History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 5Smith, Joseph, Jr.
History
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 5
Smith, Joseph, Jr.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
At eleven I went to the Temple, and found a large assembly, and Brother
Haws preaching about the Nauvoo House; after which, Mr. {284} Lucian
Woodworth, the architect of the house, continued the subject and said
"When I have had a pound of meat or a quart of meal, I have divided
with the workmen. ['Pretty good doctrine for Paganism,' said I. At
this time Mr. Woodworth was not baptized, and called himself the Pagan
Prophet.] We have had about three hundred men on the job, and some
of the best men in the world. Those that have not complained I want
to continue with me; and those that hate 'Mormonism' and everything
else that's good, I want them to get their pay and run away as quickly
as possible." When Mr. Woodworth had done speaking, I addressed the
multitude in substance as follows:--
_Remarks of the Prophet to Workmen on the Temple_.
Well, the Pagan Prophet has preached us a pretty good sermon
this morning, and I don't know that I can better it much; but I
feel disposed to break off the yoke of oppression, and say what
I have a mind to. If the pagans and the Pagan Prophet feel more
for our prosperity than we do for ourselves, it is curious; I am
almost converted to his doctrine. He has prophesied that if these
buildings go down, it will curse the place. I verily know it is
true. Let us build the Temple. There may be some speculations about
the Nauvoo House, say some. Some say, because we live on the hill,
we must build up this part on the hill. Does that coat fit you, Dr.
Foster? (Foster: "Pretty well.") Put it on, then. This is the way
people swell, like the toad in the fable. They'll come down under
the hill among little folks and say, "Brother Joseph, how I love
you; can I do anything for you?" and then go away secretly and get
up opposition, and sing out our names to strangers and scoundrels
with an evil influence. I want all men to feel for me, when I have
shook the bush and borne the burden in the heat of the day; and if
they do not, I speak in authority, in the name of the Lord God,
they shall be damned.
Some say that the people on the flats are aggrandizing themselves
by the Nauvoo House. But who laid the foundation of the
Temple? Brother Joseph, in the name of the Lord,--not for his
aggrandizement, but for the good of the whole of the Saints. Our
speculators say "Poor folks on the flat are down, and keep them
down." How the Nauvoo House cheats this man and that man, say the
speculators. Those who report such things as facts ought to hide
their heads in hollow pumpkins, and never take them out again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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