Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God. VI

Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God. BY ELDER GEORGE W. CROCKWELL. VI. Verse 6. — "And thus, by the sword, and by bloodshed, the inhab- itants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earth- quake, and thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indig- nation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations (Doc. and Cov. 87: 6). This verse has not all been fulfiled, neither will it be until the consumption decreed makes a full end of all nations. I have presented a large array of procf that the inhabitants of the earth have been made to mourn by sword and by bloodshed. I shall next consider the famines, plagues and earthquakes, in their order, as set forth in this verse. The list of each is not a full and complete one, but sufficent to prove the prophecy, and I do not present any that occurred prior to the year 1860, although I would be justified in going back to the date the reve- lation was given: FAMINES. 1860-61— Northwest part of India. 1865-66— Bengal and Orisso; 1,500,000 perished. 1867-68 — Russia, where there was much suffering. 1868-69— Northwest part of India. 1870-73— Famine in Persia extended over the whole country. More than 1,500,000 people died. 1872 — Famine in Volga District in Russia. 1873-75— A large part of India was ravaged with a terrible famine.

JOSEPH SMITH, A PROPHET OF GOD. 535 1874— In Bengal there was only a one- fourth crop of rice, and 25,000,000 people suffered for a long period of time; 3,900,000 received daily support until December, 1874. The expense of the nation was £6,500,000. To this must be added the public subscription of £280,000, making a total of £6,780,000, equaling $33,900,000. About the same time there was a famine in southern India, 1,500,000 people received support and the public debt was increased $25,000,000. 1873-75— The interior province of Asia, Asia Minor, suffered severely, 2,500,000 oxen and horses and 528,000 goats died in Angora, and the number of people that perished varied in the different provinces from six thousand to twenty thousand. 1876— The Monsoons failed. There was drought all over India, and the government spent $55,000,000 in relief, and 5,250,000 people drew the fatal lot. 1877— Famine in Bombay and Madras, in India. 1877-79— A severe famine in the north part of China. 1879 — There was a famine in Ireland. 1880— Famine in Asia Minor and Central Russia. 1888-89— The north part of China suffered greatly. 1890-92— Russia was the scene of a great famine. The death list reached many thousands. 1890— Famine was severe in Ireland. Great Britain took measures to relieve the starving peasantry. 1899— Eleven million suffered and died in India for the want of food. 1907— This year 20,000,000 in China were doomed to perish by fam- ine; 5,000 perished every day. Mothers sold their daughters to shame for 60 cents with which to buy food. Some were sold for 14 cents and a bowl or two of rice. They bargained with one another, as though the children were so much pork. Where a man had a well-grown child, whose weight was equal to that of two younger children, he took these two children in exchange. 190 S— India, China and Russia were face to face with a famine. The Indian government estimated that no fewer than 45,000,000 of its people would suffer. The famine in China promised to be even worse than in 1907, when 20,000,000 died, and many children were killed and eaten. The famine in Russia was very severe, and there have been years when the last animal was killed. Acorns were garnered from the forest, and trees stripped of their bark. The famine in 1911, in China, threatens to be very much like that of 1907. In presenting the list of plagues, I shall follow the former

brief method I have adopted, and will not enter into full partic- ulars: PLAGUES. 1861 — Lisbon became a prey to the yellow fever. King Pedro sought to relieve the sufferers and died a victim, November 11. 1865— Cholera raged at Smyrna, Alexandria, Ancona and Constan- tinople; 55,000 persons died. It also prevailed in Paris, Marseilles and Naples, in July and December. 1866— Cholera appeared in England, at Bristol, in April; at Liver- pool and Southampton, in May. Was also very severe in the east part of London and at Naples. A new and incurable disease, named the Black Plague, made its appearance in Dublin, Ireland. Many persons of all ranks died in a few hours after seizure. 1867— Rome, Naples, Sicily and Switzerland were the scenes of cholera. 1871 — Konigsberg, Prussia, was affected. 1873— It appeared in Vienna and Paris. People died by the score. 1890— Sporatic cases in Tonquin and Hong Kong. 1892— Appeared in Lang-tchu and Yun-uan. 1893-94— Epidemic at Tonquin, Hong Kong, Canton, Lang-tchu and Yun-uan. 1895-97— Sporatic cases at Yun-uan, Lang-tchu, and along the Manchurian frontier, also in various parts of India. 1893— plague becomes epidemic in Bombay and Calcutta and famine paves the way for its renewal in roads along the Manchurian frontier. I899 —Pestilence spreads rapidly in Hong Kong, Bombay and Cal- cutta, and many cases appear at Rangoon and Singapore. It was epi- demic in July at Port Arthur, Nechang, Cheefoo and Tientsin. Spread also to Shangtung. In August, the disease appeared at Tokio and Kobe in Japan, and at Chemulpo, in Corea: also spread to Vladi- vostok and through Siberia, becoming practically epidemic in the Russian province of Astrakahn. In November, the plague reached Man- ila and two cases were brought into port at New York. In the month of December, the desease appeared at Valparaiso and other Pacific south American ports. It also broke out in Honolulu, and Nomad, New Caledonia. 1900— January, pestilence appeared at Sidney, New South Wales, and Nagasaki, Japan, also passed Cape Horn and reached Rio Janeiro and Santos, Brazil; Rosario, Augustina and the island of Cazumel, off the coast of Yucatan. February, epidemic broke out afresh in Honolulu,

JOSEPH SMITH, A PROPHET OF GOD. 537 after being once stamped out. Also spread to other Hawaiian islands. August, the disease broke out at Izell, twelve miles, and at Dagus, seven miles from King Williams Town, Cape Colony, South Africa. 1907— October, San Francisco, California, battled with the bubonic plague, and heroic measures were adopted on the Pacific coast to prevent its spread. (The closing article in this series will appear in the May number of the Era.) Portland, Oregon. Passing Events. David H. Moffat, banker and railroad man of Denver, died in New York, March 1-8, from the effects of grippe. He was the founder and promoter of the Denver Pacific, generally known as the Moffat road, in which Utah is greatly interested, seeing that it will traverse the Uintah reservation country. Mr. Moffat was a leading citizen of Denver for many years, but was born in New York, July 22, 1839. An official state flag for Utah, to be given to the battleship Utah together with the silver service, has been officially adopted by the legislature. The flag was made by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, and presented by them to the state. It is described, in the resolution prepared by the legislature, as follows: Section 1 . — That the state flag of Utah be, and the same is hereby declared to be, a flag of blue field fringed with gold borders, and the fol- lowing device worked in white on the blue field: The center a shield, and perched thereon an American eagle with outstretched wings; the top of the shield pierced by six arrows crosswise; under the arrows the motto, "Industry;" beneath the motto a beehive; on each side growing sego lilies; below the beehive the word "Utah;" and beneath the word "Utah" the figures "1847;" on each side of the shield the American flag encircling all. At the base of the design the figures "1896." The Utah Legislature closed its long session of sixty-nine days on Saturday morning at 11:50, March 18. Many important laws were passed, including one regulating the liquor traffic, which calls for an election on June 27; prohibiting the sale or exchange of cigarettes or cigarette paper; a nine hour law for women; giving first and second class cities a commission form ofkgovernment; providing for the erection of a state