The Papers
Browse the PapersDocumentsJournalsAdministrative RecordsRevelations and TranslationsHistoriesLegal RecordsFinancial RecordsOther Contemporary Papers
Reference
PeoplePlacesEventsGlossaryLegal GlossaryFinancial GlossaryCalendar of DocumentsWorks CitedFeatured TopicsLesson PlansRelated Publications
Media
VideosPhotographsIllustrationsChartsMapsPodcasts
News
Current NewsArchiveNewsletterSubscribeJSP Conferences
About
About the ProjectJoseph Smith and His PapersFAQAwardsEndorsementsReviewsEditorial MethodNote on TranscriptionsNote on Images of People and PlacesReferencing the ProjectCiting This WebsiteProject TeamContact Us
Published Volumes
  1. Home > 
  2. The Papers > 

Elders’ Journal, November 1837

Source Note

Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints, , Geauga Co., OH, Nov. 1837. For more complete source information, see the source note for Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.

Historical Introduction

In November 1837, the second issue of the church’s new periodical, Elders’ Journal of the Church of Latter Day Saints, was published in , Ohio. The paper was first published in October 1837 as an instrument for the of the to “communicate to others, all things pertaining to their mission, and calling as servants of the living God, and messengers of righteousness to the nations among whom they are sent.” As editor of the Elders’ Journal, JS was ultimately responsible for its content, including editorial selections in the November issue that introduced conference minutes, prefaced a letter from in , articulated an editorial philosophy, and implored subscribers to remit payment for their subscriptions. Though JS authored an account of his trip to and an attending list of questions, the extent of his involvement in writing the other editorial pieces is unclear. Given that he did not return to Kirtland from , Missouri, until 10 December 1837, the November issue was likely not published until after that date.
Note that only the editorial content created specifically for this issue of the Elders’ Journal 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, such as JS’s travel account, are annotated elsewhere.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Sidney Rigdon, Elders’ Journal Prospectus, LDS Messenger and Advocate, Aug. 1837, 3:545.

    Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.

  2. [2]

    See Travel Account and Questions, Nov. 1837. For more on JS’s role in editing content in the October and November issues of the Elders’ Journal, see Historical Introduction to Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837.

  3. [3]

    Vilate Murray Kimball, Kirtland, OH, to Heber C. Kimball, Preston, England, 19–24 Jan. 1838, Heber C. Kimball, Collection, CHL; Thomas B. Marsh to Wilford Woodruff, in Elders’ Journal, July 1838, 36–38.

    Kimball, Heber C. Collection, 1837–1898. CHL. MS 12476.

  4. [4]

    See “Editorial Method”.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Elders’ Journal, November 1837 *Elders’ Journal, November 1837
*Elders’ Journal, November 1837
*Minutes, 17 September 1837–A *Travel Account and Questions, November 1837 *Minutes, 7 November 1837 *Minutes, 10 November 1837

Page 32

By sons of strangers shalt thy walls be rear’d,
And by all nations, thou shalt be rever’d,
And greatly honored, while their kings shall bring,
Their richest treasures and thy glory sing.
Whereas in wrath I hid my face from thee,
Behold in loving kindness thou shalt see,
The glory of my presence manifest,
Among thy tens of thousands in the west!
Thy gates shall not be shut by night nor day.
That Kings and Gentiles may be bro’t to thee.
Lebanons former glory shall be thine,
To the shall come the fir the box and pine,
To beautify the place where I shall stand,
Within thy walls upon my holy land.
The sons also of that ungodly band,
Who cast thee out and drove thee from thy land,
Shall come, and bending unto thee bow’d down,
Call thee the Zion of the Holy one,
Of Israel, who by his almighty arm,
Hath gathered thee and claimed the[e] for his own.
The substance of the Gentile nations round;
Shall come to the[e], and in thy streets abound
Instead of wood fine brass be braught to thee,
Iron as plenty as the stones shall be;
Silver as iron unto the[e] shall come,
And Gold as brass, thy streets and courts adorn
And all thine officers shall bring thee peace,
And thine exactors deal in righteousness.
Violence shall no more be heard in thee,
Neither within thy borders shalt thou see
Thy fields with blood and carnage cover’d o’er,
The wariors trumpet there, is heard no more:
While wicked slay the wicked all around!
The Earth shall shake; the stars from heaven be hurled,
While God with outstretch’d arm destroys the world
The seas shall move, and islands flee away.
Mountains flow down in that tremenduous day!
The crooked be made straight the vallies rise,
The sun and moon be darkened in the skies!
The trump shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise!
While all the living saints beneath the sky’s,
Shall then be quickened and ascend on high,
To meet with Enoch’s city in the sky,
Descend with Christ with all his holy train,
Upon the Earth a thousand years to reign!!!
Thy children now in righteousness shall rest,
No more affliced nor no more oppress’d
(For peace and union now shall spread
Their balmy wings oe’r all the spacious globe)
They are planting of mine own right hand,
The branch which shall inherit Zions land,
While Christ shall reign, and thousand years shall roll,
And songs of praise are heard from pole to pole,
And echo’d throughout heavens vast domain
In pealing anthems to the Lamb ’twas slain.
——————————
Editorial Note
A final editorial passage looked ahead to content in the next issue. However, the November issue represented the last installment of the Elders’ Journal printed in ; the paper resumed publication in , Missouri, in July 1838.
For the want of room we have been under the necessity of leaving out the Obituary of our friends, and also several communications, which will probably appear in our next.—Ed.
——————————
THE ELDERS’ JOURNAL
of the church of latter day saints,
EDITED BY
JOSEPH SMITH Jr.
Is printed and published every month at , Geauga Co. Ohio, by
,
proprietor,
At $1, per an. in advance. Every person procuring ten new subscribers, and forwarding $10, current money, shall be entitled to a paper one year, gratis.
All letters whether for publication or other purposes, must be directed to , and the postage [sign of a hand] PAID. [sign of an upside-down hand]
No subscription will be received for a less term than one year, and no paper discontinued till all arrearages are paid, except at the option of the publisher. [p. 32]
View entire transcript

|

Cite this page

Source Note

Document Transcript

Page 32

Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Elders’ Journal, November 1837
ID #
8532
Total Pages
16
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Printed text

Footnotes

  1. [20]

    In late December 1837 or early January 1838, the Geauga County sheriff seized the printing office, along with its contents, in response to a legal judgment rendered against JS. The office was destroyed by fire on 16 January 1838. The Elders’ Journal resumed publication on another press in Far West in July 1838. (“Sheriff Sale,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 5 Jan. 1838, [3]; Hepzibah Richards, Kirtland, OH, to Willard Richards, Bedford, England, 18–19 Jan. 1838, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL; John Smith, Kirtland, OH, to George A. Smith, Shinnston, VA, 15–17 Jan. 1838, George Albert Smith, Papers, CHL; Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren A. Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, 4 Feb. 1838, in Cowdery, Letterbook, 83–86; Oliver Cowdery, Far West, MO, to Warren A. Cowdery and Lyman Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, [after 10 Mar. 1838], in Cowdery, Letterbook, 92; Minute Book 2, 12 and 21 Apr. 1838.)

    Painesville Telegraph. Painesville, OH. 1822–1986.

    Richards, Willard. Journals and Papers, 1821–1854. CHL. MS 1490.

    Smith, George Albert. Papers, 1834–1877. CHL. MS 1322.

    Cowdery, Oliver. Letterbook, 1833–1838. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

  2. [21]

    TEXT: “Obituary” is set in a larger, heavier typeface.

© 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of UseUpdated 2021-04-13Privacy NoticeUpdated 2021-04-06