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Times and Seasons, 1 October 1842

Source Note

Times and Seasons (, Hancock Co., IL), 1 Oct. 1842, vol. 3, no. 23, pp. 927–942; edited by JS. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

JS, assisted by and , served as editor for the 1 October 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons, the twenty-third issue in the third volume. The extent to which JS was involved in writing the editorial content in this particular issue is unclear. As the newspaper’s editor, however, he was responsible for its content.
The non-editorial content in the issue, which is not featured here, included an installation of the serialized “History of Joseph Smith,” a letter from JS on the subject of for the dead, and the minutes of a church held in Alexander, New York. In addition, the issue featured a poem by Frederick William Faber titled “The Signs of the Times,” reprinted from the Warder (a newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland), and reprinted a response by the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star (the ’s newspaper published in ) to a letter featured in a British newspaper on the differences between Latter-day Saint and Baptist doctrine.
Editorial content included commentary on a passage from a book about archaeology in Central America; an update on the growth and development of , Illinois; and an editorial encouraging donations to the Nauvoo construction fund. In addition, the editors reprinted with commentary the church’s 1835 statement on marriage, criticized the way was handling the criminal case of three abolitionists, and countered the millenarian claims of and his followers. The issue also included a response to reports circulating in American newspapers that JS had fled Nauvoo to escape arrest. Two passages presumably written by the editors but not included in the selection of editorial content featured here are a single-sentence notice requesting that Martin Titus return to Nauvoo to answer undisclosed charges preferred against him and a recurring notice that new printings of the Book of Mormon and hymnbook were available for purchase.
Note that only the editorial content created specifically for this issue of the Times and Seasons is annotated here. Articles reprinted from other papers, letters, conference minutes, and notices, are reproduced here but not annotated. Items that are stand-alone JS documents are annotated elsewhere; links are provided to these stand-alone documents.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Historical Introduction to Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1842.

  2. [2]

    “History of Joseph Smith,” “Letter from Joseph Smith,” and “Minutes of a Conference,” Times and Seasons, 1 Oct. 1842, 3:928–931, 934–936, 941–942. The manuscript version of JS’s letter is featured earlier in this volume. (Letter to the Church, 7 Sept. 1842 [D&C 128].)

  3. [3]

    “The Signs of the Times,” in Faber, Cherwell Water-Lily, 47–48; “The Signs of the Times,” Warder (Dublin, Ireland), 12 Dec. 1840, 5; “The Signs of the Times,” Times and Seasons, 1 Oct. 1842, 3:942.

    Faber, Frederick William. The Cherwell Water-Lily, and Other Poems. London: J. G. F. and J. Rivington, 1840.

    Warder. Dublin, Ireland. 1832–1902.

  4. [4]

    “Difference between the Baptists and Latter-day Saints,” Millennial Star, 12 Apr. 1841, 1:296–299; “Difference between the Baptists and the Latter-day Saints,” Times and Seasons, 1 Oct. 1842, 3:931–933.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  5. [5]

    There is no record of charges against Titus in the records of the Nauvoo high council. (“Notice,” Times and Seasons, 1 Oct. 1842, 3:942.)

  6. [6]

    “Books of Mormon, &c.,” Times and Seasons, 1 Oct. 1842, 3:942.

  7. [7]

    See “Editorial Method”.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Times and Seasons, 1 October 1842 *Times and Seasons, 1 October 1842 *Times and Seasons, 1 October 1842 *Times and Seasons, 1 October 1842 *Times and Seasons, 1 October 1842 *Letter to the Church, 7 September 1842 [D&C 128] *Appendix 3: Statement on Marriage, circa August 1835

Page 938

we consider the great work in which we are engaged, a work that has been looked forward to with delight by the ancient servants of God; a theme about which all the inspired poets have sung, and all the prophets, from the foundation of the world, have wrote—even the “ of the fulness of times, which has been spoken of by ALL the prophets since the world began.” God has reserved us as the honored instruments to participate in the blessings, glories, and privileges, that “prophets and kings desired to see, but died without the sight.[”]
Under these circumstances, blessed with the light and intelligence of heaven, and with direct revelation from the Most High, it behooves us as his people to use the most untiring diligence, and to exert all our energies in the accomplishment of an object so desirable for us to attend to; and so pregnant with importance to the inhabitants of this . The Lord has given us directions in regard to this affair, and has said, “let the be built by the of my people.” This is a commandment which is binding, which is imperative upon all God’s people, and if we consider ourselves his people, we shall feel ourselves bound under the strongest obligations, even that of duty, to our God to fulfil this requisition. We take pleasure in stating that many of the saints have come forward with willingness and cheerfulness, and have tithed and consecrated all, yea more than could have been required of them; whilst others have relaxed in their duty and have been slow to perform their covenants. We know that of late we have had gloomy times; clouds have been gathering around our horizon, and our atmosphere has been impregnated with the foul effluvia of wanton and unmerited persecution; the life of our prophet has been sought after, and many unpleasant circumstances have transpired which in their nature have had a tendency to damp the energies, and slacken the exertions of the saints in the accomplishment of this great work; and as the building of the is principally depending upon the tenth day’s labor of the inhabitants of this place, when many are slack, as has been the case of late, it has a great tendency to retard the work—to dispirit those who are actively engaged, and who feel zealous in the work, and to derange very materially the plans and designs of the . There are some few things that devolve upon us to mention, which, though an unpleasant work, we feel the importance of the cause requires at our hands.
The committee find themselves very much perplexed in consequence of the brethren not coming forward as usual from their different wards, to perform their tenth of labor. They state that they cannot get sufficient stone quarried to supply the stone cutters at the , and that some of them have been obliged to quit work in consequence, and that unless strenuous exertions are immediatley made, and the brethren come up promptly to their duty, the work will be greatly retarded, and perhaps have to stop; at all events the stone cutters will have to stop unless they get an immediate supply of stone. Brethren, such things ought not to be; “let us not be weary in well doing, for we shall reap in due time, if we faint not.” We have commenced a good work—we have been zealously engaged in it—we have spent a great deal of labor, and toil, and our expectations have been great when we have reflected upon the blessings that would flow to us through that medium. Let us begin this next week and continue our labors “until the topstone shall be raised with shoutings of grace! grace unto it!” The committee state that if they have a sufficiency of stone quarried, they can not only be progressing with the work this fall, but the stone cutters can be employed all the winter, and thus have a great quantity of hewn stone ready to commence with as soon as the spring opens which will greatly facilitate the progress of the work.
It may here be necessary to give a word or two of instruction: many of the brethren no doubt out of the best of motives bring guns and watches, and other kinds of property that is not saleable, or easy to dispose of; they give them in at what is considered a fair valuation, yet they are not saleable—they will not purchase either provision or clothing for those that need, neither will they purchase labor, and they lay as useless lumber on the hands of the committee. It is the especial desire of the committee, and absolutely necessary for the prosperity of the work, that the brethren in town pay their tenth in labor, and not in property.
In regard to the brethren in the country, we would also say a word. Cattle which are neither fit for milking or killing are frequently brought in for tithing, and they lay as dead property on the hands of the commitee—as they have no way of feeding them they are put into the drove, from which several have wandered off and been lost; we would therefore advise the brethren to bring in fat cattle which would immediately supply the hands with beef; or otherwise milch cows, that might be disposed of to advantage. Another word on this subject and we have done. Many of the brethren, in their liberality bring in pumpkins, squashes, potatoes, and other vegetables, if, when they were doing this they could bring a little corn [p. 938]
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Page 938

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Times and Seasons, 1 October 1842
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8157
Total Pages
16
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Footnotes

  1. [43]

    See Acts 3:21.

  2. [44]

    See Matthew 13:17. The content of this paragraph mirrors language in an editorial about the temple published in the Times and Seasons five months earlier. (“The Temple,” Times and Seasons, 2 May 1842, 3:776.)

  3. [45]

    See Revelation, 2 Aug. 1833–A [D&C 97:11].

  4. [46]

    At the October 1840 general conference, it was proposed that the Saints devote one day in ten to assist with building the temple. Writing to her husband, Wilford Woodruff, Phebe Carter Woodruff explained, “They proposed building the Lord’s house by tytheing the people. . . . The people meet togather and work every tenth day.” John Gillet believed the labor was compulsory, stating that “all the Male Members have to work every tenth Day on it,” but the Times and Seasons suggested that the time was donated “gratuitously to that purpose.” (Minutes and Discourse, 3–5 Oct. 1840; Phebe Carter Woodruff, Lee Co., Iowa Territory, to Wilford Woodruff, 6–19 Oct. 1840, digital scan, Wilford Woodruff, Collection, 1831–1905, CHL; John Gillet, Lake Fork, IL, to Smith Tuttle, Fair Haven, CT, 23 Apr. 1841, Gillett Family Papers, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL; “The Temple of the Lord,” Times and Seasons, 1 July 1841, 2:455; see also Brigham Young et al., “An Epistle of the Twelve,” Times and Seasons, 15 Oct. 1841, 2:567.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Collection, 1831–1905. CHL. MS 19509.

    Gillett Family Papers, 1736–1904. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  5. [47]

    The quarry from which church members procured the majority of the limestone for the construction of the temple was near the bank of the Mississippi River at the north end of the city between Hyrum and Joseph streets. The quarry was opened on 12 October 1840. (McBride, House for the Most High, 21–22; Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 4.)

    McBride, Matthew. A House for the Most High: The Story of the Original Nauvoo Temple. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2007.

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  6. [48]

    According to William Clayton, dozens of men worked as stonecutters during the temple’s construction, some continuously and others intermittently. (Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 94–98; see also Letter to “Hands in the Stone Shop,” 21 Dec. 1842.)

    Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

  7. [49]

    See Galatians 6:9.

  8. [50]

    See Zechariah 4:7.

  9. [51]

    The temple committee recorded donations to the temple fund in the account book of the trustee-in-trust. On 8 September 1842, just days before this editorial was published, eleven people donated watches to the temple committee with a combined value of $157. Two days later, on 10 September, two individuals donated three guns with a combined value of $25. (Trustee-in-trust, Index and Accounts, 52–53.)

    Trustee-in-Trust. Index and Accounts, 1841–1847. CHL.

  10. [52]

    The temple committee’s frustration over certain types of donations paralleled the frustration among members of the Nauvoo city government around this time over the items city residents used to pay taxes and fees. (Discourse, 21 Feb. 1843.)

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