Semi-weekly herald., 1914-12-24
JOSEPH SMITHS CAREER.

The death of Joseph Smith at In
dependence, Mo-, is rather interest
ing, because the man himself was a
direct connection with an era of more
Importance to western Americans
than many are willing to admit. He
was over 80 years Of age and was
the son Of Joseph Smith, the prophet
and founder of the Mormon church.
No thoughtful person can visit a
Mormon country without finding him
self filled with astonisbment at the
marvellous power of these people in
colonization, their industry and their
simple piety. Also he must face the
historical fact that with the excep-
ton of the faith of Islam which was
propagated by the sword, no other
religion has grown so rapidly. Chris
tianity itself was a slow growing
,ert in Judea for nearly a hundred
years before the Roman world began
to hear of it.
1t is about N years ago that Joseph
Smith, countryman in Tioga coun-
ty, New York, professed to have
found some buried golden plates on
which were inscribed certain addition
al and unknown books of the Bible,
which an angel from heaven gave to
him, the angel concealing himself be-
hind a calico curtain in Smiths house.
Magic spectacles for translating the
books were part of the gift. From
this has sprung the great Mormon
sect. Smith first took his converts
in body to Ohio and then to Inde-
pendence, Mo. They were monogam-
Gus at this time and did not adopt
the plural wife doctrine until Brig
ham Young became their leader. The
carly Mormons were largely recruited
among the illiterate whites of the
middle states and in Europe, and il
may well be understood that they
we're not desirable lot when movir
in as body on sparsely settled
new state. Smith had revelations as
it suited him, from the dimensions
of boarding house to the location
of stake" The establishment of
town was called by that name, re-
ferring to the stalking of tent with
pegs.
At Independence there was much
trouble over the Mormons, which
reached climax in the attempted as
sassination of the governor. Then
Governor Ford of Illinois invited them
to his side of the river valley, and
Smith took them to Nauvoo, at the
head of the upper Mississippi rapids.
Within four years, he voted them
three times as a body to suit himself
and to the disgust of politicians show
ed that he held the balance of pow
Ell. The result was that Smith him
jail at Carthage, 20 miles away from
his little capital, after he had given
himself up on some charges made
against him. A marvellous young
man by the name Of Brigham Young
then seized upon the overlordship of
these people, and there followed the
rostwonderful trek or exodus in all
h'story-and that is not forgetting
the travels of the Hebrews. The dis
| coverv of GOLD in California unset
Young's plans of getting away from
other religious sects.
The wife of the prophet refused to
go to Salt Lake, and lived until an
old age at Nauvoo, where she raised
her son Joseph. 1t is said that Jo-
SCI h the son, had most astonishing
offers made to him to seek the fold
of the Utah branch, but refused AZ
ter he was grown he chose Independ-
encc as his STAKE" and also found
ed town in northern Iowa.
Another Joseph Smith rules over
the Mormon church at Salt Lake, but
he is nephew of the prophet. Dis
regarding beliefs and the unpleasant
features of their history, the Nor
IRONS are an astonishing people, and
the death of the prophets son force
fu.ly brings to mind that they had
, iheii beginnings only so far back as
the life span of one Colorado
Springs Telegraph.