The record-union., 1896-02-04
JOSEPH SMITH.
One of His Followers Gives Sketch
of the Mormon Prophet.

California Mormon Mission, discoursed
in Pythian Castle on Sunday night on
"reminiscences of Joseph Smith, the
Mormon Prophet" In the course of
his remarks the speaker said:
Joseph Smith was born December
%, 1905, in Sharon, Windsor County,
! VT, of humble parentage, yet honest
and industrious. He, with his fathers 5
family, moved to Palmyra, N. Y, into
neighborhood where there was much
excitement caused by religious revivals,
and members of the family united
themselves with different churches.
Young Joseph was confused, not know
| ing which church to join, and following
the injunction of James went into the
woods and prayed for wisdom. Two
angels of light appeared unto him and
told him that the churches had gone
astray and were teaching for doctrine
| the commandments of men; that they
| had a form of godliness, but denied the
| power thereof and he was to join none
of them. He related his vision, but was
opposed by most religionists. Though
only in his fifteenth year. like Paul be-
fore King Agrippa, he had seen a vision,
and all the persecution under heaven
could not make 1t otherwise.
In the fall of 1923 a messenger from
the presence of God, whose name was
Moroni appeared unto Joseph and told
him that his name should be spoken
for both good and evil among all ma
tions, and that wicked men would seek
his life, which has been literally full
filled. Twice again that night the
same angel appeared unto him, and
among the information impaired to the
young man was that gold plates con-
tanning the fullness of the Gospel and
history Of the inhabitants of this con-
tinent were about to be delivered to
him, which he received September y,
| 1927.
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
received the Aaronic Priesthood from
John the Baptist, who appeared and
conferred it with all its keys and priv
i1eges upon them, and in like manner
| the Melchisidec Priesthood from Peter,
James and John, which enabled them
by divine authority to establish the
church, with all the powers and priv
ileges of former days. April 8, 1880, in
Fayette, Seneca County, N. Y. Apos-
ties were chosen and empowered to act
in the name of Jesus. Two were sent
to Jerusalem where they dedicated that
land for the gathering Of the Jews. The
church headquarters were moved to
Kirkland, o., and from there to Mis-
souri,, and thence to Nauvoo, ILL.,
with the exception of Jesus Christ,
no man ever experienced greater ha-
tired from his enemies and greater love
for his friends than did Joseph Smith,
a direct fulfillment of the words of the
angel Forty mine times he was tried
before the tribunals of his country and
acquitted an innocent man. Men filled
with bigotry and jealousy, prompted by
the infuriated Internal regions, har-
assed him for twenty years, but We're
unable to convict him of disloyalty to
his country. Being thwarted in their
evil designs, they swore that if they
could not reach him with the law, they
would with powder and ball. which
they accomplished June 27, 1914.
During the time the gold plates We're
in his possession infuriated mobs rum
mayed cooper shops houses and the
woods searching for the Gold Bible,
but were disappointed in every in
stance. for the angel had promised him
that If he would be prayerful and care
ful they would be unable to rob him of
his treasure In the midst Of this dire
persecution, with the aid of the Ur1m
and Thummin Gnterpreter) and scribe,
he translated the Book of Mormon from
the gold plates, which is correct his
tory of two great nations that lived
upon this continent-first, the Jaredites,
who came here when the tongues were
confounded at the Tower of Babel; and.
second, the Nephites, who left Jerusa-
lem under the direction of the Prophet
Lehi 600 B. c. The former nation be-
came extinct through wars about the
time of the landing of the Nephites, who
are the progenitors of the American In
dians found here at the discovery by
Columbus.
"Unsuccessfully some have tried to
prove that the Book of Mormon was
written from the Solomon Spaulding
manuscript, deposited in the Oberlin
College, but there is no relation between
the two books, no similarity of events,
except that the two purport to be
history of the Indians. 1t was early In
1880 that the first edition of the Book
of Mormon was published, consisting
of 5000 copies.
Joseph was mobbed, beaten, poi
soned, imprisoned and eventually killed
through the conspiracy of traitors and
wicked men, and his innocent blood on
the escutcheon of the State of Illinois,
with the broken faith of the State, as
pledged by Governor Boggs, is a witness
of the establishment of the gospel of
Jesus Christ that the world cannot i'm
peach.
ssIn the midst of his great persecution
august 4, 1S42) he prophesied that
the saints would continue to suffer
much aff1iction, and would be driven
to the Rocky Mountains; many would
apostasize, others would be put to death
by their prosecutors. but some of you,
he says, will live to go and assist in
making settlements and build cities and
see the saints become a mighty people
in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.
And in February, 1914, he prophesied
that within five years the saints would
be out of the power of their old enc
miles, which have been literally full
filled.
MY parents and grandparents, with
thousands of others, at that time MEM
bers of the church, have lived to see
those prophecies and many others lit
orally fulfilled. Joseph was ever true
to his friends, even to the laying down
of his life, and was always true to his
country. His whole life was fraught
with matchless heroism, and when be-
ing taken to prison, just prior to his
martyrdom, a foreboding similar to
that of Jesus in the Garden of Geth-
semane came over him, and he said: /
am going like lamb to the slaughter,
but am calm as summers morning.
have a conscience void of offense to-
ward God and toward all men. I shall
die innocent, and it shall yet be said