Show HIS MEMORY HONORED the he ninety second anniversary of the prophet joseph smith was most fit angly celebrated in the sixteenth ward meeting house thursday in accordance alth with a custom established by bishop who was personally acquainted with ith the prophet in his life time it 18 estimated that fully persons were ere present and all enjoyed themselves thoroughly the meeting was called to order at by bishop kesler and a tt of musical selections were rendered by the temple choir during the n ele exercises reses elder george D and airs s thomas thoma s hull rendered solos the opening prayer was offered by elder W w Rich richards aids after which elder john murdock who was employed on the prophets opheus ophe ts farm near nauvoo gave a few r personal reminiscences from the batters ratters rat lat life an original poem in eulogy rogy of the prophet was read by MI J T D roundy boundy mrs irs mary marv B smith norman of st louis ws MO and a relative of the prophet spike spoke briefly of her acquaintance ance with him efin after which judge ellas AL smith a 4 great grandson of asael alth who was the prophet josephs I 1 L L grandfather read a most interesting document the original of which is still in an excellent state of 0 preservation it was written by asael smith in 1799 and was addressed to the members of his family to be read by them at his death although they became familiar with its contents long before that event the document is as follows A few words of advice which I 1 leave to you my dear wife and children whom I 1 expect ere long to leave my dear selfs delfs I 1 know not what leisure I 1 shall have at the hour of my death to speak unto you and as you all know that I 1 am not free in speech especially when sick or sad and therefore now to speak my heart to you and would wish you to hear me speaking to you as long as you live when my tongue shall be moul dered to dust in the silent tomb in this writing which I 1 divide among you all and first to you my dear deaf wife I 1 do with all the strength and power that is in me thank you for your kindness and faitha faithfulness ulness to me beseeching god who is the husband of the widow to take care of you and not to leave you nor forsake you or ever suffer you to leave or forsake him or his ways put your whole trust solely in him he never did nor never will forsake any that trusted in I jim him one thing however I 1 would add it if you should marry again remember what I 1 have i undergone by a stepmother and do not estrange your husband from his own children or kindred least you draw on him and on yourself a great sin so I 1 do now resign you into the everlasting arms of the great husband of husbands the lord jesus christ and now my dear children let me pour out my heart to you and speak first to you of immorality in your souls trifle not on this point the soul is immortal you have to deal with an infinite majesty you go 90 upon life and death therefore in this point be serious do all to god in a serious manner when you think of him speak of him pray to him or in any way make your addresses to his great majesty be in good earnest trifle not with his name nor with his attributes nor call him to witness to any thing but is absolute truth nor then but when sound reason on serious consideration requires it and as to religion I 1 would not wish to point out any particular form to you but first I 1 would wish you to search the scriptures and consult sound reason and see if they which I 1 take to be two witnesses that stand by the god of the whole earth are not sufficient to evince to you that religion is a necessary theme then I 1 would wish you to study the nature of religion and see whether it consists in outward formalities or in the hidden man of the heart whether you can by outward forms rites and ordinances save yourselves or whether there to is a necessity of your having help from any other hand than your own if you find that you stand in need of a savior christ saith look unto me and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth then look to him and if you find from scripture and sound reason that christ hath come into the world to save sinners then examine what it was that caused him to leave the center of consummate happiness to suffer as he did whether it was to save mankind because they were sinners and could not save themselves or whether he came to save mankind because they had repented of their sins so as to be forgiven on the score of their repentance if you find that he came to save sinners merely because they were such then try if there to is any other so great that he cannot save him but mind that you ou admit no others as evidences but ake the two that god hath appointed viz scripture and sound reason and if these two witness that you are one whit better by nature than the worst heathen in the darkest corner comer of the deserts of arabia then conclude that god hath been partial towards you and hath furnished you with a better nature than others and that consequently he is not just to all mankind but if these two witnesses testify to you that god is just to all and his tender mercies are over all his works then believe him and if you can believe that christ came to save sinners and not the righteous pharisees Pharis ees or self righteous that sinners must be saved by the righteousness of christ alone without mixing any of their own righteousness with his then you will see that he can as well save all as any and there is no respect of persons with god who will have all mankind to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth viz via that there is one god and one mediator between god and man the man jesus christ who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time and when you believe this you will enter into his rest and when you enter into his rest you will know what rest is and not before and having got the evidences that god is true be still adding to your evidence and enjoy your present assurance do all to god as to your father for his love to Is ten thousand times greater towards you than ever any earthly fathers could be to his offspring in the next place strive for these graces most which concern your places and conditions and strive most against those failings which most threaten you but above everything avoid a melancholy disposition that is a humor that admits of any temptation and to is capable of any impression and distemper ment as death this tais humor which will work you to all uzi thankfulness against god unloving nesa to men and unnaturalness unnatural nesa to yourselves and to one another do not talk and make a noise to get the name of forward men but do the thing and do it in a way that to la fair and honest which you can live and die by and rise and reign by therefore my children do more than you talk of in point of religion satisfy your own consciences in what you do all men you shall never satisfy nay some will not be satisfied though they be convinced As for your calling any honest calling will honor you it if you will honor it it is better to be a rich cobbler than a poor merchant a rich farmer than a poor preacher and never be discouraged though sometimes your schemes should not succeed according to your wishes persevere in the way of well doing and you may hope tor for success for myself I 1 who had never your parts nor noe helps never found anything too hant for me in my calling but bilt discouragement and unbelief if I 1 was discouraged and did not believe I 1 could do a thing I 1 never could therefore when you think anything is too hard for you do not undertake it As to your company abandon all infectious flattering self serving companions pan ions when once you have found them false trust them no more sort with such as are able to do or receive good solomon gives you the best counsel for this in many places read the proverbs and remember him in this forsake not an old friend be friendly and faithful to your friends never trouble nor trust friends unless there be a necessity and lastly be long in closing with friends and to loose looft them upon experience of them As to your marriages I 1 do not no think it worth while to say much about them for I 1 believe that god hath ere cre abed the persons for each other sad and I 1 that nature will find its own I 1 I 1 but for your children make it your work to bring them up ui tn in the ways of virtue that they may be useful in their generation give them if possible a good education if nature hath bath made no differences do you make none in your affections countin ances nor parti part ious oua partiality their way begets envy haerel strife and contention and as for yourselves within yourselves my desire hath bath been to carry an n even hand towards you all and I 1 dhave labored to reduce you as mar biear ami aai could all circumstances considered si Vi dered to an equality and therefore my last request and charge is that you will live together in an undivided bond ot of love you are many of you and it if you join together as one man you need not want anything what counsel what comfort what money what friends may you not help yourselves unto if you will all as one contribute your aids wherefore my dear children I 1 pray Ve beseech and adjure you by all the relations lat lons and dearness that hath bath ever been betwixt us and by the heart rend ing pangs of a dying father whose soul hath bath ever been bound in the bundle of lifer with yours that you know one another visit as you may each other comfort counsel relieve succor help and admonish one another and while your ur mother lives meet her if possible once nee every year when she is dead vatch on some other place if it may be your ur elder brothers house or if you cannot eAn not meet send to and hear from aeh other yearly and oftener if you caad 6 and when you have neither father buor mother left be as many fathers said and mothers to each other so you shall understand the blessings mentioned in the psalm As am to your estates be not troubled that teat you are below your kindred get more anore wisdom humility and virtue and vel you are above them only do this beal with your hearts to make them liess less begin low join together to help one another rest upon the promises which are many and precious this way hoove giove mercy and have mercy on yourselves and one another and I 1 know 1 know I 1 say and I 1 am confident in lit it that it if you will trust god in his own way he will make comfortable pro colons ions for you make no more object alons but trust him 1 for the public bless god that you I 1 live in a land of liberty and bear yourselves dutifully and towards the authority under which you eve see gods providence in the appointment of the federal constitution utta d hold union and order as a precious lewel jewel and tor for the church of christ neither set her above her husband nor wow below her children give her that honor obedience and respect that indue is due her ana if you will be my children and heirs of my comfort in my dying age ite be neither another nor factions of any party or faction or novelty it is true ahlo la its not a rising way but it to is a tree free fair comfortable way for a man follow his own judgment without wavering to either hand band I 1 make no doubt but you will hear divers opinions concerning me both beforehand before and after I 1 shall sleep in silence but do not be troubled at that I 1 did what in my circumstances seema best beat for me for ahe he present however the event hath bath not in some points answered my expectations yet I 1 have learned to measure things by another rule than events eyen ts and satisfy myself in this that I 1 did all for the best as I 1 thought and if if ahad I 1 had not so much foresight as some others I 1 cannot help it sure I 1 am my savior christ is perfect and never will fail in one circumstance to him I 1 commit your souls bodies I 1 estates names characters 54 at A S ire 1113 pire when he shall change my vile body and make it like his own most glorious body and wish to leave to you yau everything that I 1 have in this world but ay any faults and them I 1 take with me to the grave there to be buried in everlasting oblivion but leaving my virtue if ever I 1 had any to revive and live in you amen so come lord jesus come quickly amen the above was written april 10 1799 and left tor for my dearly beloved wife and children to view after my decease ASAEL SMITH asael smith was the son of samuel and priscilla gould smith and was born bom march 7 1744 and died oc october tober 31 1830 aged 88 years after the reading of the above document president joseph F smith spoke at length of the birth life and accomplishments ments of the prophet some very interesting incidents of his remarkable career were referred to and the profoundest foun dest attention was paid to president smiths remarks it was ascertained that 32 relatives of the prophet were present while 35 had a personal acquaintance with him bishop kesler then spoke of his personal knowledge and experience with the prophet and recited a number of interesting incidents of his life S H B smith was also one of the speakers geo A smith read a poem by charles L walker of st george and Patria patriarch reb john smith pronounced the benediction |