ for Tuesday, the 8th day of June, in Monmouth, Warren

County, where the court for the fifth judicial circuit for Illinois

would then commence the regular term. On the morning after the arrest,

Sheriff King and the Missouri officer with their aides, went to Nauvoo

with their prisoner in charge. In the meantime considerable excitement

had prevailed in the city, as news of the Prophet's arrest had been

conveyed there, and his brethren well knew that for him to return

to Missouri was to return to assassination. A party of his friends

including Hosea Stout, Tarleton Lewis, John S. Higbee and others, had

come by the river to find him at Quincy but had missed him on the way,

as he came to Nauvoo by land.

Sheriff King was suffering greatly from ill health; and, after leaving

Quincy, was seized with violent illness. At Nauvoo the Prophet took the

sheriff to his own house and nursed him like a brother, and continued

this assiduous care for his captor during the four days intervening

until after the arrival at Monmouth.

On Monday, the 7th day of June, the Prophet departed very early in the

morning for the appointed place, which was seventy-five miles distant.

He was accompanied by Charles C. Rich, Amasa Lyman, Shadrach Roundy,

Reynolds Cahoon, Charles Hopkins, Alfred Randall, Elias Higbee, Morris

Phelps, John P. Greene, Henry G. Sherwood, Joseph Younger, Darwin

Chase, Ira Miles, Joel S. Miles, Lucien Woodworth, Vinson Knight,

Robert B. Thompson, George Miller and others. They traveled all day and

until very late, making their camp about midnight in the road.

On Tuesday morning, June 8th, they reached Monmouth, where great

excitement prevailed. A multitude of citizens had gathered, filled

with curiosity to obtain a sight of the Prophet, whom they expected

and hoped to see loaded down with chains. A mob incited by sectarian

bigotry attempted to seize his person; but the sheriff, whose health

had been partially restored through Joseph's careful nursing, declared

that he would protect his prisoner at all hazards, and after much

difficulty the mob was repulsed by the sheriff and the friends of order.

An effort was made to have the hearing on the writ immediately, but the

state's attorney objected and secured a postponement until the next

morning. On that day the citizens were kept in a state of ferment.

The sectarian enemies of the Prophet hoped they saw an opportunity

to injure him, and they employed a great array of counsel to assist

in overthrowing the writ and remanding the Prophet back to his old

and blood-thirsty enemies. Others there were not so vindictive, who

besought him to preach to the populace that night. They crowded around

the prison and flocked to the window to get a peep at him, but the

confinement was too close to permit of his addressing them even through

the bars, further than to promise them that Elder Amasa Lyman should

give them a sermon on the succeeding evening.

At an early hour on Wednesday the court at Monmouth was filled with

spectators anxious to witness the proceedings. The counsel in behalf of

the Prophet were Charles A. Warren, Sidney H. Little, O. H. Browning,

James H. Ralston, Cyrus Walker and Archibald Williams. On behalf of

the prosecution there were not only the state's attorneys, but a large

number of prominent lawyers employed by Joseph's opponents, and there

were also some volunteer prosecutors who thought to get some fame or

notoriety out of this case. Threats of the most awful character were

uttered against the Prophet's advocates; and even the conservative

element warned them that they might expect no further political favors

from that county if they persisted in defending a man so repugnant to

the sectarian religious element. They were not to be frightened by any

such means, and they pursued their course vigorously. Two points were

raised for the Prophet. One was that the writ was void, having once

been returned to the executive by the sheriff of Hancock County; and

the other was that the whole proceeding on the part of Missouri was

illegal and that the indictment upon which the requisition was based

had been obtained through fraud, bribery and corruption.

A young lawyer from Missouri was among the volunteers to plead against

Joseph. While uttering his tirade in court, he was stricken by such

pains that he ceased to talk and rushed from the court house. Many of

the people who had been amused by his antics, shouted after him, as

they saw his pale face and the contortions of his stomach: "Now we know

why they call the people of Missouri _Pukes_."

O. H. Browning made the principal speech for the Prophet. This Mr.

Browning afterward became a member of President Johnson's Cabinet as

Secretary of the Interior. He was a man of great courage and possessed

vigor and eloquence in speech. After covering the points of law

involved, he recited many of the indignities which had been perpetrated

upon the Prophet in Missouri and ridiculed the idea of his going back

to be tried by his sworn murderers. Mr. Browning had been a witness

to much of the distress of the Saints. He stated the circumstances of

the exile from Missouri, and feelingly and emphatically pointed out

the impossibility of Joseph's obtaining justice there. He said that

the very men who would be called as witnesses for the defense in the

Prophet's case, if it were to be tried in Missouri, were actually

forbidden by executive decree under the penalty of death, to enter

upon the soil of that blood-stained state. He recounted the cruelties

which had been practiced upon the Saints until the streams of Missouri

had run with sanguinary hues; and declared that he himself had seen

women and children destitute and defenseless, crossing the Mississippi

to seek refuge from ruthless mobs. After saying that to send Joseph

Smith back to Missouri for trial was but adding insult to injury, he

concluded:

Great God! have I not seen it? Yes, mine eyes have beheld the

blood-stained traces of innocent women and children, in the drear

winter, who had traveled hundreds of miles barefoot through frost

and snow, to seek a refuge from their savage pursuers. It was a

scene of horror, sufficient to enlist sympathy from an adamantine

heart. And shall this unfortunate man, whom their fury has seen

proper to select for sacrifice, be driven into such a savage land,

and none dare to enlist in the cause of justice? If there was no

other voice under heaven ever to be heard in this cause, gladly

would I stand alone, and proudly spend my latest breath, in defense

of an oppressed American citizen.

So affecting was Browning's address that many of the officers and

spectators of the court wept for the woes of the Prophet and his

persecuted people.