Times and Seasons, 1 August 1842
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Source Note
Times and Seasons (, Hancock Co., IL), 1 Aug. 1842, vol. 3, no. 19, pp. 863–878; edited by JS. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.
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Historical Introduction
The 1 August 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons was the eleventh JS oversaw as editor. The issue opened with a reprint from the Bostonian that reported a religious debate between Dr. George Montgomery West (a New England preacher) and Latter-day Saint missionary . It also presented a new installment of the “History of Joseph Smith” and reprinted a note on starvation riots in Ireland. The remainder of the issue was dedicated primarily to denouncing , who had been publishing defamatory statements against JS and the Latter-day Saints. The editorial staff of the Times and Seasons utilized the pages of the 1 August issue to defend JS and condemn Bennett.Nearly all of this issue’s editorial content about was also published in the Wasp, a general-interest newspaper in , Illinois, that had initially been edited by JS’s brother . However, William had distanced himself from the paper by August 1842, and had assumed the editorial responsibilities of the paper. Taylor, , and others in the appear to have worked on both the Wasp and the Times and Seasons and created content for both newspapers in August. An extra edition of the Wasp dated 27 July bore the title “Bennettiana” and contained affidavits, statements, and articles focused exclusively on exposing the former mayor’s misdeeds. Several of these same official records and editorial comments were printed a second time in this 1 August 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons; this selection therefore features editorial content from both newspapers. The Times and Seasons editorial staff made slight revisions to the editorial commentary in order to customize it to their newspaper. JS’s involvement in the creation of this editorial content is unclear, but as editor of the Times and Seasons, he oversaw the paper and assumed responsibility for all editorial statements.The editorial content in the 1 August issue includes an article on , which was followed by reprinted affidavits from several City Council members, concluding with a short editorial comment. Certified statements attesting to JS’s character, republished from the Wasp, were then inserted. This was followed by a section contrasting Bennett’s slandering of JS and the with earlier statements Bennett had written, originally published in various newspapers between 1840 and 1842, wherein he spoke positively of JS and the Saints. Another featured selection, also previously published in the Wasp, introduced opinion pieces on Bennett reprinted from several newspapers across the . The editorial content in the issue concluded by reprinting the Wasp’s response to an inflammatory article, written by , that had been published a week earlier in the Quincy Whig.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
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1
Although John Taylor assisted JS in editing the Times and Seasons, JS assumed primary editorial responsibility for all issues, like this one, that named him as editor. (Woodruff, Journal, 19 Feb. 1842; “To Subscribers,” Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842, 3:710.)
Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.
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2
See Bennett’s letters printed in the 8, 15, and 22 July 1842 issues of the Sangamo Journal.
Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.
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3
Although William Smith was acknowledged as editor until October 1842, by August 1842 he appears to have been only a nominal editor. In a disgruntled letter to the editor of the Sangamo Journal, George W. Robinson commented on the confusing status of the editorship of the Wasp, sarcastically stating that because of “the dozen would be editors, who are prowling and loafing about the printing office, it would be difficult to ascertain the editors!” (Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 1:192–193; “To the Public,” Wasp, 8 Oct. 1842, [2]; “Letter from Col. Robinson,” Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 26 Aug. 1842, [2], italics in original.)
Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.
The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.
Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.
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5
The featured editorial content from the Wasp was repurposed as editorial content by the editorial staff of the Times and Seasons.
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6
JS owned the printing office where both newspapers were printed. (See JS, Lease, Nauvoo, IL, to John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff, Nauvoo, IL, [between 8 and 10] Dec. 1842, JS Collection [Supplement], CHL.)
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7
See George W. Robinson, “Letter from Nauvoo,” Quincy (IL) Whig, 23 July 1842, [2].
Quincy Whig. Quincy, IL. 1838–1856.
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8
See “Editorial Method”.
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1
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TIMES AND SEASONS.
CITY OF ,
MONDAY, AUG. 1, 1842.
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Editorial Note
The first editorial item featured here is an article that accused of violating the moral teachings of the Bible, lamented the inevitability of evil among the Saints, and recounted several examples of dissenting members who had turned against the church. Even those who had professed to be friends of the church, it declared, “have frequently been our greatest enemies and our most determined foes . . . if they were detected in their iniquity; they were always the first to raise the hand of persecution.” The article emphasized that Bennett’s time among the Saints had been extended only because he had frequently begged for forgiveness and promised to reform.
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There has always been, in every age of the church those who have been opposed to the principles of virtue, who have loved the gain of this present world, followed the principles of unrighteousness, and have been the enemies of truth; hence Paul speaks of certain brethren who “coveted the wages of this present world;” John of others whom he says “went out from us because they were not of us.” Paul in writing to the Corinthian Church tells them that there is fornications among them, even, “such fornications as is not so much as named among the Gentiles; that one should have his father’s wife”—that they defrauded, and that “brother went to law with brother”—that they got drunk when they met to partake of the sacrament; and that many evils existed among them. Peter in prophesying concerning the church says, “But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall also be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and shall bring upon themselves swift destruction; and many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spokea of; and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you; whose judgment of long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” Paul in speaking of the difficulties that he had to encounter, says, “I am in perils at home, in perils among false brethren.” Such is a brief history of that people; and if we examine the history of this we shall find it much the same: those who have associated with us and made the greatest professions of friendship, have frequently been our greatest enemies and our most determined foes, if they became unpopular, if their interest or dignity was touched, or if they were detected in their iniquity; they were always the first to raise the hand of persecution, to calumniate and villify their brethren, and to seek the downfall and destruction of their friends. In Mo. during the first difficulties there were many like those that John speaks of, “they went out from us because they were not of us;” in , when persecution raged, , , , and others whose course of conduct had been the most inconsistent were the first to cry out imposture, and delusion; and while some of them had been engaged in extensive frauds in the Bank, and were the principle cause of its not being able to meet its liabilities; they were the first to cry out speculation and fraud, and to try to palm their iniquities upon the unoffending and innocent; they seized hold of the popular prejudice, aided and abetted in obtaining funds for paper, fraudulently obtained by them, instituted vexatious law-suits and made themselves fat at the expense of the innocent; glutted upon the misery, ruin and distress of their brethren—but with what measure they meted it has been measured to them again.
In the State of we had our , our , , , and others who were the first to flee in time of danger—the first to tell of things that they never knew, and swear to things that they never before had heard of. They were more violent in their persecutions, more relentless and sanguinary in their proceedings, and sought with greater fury the destruction and overthrow of the Saints of God who had never injured them, but whose virtue made them blush for their crimes. All that were there remember that they were the stoutest and the loudest in proclaiming against oppression; they protested vehemently against mob and misrule, but were the first in robbing, spoiling, and plundering their brethren. Such things we have always expected; we know that the “net will gather together of every kind, good and bad,” that “the wheat and tares must grow together until the harvest,” and that even at the last there will be five foolish as well as five wise virgins. Daniel, in referring to the last days says, in speaking concerning the “Holy Covenant,” that many shall have indignation against it, and shall obtain information from those that forsake the Holy Covenant—and the robbers of thy people shall seek to exalt themselves, but they shall fall. This we have fully proven—we have seen them try to exalt themselves. and we have seen their fall. He goes on further to state, that “many shall cleave unto them by flatteries.” Such was , and —with the latter we have to do at the present time, and in many of the foregoing statements and prophecies we shall see his character and conduct exemplified.— He professed the greatest fidelity, and eternal friendship, yet was he an adder in the path, and a viper in the bosom. He professed to be virtuous and chaste, yet did he pierce the heart of the innocent, introduce misery and infamy [p. 868]
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