The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-26
PAY TRIBUTES
TO THE PROPHET
Birthday Anniversary OF Joseph
Smith Observed.
BISHOP 0. F. WHITNEY TALKS
SHOWS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CHRIST AND MORMON LEADER.

The services in the tabernacle yester-
day afternoon were in commemoration
Of the birth of Joseph Smith, prophet
and founder of Mormonism, which oc-
CURED Dec. %. 1906. 1t has been the
custom of the MormonS for years to
celebrate this event on the Sunday
nearest his birthday. Owing to the
snowstorm and To the fact that yester-
CAV was Christmas. the attendance
was not large, the congrega ton num-
Dering not to exceed 5000 persons.
Evan Stephens led the choir and J.
}. Mcclellan presided at the organ. Sew
eral numbers were rendered by the
choir and two solos were sung, one,
The Seer" by Charles Kent, and the
other, The Heavenly Song" by w. J.
Phillips
Apostle George A. Smith told of the
birth and life IF Jesus of Nazareth.
now he proclaimed the truths Of the
gospel, how he was scOffed at, reviled,
rejected and crucified by those to
whom he brought mission of -redemp-
llon and peace. His statements ap-
peared to them unreasonable and un-
true, because they did not conform to
the doctrines they had been taught
t--~A ~ iAif7 NpAaiAiisS. AtNll hOIAulN WIS
com prevented them from accepting the
simple truths enunclated by the
Savior
Ninety-nine years ago another man
was born who was destined to dispel
the darkness into which the world had
oeen plunged because the churches had
Strayed from the true path of the gos-
pei. This man was Joseph Smith. who
was genuine prophet of Goa Apostle
Smith urged his hearers to eXempIify
the teachings of Joseph Smith in their
lives, so that his mission should not
prove vain.
Bishop Whitney Spoke.
Bishop o. F. Whitney spoke for more
lhan an hour on me life and character
OF Joseph Smith He first told of the
birth and preaching and death of Jesus
Christ. by way of Introduction of his
discourse on the prophet. We do not
confound these two really great char
acters,' said he. I'VE do not seek 10
establish any parallel between them,
although if their lives are carefully ex-
ahmed points Of similarity will be OBJ
served Christ was the son Of God,
redeemer and savior of mankind. he
said, while Joseph Smith, as compared
with him, was but a star. Joseph Smith
was a servant of Christ and an instru-
ment through whom Christ worked.
Joseph Smith lived that the GOSPEL
might be restored and in his life work
he fulfilled his mission on earth.
We do not worship Joseph Smith. >
Bishop Whitney continued. "That is
one of the silly stories put in circula-
ton by the enemies of Mormonism. We
never did, and we never will confound
Joseph Smith with the Son of God. and
all we claim is that ne was a servant
of God"
Defense of the Leader.
Bishop Whitney then went into de-
Tense of Joseph Smith. who. he said
had been held UP to the world as an inn
beetle in youth and d charlatan in his
mature years. He quoted from an ac-
count of the prophets appearance and
manner OF living by Farley P. Pratt
and also from an account of a visit paid
to Nauvoo, H., during Smiths lifetime
by Josiah Quincy, d non Mormon. Both
of these men described Smith as tall
we'll built and vigorous in mind and
body.
After giving a sketch of the prophet
and his parents and other relatives and
telling Of the growth of Mormonism uI
to the time of his death in the Jail al
Carthage. ILL.,, in 1874, Bishop Whitney
said an erroneous impression had pre-
vailed that the Mormons had changed
the location of their Zion city with each
Of the moves they had made in the
past. The Mormons, he said. had never
had but one location for Zion, and tina;
is in Jackson county, Missouri, where
they hope and expect to build a holy
city that shall endure for all time e
come. Their locations in Utah and
.OIher localities were simply stakes, and
should not be COMPOUNDED with the true
ZfoY, that fc vat m ha b,tflt