Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-12-24
PROPHETS BIRTHDAY.
Ninly-Third Anniversary Of Joseph Smin'sAd-
vent lniO Mortality Observed.
a BIG SIXTEENTH WARD MEETING.
Acquaintance with the Msr,yred
Founder Of the Church.


goodiy number OF saln.s gathered in
She sixteenth ward assembly hall lac,
night to ceichrase <hs nInaty.ihlry an
nlversary OF tho birth of fhe Prophc;
Joseph Smith. The uaud. on which
prerident Joseph r. smUh. Apostle
John Henry Smith. Patriarch John
Smith and his brother Iiyrum:
and quite number o. relasivcs
and acquaintauco We're seated. had
been .astefuly decorated i0r the octa-
sion WIKI me national Col1rs. huntinE.
sNerHfacua and iloWora on thn wall
back OF the stand wDto hung Beautiful
portraits OF the Prophet JuaOrh Smith
and his brother iiyrum; also twD mot
tos. HAL to Joseph ;ha prJIn,t" and
"Thc Chosen Of GDi and Friend of
Man" Besides = g0ld turn uu. 81 SIX
.ten.h ward Saint. iher were repre-
Fentativgs from nearly AN parts ~ the
cfy. The HlEi1flanH Ofiicu was repre-
scented BY Elder Andrew Isrl1n.
At : pm. buhop FRED ke1itr. Who
presided durinr thH EXERCISES Of she
evening, called She ufsgmhlge 90 order.
and The meeting Wgs 1pCri by the ward
l0r singing Josrph smiths Firsi
Prayer.
Prayer was chen on,fed by Elder
Samuel W. Richard.
The choir ncNS sang w Thank Thee
o God FOR n Prophet
Bhhop Fred klHlCr made q fcw ape
pfnpriate o.. nina remarks In which he
welcomed th0fo prcstUt, ard then pro-
uHcdcd 20 relate some Inter sling iuct-
dents In regard 60 HE personal assoc
Citations with the great Prnpho. who's.
natal day was being celebrated.
Mas Hacy Nincrp. then sang My Ma
tive Land.
Sister Baih .heti W. Smith. by re-
quofi. addressed the congregation for a
short time. When che was about 10
resume her scat President Joseph 4.
Smith reminded che audience that
tho lady Wnu had Just spoken
was the wife of the late President q. a.
smith and the last survivor Of "a
number or women who received their
enduwmcntH In Nauyoo and rhe also
knew of the Prophet Joseph Smiths
teachings In regard o. the principle OF
plural marriage President Smith felt
impressed 20 make this explanation for
the special benefit % the young Saints
who We're present. because certain
church organization. commonly called
JuFrphitcH. with a son ~ she mariyrcd
Prophet ut it, head. pretended o. be-
licyc that Joseph Smith never taught
or praciiccd the principle u plural
marriage; nor introduced the end1w-
mcnta NJ ghcy are row given 10 tho
Saints In tho Temples " Gnd. This
organization, on the other hand. assert
that these principles originated with or
were FIRST taught by tho late President
brigham Young. But here was living
wltncu--u good and faithful sister IN
fhc Church, who could testify to the
truth In this regard; FOR she not only
received her own cntowmenta under
the direction u the Prophet Joseph
Smith but had subsequently assisted In
giving fhr same blessings ~ thousands
~ her sisters: for Sister Smith had for
many years been faithful Temple
worker.
sister Smith. IN continuing her re-
marks. cUrroboratod what President
smith had said In regard To the cnduN-
mont: she was one among ATTY or sixty
others who received thelr cndpwmrniA
In Nauvon under the direction OF the
Prophet Joseph Smith himself; among
them were the members OF the Coun-
ell OF tho Twelve Apostles. the Pre-
siding Bishop and a number OF Other
prominent men In the Church, together
with their respective wives; she also
knew that plural marriage was taught
and practlced by the Prophet Joseph
smith. and yet she firmly believed the
Prophet Joseph never taught principle
that was not pure ana perfectly rlght
In the sight 81 God
Miss pOnetta Smith then read Sec
lion 81 OF the Doctrine and Covenants
on the martyrdpm ~ Joseph aud iiy-
rum Smith.
Elder AroW T. Hale, an aged CHURCH
veteran from GrarsNlle, sAld he was
nearly seventr. years old when fhc
Prophet I0acfh ana Pagrarch Hyrum
Smith we're Numbered In Carthage talL
aud remembered gAe try,rs ordeal the
Saints In NauVno PASSED through az tho
time 0f The mlr,yriom. Though -
Young. ahe speaker had been Intimately
ucqnalr.fd with abe Prophet through
family asfnclntlorf. ~ drummer boy
In fhe Sauvon Lesion he had Often
tlten a p1rt 4u Hersnadlnf the Prpphe;.
who On such occasions would always
come out 81 the house and bless the
children VITO ghus honnrgd him. The
speaker also tcHtlncd shat he had heard
Joseph tho Proph. teach plnNl mar
rlagc. on one occaroH when frw
were gathered together IN a flmly
caplclty, the PruIhei fpoke quite free-
IN on ths subject. and whlle doing - he
flrnci around 90 the hic Henry liar-
rimFn On uncle OF the speaker and
commanded him 90 take another wife.
ur1ther uarf imln ala 80 uni his plural
wife wah sealed 20 him by the Prophrs
himself The srt lkpr also fesilnei 81
che miraculous powDr - uod through
4he ndmlnlflrlGiHn NJ the Prophet, AZ
the elme th. Saints suffered ~ severely
with slcknrss a. NIuy1o, ana finally al
ludrd ~ ihr m1hlGngl and prosecutions
which la 90 the expulsion - the Saints
from uiluola. lie rom ahcrfi A prophe-
~ uttered 10y ihc Pf1phn joseph
agaird some ~ Vac enemies ~ ihe
Church. particularly agilns tihe traitor
Johf, &. Brrff,t, who 4hsequently, In
nlinilnsut IN sli1 prediction. died a
misrfable dsath ln California. The
sn.uissr ais trstlnfd 81 being an eye.
vstn"rs IA hundreds ~ Saints belns
lpullzed Tor he dead IN thf Mississippi,
river partly hy the Prgphet himself
and paigly hy others under hls dir.c-
ton. Ito WIS alfg prrfgW whrn thr
ProIfiet delivered his hf, public al.
dress 10 che Nluvcp Lesion Few days
before the ulriyrdom.
President joseph r. Smith rod 10
seph's prophecy delivered IN lAa, IN
witch h predicted " comlni OF thr
Saints 20 DO Rocky Moura.u-'
The speak r. ln teNilfy.ng 10 me ~
oral fulnUmat n this prophecy. &c.
lated his own experience AMI ptrN1aal !
o5seryati0ns, since hiH nfeg arrival ~
ihe valley On iAs' lie has seen lows
arl cNlr8 uprlrg NJ IN regular succrs-
fiop Ia every Wiley, r'ok ard corner ]
m he ~. Mluullluf, Ana he de- I
sired 10 a lw the attention % Tho /
young Saints 90 these facts and 0,her
thlnrs Whllh would prove 90 ahCm be- ]
VIA auep. .hlt J0snph lndotd vas !
an ,rsplr,d mao ard a Pr phol 80 Goa. |
Tho Old yaterlua ln the chunh. who /
were ar1usiuiel WIKI the Prophet. I.
were always on hard % testify of hs