OCR Text |
Show . It THE DESERET NEWS, SATURDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 11, 1939 furnished a splendid training for his greater task ftto- 40- Rocky Mouotitine,-:- .ut4ea4Ing IrelandramtvingAbout fifty miles up the Mississippi River from member of the Mormon Church. From that time was located a Sinall town cane& tor w aril 1w we 4 close associate t,C ttte Prophet and Quincy, Illinois, Commerce. The surrounding land was covered with one of the leading characters in the movements of trees and bushes and, being near the river, was $o the Church. NVIien the quorum of twelve apoetles wet that travel there by team was impossible. Fol wet organized in Pa Drigliam Young was selected lowing his release from the Missouri jail, Joseph sesal one of the group. Ile !weenie piesident of the lected this as the site to build a city. Taking up twelve in Pele and retained that position until he residence there on May 10. PM, he and his.devotees was appointed president of the Church in 1e47. busied themselves in draining the swamps anti Simultaneously w Rh the establishing of Morbuilding a city dedicated to righteousness and to mon communitie4 in Ohio, Joseph Smith projected their God. land settlement with his Mormon proselytes into thrift and hard work they wrought Jackson County, Miseouri. a country which lay on such Through Coma transformation of the little town the furthermost bounds of the American frontier a' within named Nauvoo---thmercewhich they thousand miles westwurd from Kirtland. here the three years after their arrival they had made of it Prophet proposed to build 'Zion," a 'New Jerusa"not only the most pretentious city Of the Mate, but lem," where the steel of Israel" from all corners of one of the best of the entire West"'Ia city thrice the earth should assemble. But the project finally the hite of Chicago of that day." It became "Neumet lilt disaster. There were several reasons by voo the Beautiful," having a population numbering Joseph 'e plans were insuccessful. over twenty tht.,usand----thlargest city at that time The religious belief e of the Mormons were ob. in Illinois. noxioue to the old inhabitants of the state. Thomas Ifere the Prophet had opts)rtunity to put into C. Romney stated: "An analysis of the arious reeffect ideas which he had long before conceived ports of both friend and foe leads to the inevitable Nauvoo was laid out with broad, straight streets conclusion that the fundamental and basic cause of at right angles to each othera model trouble in Missouri was a buspicion, dishke, and running which was carefully followed later by Brigham fear of the religious claims and pretent ions of the Young in laying out the cities of the Great Basin. Saints," (10) "Additional fuel poured toxin the conThe Nauvoo Charterthe work of Joseph Smith- -flict was the jealousy and enmity of Protestant min"was the most liberal ever granted to any American isters in Jactistat. Comity. Furthermore, the ecocity. It provided complete independence educationnomic anti social phases of Joseph's' new ally, judicially, and militant"." Working under this aroused the suspicions of the Missourians. They charter and the gnidance of the Prophet, the people feared that the Mormons would secure their lands of Nauvon could boast of a University, of a "Legion by "irregular mettAk" and subordinate them to the of Soldiers, the finest trained militia in America." Mormon theocracy, because they had heard the and of a million dollar structure upon whose masclaim made by the Saints that Missouri was the sill. was written "Holiness to the Lord." No (hors 'land of Zion"--"t- he laod for an everlastieg inhersuch couhl ls found at that date in any itance." (II) According to It. ii. Roberts, some of of the building frontier districts west of the Allegheny Mounthe "over zealous and ignorant" of the Mormons tains. All of these marvels existed on the very helped to bring the Missourian persecutions upon edge of the wilderness, and even more unusual, they the "whole religious body" by unwisely "boasting as were born and matured within only four years after to what the Lord would do in the immediate future NatIVO0 was no more than an uninhabited swamp. in giving them possession of western Nlisouri as an Joseph Smith, the American Prophet, was reinheritance. some unwise allusions to the sponsible for all of these accomplishments, not to supposed part the Lamanites would take in the esmention such other achievements, as translating tablishment and redemption of Zion; and the vehetwo volumes of holy receiving by revement threats of retaliation in the event of their lation another volume scriptures, of scripture, apd writing his lying further assailed" contributed to the arousal Autobiography in six large hooks under the title of greater antaeonism, (12) Another cause for trou of History of the Church. He only lived on this bit' lay in the fact that the great majority of Josearth the short span of thirty-eigh- t and eph's followers were Yankees which naturally an- years. tagonized the Southerners. , As a net result of all At NaUVO0 the Prophet arose to the pinnacfç,of these conditions the Mormons were expelled from his careerto a position of such power and pro Jackson County in 1,S3,1 and from the state of Misinence that, in the early summer of 1811, Josiah souri in VW. Regret able chapters of American hisQuincy, "the sophisticated mayor of Boston,' contory during these persecutions and expulcluded: "It is by no means improbable that some sions of the Sainte. for the use of generations yet unfuture Forced to leave Missouri and all born will contain a question something like this: their earthly belongings, the Mormons sought ref-- . 'What historical American of the nineteenth cenuge iiiillinuis Since the Prophet and several other tury has exerted the most powerful influence upon leading officials of the Church were in jail in Misthe destinies of his countrymen?' And it is by no souri at the time of the expulsion, the task of movmeans Impossible that the answer to that interrogaing the refugees across the border to a spot of tory may be thus written: 'Joseph Smith, the Morsafety fell upon Brigham Young. This experience mon prophet.' And the reply, absurd as it doubt (Co)tinued from Page One,) me- v k 1. 41- -- , -- - at less s4eins to most men now living, may be an I . -- e sot-let- Pot-halt- . one-hal- - 1 deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as this." 03r The Prophet's life exhibits also a darker and more heartbreaking side. From childhood on, he like the Master"was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." times in his thirty-eigh- t years he was "Thirty-eigh- t him offenses with arrested on complaints charging And in and treason down.. murder from ranging every case, although witnesses perjured themselves, lawyers raked the country for evidence against him, themselves in an effort to and judges Six months in all convict him, he was acquitted he spent in Missouri jails. The food was always unsanitary, often putrid. There were no beds to and alms.sleep on. The guards were ire. In Illinois he sbent months underground, hid. ing front Missouri ruffians who sought to take him across the line. And in the end the assassin's bullet found its deadly place in his body." (II) Throughout all these persecutitms and troubles, his God was forever with him. When Brother Joseph was in the lowest depth of despair, having been confined in Liberty jail throughout the long winter while his beloved followers were months of PCIR-3mercilessly driven from their homes in'llissouri and while many weaker ones had .turned to the ranks of the enemy, Cod heard the beseeching prayer of this Prophet. Expressive of the love of a true Father, the Lord replied: "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment. And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high: thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." (15) Five eventful years elapsed. Joseph "endured' his afflictions "well." lie and his beloved brother Hyrum were murdered in Carthage jail, June 27, 111. lie then P,cended to dwell with the Savior and the Prophet of Old to plan for his beloved de. votee,; who remained on earth. This was his "triumph over all" his 'foes." over-reache- 'frail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants fight him in vain; Mingling with Cotk, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again." 1. 67. Fredrick Jackson Turner, Rise of the New West, Hubert Howe Bancroft, IfiNtory of Utah. 1540- Preface V. 3. Joseph Smith, Pearl History of the Church, I. of Creat Price, 413.. 4. . William E. Berrett, The Restored Church, 5. Cited in John Henry Evans, Joseph Smith an American Prophet, G. Parley P. Pratt. Autobiography, 50. 7. Joseph Smith, The Doctrine and Covenants, Sec37:1-4- . 2. 192-19- tion S. 9. 10. ) ' 13. Ibid., Section 110. Ibid., Section 76. Thomas C. Romney. The State of Deseret, M. S., Doctrine and Covenants,Section 57, 'Andres: L. History of the Church. III. Neff, The Mormon Migration to rtah, MS., 21. 13. Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past. 11. John Henry Evans. The Heart of Mormonism, . 12. 45-4- 1837-184- 27s-279- 15. Doctrine Fôuntains Of The Spirit Continued. from l'age Six) that event. The gift of prophecy has been exercised by others, too, during the more than a century of its existence. Personal visions and revelations have by no means been confined to the leaders of the Church, for the theory is that the members are entitled, by reason of their having received the gift of the Holy Ghost, to individual divine guidance through the manifestation of this Power. Poo - The Latter-daSaints do not, howof miracles boast the ever, performed in their behalf. They have been warned not to do so, as a particularly form of pride. They objectional .therefore regi;rd these as blessings of which no one else needs to, know. of divine power have .takni place in. a world that was , heeeming less and less miraThis is a, significant ele conscious. thing. Pot when Mormonism began, Christians everywht;re believed at least in the miracles of.the Bible Now, hoWever, owing chiefly to thp modern these Manifestations All, , scientific spirit, the number of persons in Christian nations who accept even the miracles of the New Testament, let alone miracles in general, is gradually dtminishing. This is partictrue of the educated classes in ularly all countries. This attitude toward the mirac- ulotlement in religion started with group of thinkers in Europe. There was FrederiCh Strauss, for instance. He 'was a German theologian and In England there was scholar. Matthew Arnold, an educator and writer of wide'influence and popularity. And in America, a little later, was Lyman Abbott, a clergyman and, successor of the great Henry Ward Beecher. These were all Christian Yet they joined eager gentlemen. a hands with the French Renan in a , denial of the miraculous element in religion. To them, as to the English historian Hume, "the miraculous the impossible." The view of these 'men and others of similar standing and belief has descended upon the modern mind like a, heavy mist, until now we are supposed to use the same instruments of ,investigation and interpretation in thing of the spirit as we do in things of the flesh. Against this astounding and widespread unbelief in the only real 'spiritual power in our universe Mormonism stands alone For, say what you will, to deny the gifts or manifestations of the Holy Ghost is to deny of the Holy Ghost. If, as everybody knows, the progress in religion has lagged far behind progress in every other field of human enterprise, the reason is here. The churches have abandoned belief in the power of God, as exhibited in the gifts of the Holy Ghost. They have forsaken the Comforter, the Teacher. They have turned their backs on the only source of knowledge about God. about the future life, about things of the Spirit. ' How could mankind pro- gress spiritually without that Such, then, is the essential difference between the Mormon Church and every other Christian denomination in the world.- For this distinctive feature of the faith Joseph Smith gave his life when he was but thirtyeight year of age, and for it, too, his followers have been willing to suffer both physically and mentally. To them it was li,'orth living for and dying for, as itivas to the .ancient Saints.----(Tabernaci- obvi-- 11L Wry text-hoo- (1838-1S39- Church Department t - . S ! The Colonizer BRIGHAM YOUNG ye-4- , a . , and Covenants. Section 121: . Elder Bowen's. Address (Continued from Page Three) , 'For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. "It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? "Neither is t beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shalt go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? "But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart,,, that thou mayest do it. this "Se,.- I have set before (lay life and good, and death and evil: therefore choose life, That both thou and thy seed may live." It is for us; it is for all the church! es; it is for all good men everywhere to join in the crusade of teaching and persuading and regenerating the hearts of men, for the message Is neither hidden, norm n heaven, nor beyond the sea that we need to fetcfi it. It is In it4nighthand! mandn'ients of God. In them is life for man and his seed forever. |