Joseph Smith was a wonderful man, a man with a marvelous career. The full force of his prophetic mission had not fallen upon those who were his contemporaries. A person's relationship with him in those days was no doubt a favored opportunity. His magnetism, individual force, and the personal qualities of his life impressed those with whom he was most intimately associated, those who had sincerely accepted his divine calling. It is not true, however, that the highest and best understanding of his prophetic mission could be had by personal contact. The highest and best testimony that ever came to men and women in the world respecting the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith came to them through the gift of the Holy Ghost. By that spirit men who never saw him, never felt the magnetism of his personality, were among the most devoted in their adherence to his teachings. Those Saints who saw in Joseph Smith the instrumentality of a divine purpose, and saw above and beyond their young Prophet the glories of a new dispensation, did not hesitate at the call of a new shepherd, the accents and tones of whose voice had the ring of the same inspiration that had moved other hearts in the days gone by. Ambitions had to be reckoned with, and they are full of seduction and danger when they obscure the vision by selfish aims. There is always darkness when men stand in their own light; there is nothing that dims a man's vision so much as his own shadow. There were aspiring men who cherished the desire to put to the test their own personal influence. It is so easy for personal influence to beget pride,--pride which not only shuts off that influence, but which also makes men helpless {225} to realize its absence long after it has departed. Even after the vote of the conference had been general to sustain the new leadership, there were small factions who wandered away from the body of the Church. At a meeting of the Twelve Apostles on the 12th of August, the subject of missionary work came up for consideration. The new movement called forth a proselyting spirit that was just as strong after Joseph's death as it was before. The American continent was considered none too large for a field of operation. It was districted for missionary purposes and presidents were appointed over the several divisions. At this meeting Elder Woodruff was chosen to preside over the European mission. One never reads of his call abroad without some feeling of regret that so faithful a chronicler of current events should be separated from the main body of the Church, and future generations deprived of the detailed narrative which he gave of the counsels, teachings, and movements of the leaders.