1. _Compilation and Contents:_ The Pearl of Great Price was compiled and published by the late Elder Franklin D. Richards, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, in Liverpool, England, 1851. Elder Richards at the time was presiding over the British mission. Its title page ran as follows: The PEARL OF GREAT PRICE Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations, and Narrations of JOSEPH SMITH, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In addition to the Articles now published in the current and authorized version of the tract, it also contained a number of extracts from the Revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants, including a key to the revelations of St. John (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 77); commandments to the Church concerning baptism (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 20); on the method of administering the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 20); the duties of the Elders, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons and members of the Church (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 20); on Priesthood (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 84); the calling and duties of the Twelve Apostles (Doc. & Cov. Sec. 107); an extract from the revelation given July, 1830, (Doc.. & Cov., Sec. 27); extract from the revelation on the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 1); John Jaques' splendid hymn, entitled "Truth," (Hymn-book, p. 71), and last but not least, the revelation and prophecy on war, (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 87). From this enumeration of articles omitted from this choice collection in the later editions of the work, it is seen that nothing is omitted but what is now published in the Doctrine and Covenants or Hymn-book; and the eliminations were made to avoid duplicating the publication of the articles in several books. Reverting to the revelation and prophecy on war, I call attention to the fact that the preface of the Pearl of Great Price bears the date of July 11, 1851, and the work was published in that year; but it was not until the morning of the 12th of April, 1861, that the first gun in the great Rebellion was fired on Fort Sumter by General Beaureguard, so that this remarkable prophecy made by the Prophet in 1832 was actually in print and widely published in England and the United States nearly ten years before the war of the Rebellion broke out. From a copy of the 1851 edition now on file in the Historian's office, we take the following paragraph from the Preface, which explains the reasons for publishing this collection of precious gems from the revelations of God to the great modern Prophet: