President Wilford Woodruff
Salt Lake City
Dear Brother:
Your very welcome letter of September 23rd came safely
to hand, finding us on the enjoyment of good health and
spirits. We published the items in your letter, correcting
some errors, that had appeared in the article that you
wrote to us giving advice to young elders. I have not
written to you for some time, from the fact that I had littl[e]
of interest to communicate. Our missionary business
moves quietly along here in Great Brittain. Since the killing
of our brethren in Tennessee, the press of this country have
been publishing all manner of vile stories in regard to us.
The P. P Pratt and McLean affair, having figured prominently,
in the articles that have been written from some quarters
and garbled extracts from the Journal of discourses and
Millennial Star, have been brought forward to sustain
the charges made against us, and if possible to destroy
the little seed sown. Quite a number of parties are
also lecturing against us, among them Miss Emily
Faithful, who paid a visit to our City I think in 1883.
She has taken up the Mountain Meadow business, the
statements of apostate mormon women and askes them up
and deals them out to the gaping crowd—her standing in
society gives some weight to her utterances. It is hardly
possible though for her to do us any particular injury, as her
stories are of the old class having been exploded a hundred
times. Another person by the name of Joseph Johnson is also
regaling the people on the Isle of Man with a series of
lectures in which he is retailing many things of a vile nature
calculated to have a detrimental effect to the word in that
part of the vineyard. He has secured quite a number of
items in regard to family matters in Utah, to which he has
added whatever the evil one might suggest to his mind
and with these he hopes to block up our way entirely on the
little Isle. We have yet another, no less a person, than the
notorious William Jarman, "who by the way is not far removed
from insanity," he is travelling around the country, lecturing
and giving an exhibition of some pictures, representing
scenes as he claims have occured in the west. If I
remember correctly I sent you a copy of the book from which
he lectures, he takes particular pains to go wherever we have
a branch of the church, rent a Hall, challenge our Elders to
meet him, and whether they go or not, he attends our meetings
on the sabbath day, listens quietly to what has been said till
the services are over, and then commences an harrangue to
the people, in which he uses such vile dirty language in
regard to the endowments, and other things held sacred by us,
that it is impossible for any one with any spirit to put up with
it. I have instructed the elders and saints to keep away from
his meetings, and that if he came to ours not to permit him
to enter our Halls. On the 14th I received the following.
John Henry Smith. Latter day devil Office, 42 Islington, Liverpool.
Shall be in Liverpool shortly, when I shall require you to meet
me in public debate, or prepare to leave Liverpool, for I shall
not rest, so long as a missionary from Salt Lake remains
in Great Britain; I want you to discuss mormon doctrine
and practice in Utah. you have my permanent address,
have you any more letters from my ex wife yet. Wm Jarman
This fiend seems to be fully infused in the work he has taken
in hand, and is laboring with satanic zeal, to excite the public
mind against us. I am of the opinion however, that he crushed
the mark so far, that no honest man can possible be deceived
by his stories. I am at the present time settling in my own
mind, what course to pursue in regard to sending an elder or two
to Constantinople, and have about reached the conclusion; to have
Bro Spori who speaks the English, French, and German I
believe, go there. I feel impressed with the idea that some good
will be accomplished. I shall however be compelled to assist
him from this Office, as I am of the opinion he is unable to
help himself. I shall drop labor in Italy for the present,
brother Andrew Villet spent a year there, and absolutely accom
plished nothing. The people of that land are being scourged
and it may be that after a time, some interest may be awakened.
France was also dead to all the efforts made by Bro Bunot
to get a foothold in that land. Brother Schoenfeld writes quite
hopeful in regard to Austria, and I have written to him to have
brother Beisinger make his way quickly again into that country
and see, wether is is possible it is possible to make an opening.
By letter from Elder Tanner from Berlin; I learn that there is a little
opening in eastern Prussia, made by a local Elder, and that
hopes are entertained quite an opening will be secured there,
Brother Smoot has sufferred a little term of imprisionment at Kiel
for baptising a young girl under age. The Authorities of Bavaria
drove the Elders from there as fast as we send them in, and in
Switzerland, some spirit of antagonism is felt. By letters from
Brothers Willes, McCune, and Pratt, India, that the prospects
are not very bright there—that the man Booth, who went with
them, has been cut off from the church. The brethren find a few
old time saints, who are very generous, and hope that the way
will open up, by which they will accomplish some good.
Scandinavia is still alive and baptisms are occurring regularly
in the various parts of that mission. I now have 3 Elders in
Ireland, and they report their prospects as being very good,
about 35 persons has been baptized in Belfast, and neighborhood
and the prospects are good for more. The Elders that left
home on the 11th of October, and also those who left on the 29th,
reached here in Safety, all being in good health, having
enjoyed themselves aside from a little seasickness, they have
all been appointed to, and gone forward to their various fields.
Now comes their time of getting climated, and weaned from home,
and its comforts, which, takes about 6 months in that time
we usualy learn whether mens health will bear up in this
climate or whither it is best for them to return home. The
great struggle with the Elders now a days is to keep from getting
discouraged, over their lack of success. nervous, active men,
like to have some showing for their labor, and when they
struggle for several months, without any seeming results,
without they have got the pluck of a Paul, or the patience
of Job, they either tire out, become dispondent, and
are anxious to go home. I have tried in every way to make
every mans mission successful, by persuading them to remain
at their post, faithful and true. this can be done in most
instances, but occasionally it is impossible to revive men.
Your suggestion in regard to outdoor preaching, I had already
put into practice by warning the elders to keep watch upon
each other, and to give advice, when either was taking hurt,
from over exertion on the score named. When elders get off
to themselves, they are sometimes filled with Zeal and injure
themselves without anyone knowing that they are in the
least taking hurt. I have very little faith in the outdoor
preaching as to the good that will result therefrom. All
we can accomplish by it is warning the people. In the
past 2 Years I believe but 2 persons have come forward
and received the ordinances of the gospel as the result
of the outdoor work so far as I can learn. And it is a gran
question in my mind, whether we aint doing more harm
to our Elders by keeping them in this labor, than we are doing
good to the human family by warning them in this man
ner. I have however felt to crowd the brethren to this work,
as the only means by which they could get an experience
in public speaking, and bring out within them full faith
and a reliance upon God, for no extremely timid man
can stand the racket, and face these crowds of people
and testify to the mission of Joseph Smith. It requires
iron nerves and iron wills. Some of the Conferences in England
are becoming very thinly populated, Norwich Conference,
has left in it, only about 30 active members. The Bristol
Conference which takes in Cornwall, and several other counties
is said to only furnish 4 beds to the elders without paying
for them. The Leeds Conference is nearly in the same fix's
In these conferences where there are but few people I have
crowded the elders out, so that they might open make openings
where the gospel has not been preached for some years to
any great extent, they dont however meet with any great
success, and report that they are either compelld their
their beds, buy their food, or remain out in the weather,
and suffer from hunger, portions of other conferences of
the mission continue to do pretty well in furnishing places
to sleep and something to eat for the elders, but the day
seem to be gone by, when the saints take any responsibility
in aiding to clothe them, other portions of these conferences
seem to be barren and fruitless. At the present time, trade
is very bad, in ^all^ the Ship building sections of the country
thousands of men are out of employment, and as a
result of this, great distress, is felt in their families
I am pleased to report to you that your son is an earnest
and efficient laborer in the vineyard, and he is making
every effort possible to qualify himself to become a polished
shaft in the hands of the Almighty for the preaching of the
gospel to the nations. I look upon him as one of my most
promising elders. I intend changing him after a little while
to the London Conference, which will extend his experience
and give him some extended ideas in regard to men & things.
Young Utah are gems in the field if they only get a
proper send off. We see by the papers that old satan is very
active. He no doubt got a little set back however on the 4th of
November. It is a little singular that a fellow who hath Republican
tendencies should be inclined to shout hurah when a Democrat
comes into power, not that I expect any particular changes
from the efforts of the new man, but while the devil is stopping
to spit on his hands the Kingdom of God is gaining strength
You no doubt had an excellent time at Conference and that
the Lord was with you in power all the brethren testify who
speak of being there. I have 3 elders in the mission who
have been out over two years I shall release them to return home
sometime during the winter. My health and spirits are first
class I have overtaxed my eyes a little with study, but they will
be all right when they have a little rest Give my kind regards
to all the brethren and accept a share yourself.
I am your fellow laborer in the vineyard of our Lord
John Henry Smith