At this time the panic of 1837, swept over the United States. During the months of March and April, the failures in the City of New York amounted to over $100,000,000 and hundreds of institutions were driven to the wall. It was only natural that the Kirtland Safety Society, so improperly managed, should share in the general condition of failure. Other Causes of Embarrassment Other causes for the financial stress among the Saints, which also weighed heavily upon the heads of the Church, were the afflictions undergone at the hands of enemies, and the expenses attached to the erection of the Kirtland Temple. Moreover, the poor, destitute and needy, who had received the Gospel came to Kirtland seeking assistance and necessary homes. Large contracts for land were entered into for the benefit of these poor, that they might obtain homes to call their own; but those concerned were not always prompt in the payment of their dues--a common failure of mankind. Apostasy and Sorrow As the fruit of this condition, an apostasy followed rapidly, and it seemed, said the Prophet, "as though all the powers of earth and hell were combining their influence in an especial manner to overthrow the Church at once, and make a final end." Enemies abroad, aided by apostates within, united in various schemes to overthrow the Prophet as if he had been the sole cause of all the evils, not only in the communities of the Church, but throughout the entire land. Most of this evil which befell the Church might have been avoided if the Prophet's counsel had been accepted by the Saints. Apostasy developed within all the councils of the Church, and many of the leading brethren, who previously had been true and faithful, were involved. The Pure in Heart Able to Withstand