The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-04-07
HISTORICAL.
SALT LAKE Cry. April 6, 1880
Editors Herald:

SALT LAKE CiTY, April D, 1o0o'
Editors Herald:
The Mormon Church, or, more
properly speaking, the Church OF
Jesus Christ OF Latter-day Saint, Is
so years old to day. Yet, strange
to say, no authentic history
of that church has ever been pub
lished in any form whatever, so far
as am aware. Joseph Smith, the
prophet and founder OF iha. church,
has been dead nearly thirty-eix yeaTs,
vet 10 authentic history of him has
ever been published in his mother
tongue, not in book form, nor IN any
form so as to be accessible to the
generality Of readers now. 1t is true,
he wrote, or had written Tor him, his
autobiography, or History" as it is
entitled, which he commenced to
have published, in the Nauvoo Times
and Seasons, about two years before
his death. That history was finished
after his death, and published con-
tinuously in the Deseret Neaos and the
MLlennlQL Star. The whole his
tory is contained in the last
named periodical, running from
volume fourteen to volume twenty.
five, for the years 1852 to 1868
inclusive. That is the most compact
form in which it has been published,
but it is not easily accessible to the
public, as few people possess those
dozen years volumes of the Star, and
there the history is not divided into
chapters, with table of contents, nor
is there any sort of index to it. The
history, as therein published, occu-
pies about 1900 pages octave, in
bourgeois and BREWER type, the page
being seven inches long and four and
an eighth inches wide.
Now, the whole history OF the
church can never be published, be-
cause, so long as the church lasts, its
history continues In process of crea-
ton. But much might be published,
volume alter volume. First, as q
matter of course, would come the
history of Joseph Smith, which would
constitute a part, or first subdivision.
of the history of the church. II
published in book form, Of the same
size and type of the Star, the history
of Joseph Smith would be embraced
in three convenient volumes of about
500 pages each, or two larger volumes
of between 700 and 800 pages.
If a larger type than that of the
Star were to be used, the size or num-
Der of the volumes would be CORES
pondingly increased, and the cost
would be enhanced accordingly. but
the work would be more acceptable
to many readers.
The presumption is fair that the
publication of the history of Joseph
Smith, in book form, as already pub.
hshed serially in the periodicals Of the
church, would be appreciated by the
public, both members and non-mem.
bers, and would meet with a ready
sale. The same might be said of the
history of Brigham Young, as another
subdivision and and a continuation OF
the church history. The latter per-
sonage has been dead two years and
half, and the earlier portion of bis
history has been published in the
Desert NeDs and the MiLleniGL Star,
though possibly the whole has not yet
been written, and there may be pru'
Dental reasons why it should not be
published in entire fulness of detail
at present. But as the history oil
Joseph Smith was completed and
published in she periodicals named
seventeen years ago. it surely seems
high time that it was published in
book form, so as to be readily aces
sible to the public at Ia &c.
For still wider circulation, an
Arrangement OF TIA history, contain
ing the principal facts, briefly stated,
and sold at g price within the reach
of all, would surely be a paying in.
veetmept and be highly appreciated
by those who could not purchase the
more extended history.
Why Nor.