Show Joseph Smith an American Prophet Intriguing Story of Mormon Leader Here i is 5 a aman man who was born in inthe inthe the he stark tark h hilts hills JS of Vermont Vermont who was reared in the theba backwoods of New York who never looked inside a college or high school who lived in six states no one of which would own him dur- dur big ing his lifetime who spent months In n the vile prisons of the period who even en when he had his freedom was hounded like a fugitive who was covered cov coy ered once with a coat of tar and feathers feath feathers ers rs and left for tor dead who with his following was driven by irate neighbors neighbors neigh- neigh bors jors from New York to Ohio from to Missouri arid and from Missouri to Illinois and who at the unripe age I of ot 38 was shot to death by a mob with painted faces Yet this man became mayor of the biggest town in Illinois and the states state's most prominent citizen the commander commander comman der of the largest body of trained soldiers in m the nation outside of the federal army army the the founder of cities and of a university ity and aspired to become become become be be- come president of the United States He wrote a book which has baffled bat bat- fled the literary critics for bra tora a hundred years and which is today more widely read than any other volume save n the Bible On the threshold of an organizing organizing organ organ- izing age he established the most nearly perfect social mechanism in the modern world and developed a religious philosophy sophY that challenges anything of the kind kina in history for lor completeness and cohesion And he set up the machinery for tor an economic system that would take th the brood of fears tears out of the heart of man the man the I fe fear of want through sickness unemployment unemployment and poverty In 30 nations are men and women who look upon him as a greater leader lead lead- er cr than Moses rose and a greater reater prophet than Isaiah his disciples now number close to a million and already a granite granite gran gran- ite shaft pierces the sky over the place wh where rc he was born and another is in cour course e of erection over the place where he received the tho inspiration of his book Such is the synoptic foreword to Joseph Smith An American prophet et written by John Henry Evans of Salt Lake and published by The MacMillan Mac Mac- Millan Milan company of New of-New New York The author says in his preface In Inthis Inthis Inthis this book I have tried to give a scientific title treatment of Joseph Smith the Mormon prophet that prophet that is to present the available facts without smothering smother smother- ing tag these facts in opinion This I Ibe believe believe be be- lieve has never been done before He also says later on on Not that this book was was' conceived or written in the cold atmosphere of the laboratory No Noone Noone Noone one can write about Joseph Smith coldly Author Evans has compressed within with with- in the generous limits of his pages page followed by an exhaustive bibliography phy a wealth of material found in no other one book A As a frontispiece ap appears appears ap- ap pears a crayon sketch by Charles De DeBault DeBault Bault Bauit Disciple of Etienne of the oil painting of Joseph Smith Jr in Nauvoo house First let it be said taid Mr Evans has given a very readable study of the Prophet Joseph as his followers follower reer refer re reo fer Jer er to him In his effort at completeness complete complete- ness nus he has hu not become unduly dif dif diffuse fuse fue what and might be b by bj ome some re reo re- re as unnecessary detail is of value and interest to the student who would devour all available facts ac There is evident in m the work an earnest earnest earnest ear ear- nest endeavor to avoid smothering facts in opinion As a partisan of the theman theman man concerning whom he writes it would be inescapable he could maintain main main- tam tain the detachment and dispassionate dispassion dispassion- ate appraisal of or the scientist Though these are lacking at various various' points In inthe In the treatment of the difficult subject sub for scientific attack the there reasoning reason ing tag student however will easily overcome overcome overcome over over- come this obstacle if jf it may be beso so called In his foreword summation Mr Evans discloses his evaluation of Joseph Jo seph Smith as an intellectual as a asocIal asocial asocial social factor economist and as one who developed a religious phy In this he reveals that the book bookIs Is 15 to tobe be in ess essence nce a tribute by an admiring follower Nevertheless it itis itis itis is not material even to toa toa toa a reader at the outset prejudiced against the prophet and all aU that revolves revolves revolves re re- reI re- I about the man and his work Inadvertently perhaps Mr Evans pushes the dogma of at his own church aside in referring to Joseph Smith as one who developed a religious philosophy phil that challenges anything of the kind in history for completeness and cohesion From the first the Church of Jesus Christ of at Latter-day Latter Saints has contended as its chief claim to arrest the interest of the truth seeker that there is nothing man made in this religious philosophy that in its entirety it Is the restored gospel dating dating dat data ing back to the beginning of time and revealed by none less than Jehovah Jehovah Jehovah through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith Jr This seeming Unorthodoxy unorthodoxy unorthodoxy un- un orthodoxy however need not detract de do tract from the value of the work to the careful reader Mr Eva Evans has made a distinct con contribution contribution contribution on c-on- to the exhaustive literature dealing with the American prophet and the religious organization that he ushered into what the of the church define as as the l last st dispensation dispensation dispensation of the of times It is thoroughly readable moves swiftly enough for tor the devotee of biographies and uncovers a wealth of material desired desired desired de de- de- de sired by many but ut usually dis discovered to be available only with great dUff culty Joseph Smith An American Prophet should prove one of the most popular of all aU recent writings writings' concerned with the affairs and ana history of the church organized by Joseph Smith and a a handful of associates a century y ago |