THEY CATCH AN EEL. 149
enjoy our society, as they say." "They are a wonder- fully enterprising people," writes a gentile. "Peace and harmony reign in the city. The drunkard is scarcely ever seen, as in other cities, neither does the awful imprecation or profane oath strike upon your ear; but while all is storm and tempest and confusion abroad respecting the Mormons, all is peace and har- mony at home."^*^
About this time there comes to Joseph Smith a somewhat singular individual making somewhat singu- lar advances. He is a yankee huckster of the first class, only for his merchandise, instead of patent clocks and wooden nutmegs, he offers for sale theol- ogy, medicine, and a general assortment of political and military wares. The thing is a fraud, and be- fore long he openly announces himself as such. As his manhood is far inferior to his duplicity, so his name — the Reverend General John C. Bennett, M. D., U. S. A., president, chancellor, and master in chancery — as we may observe, is subordinate to his titles. He has ability, he has brains and fingers ; but
and should any person be guilty of ridiculing, abusing, or otherwise depre- ciating another in consequence of his religion, etc., he shall be fined and imprisoned.' On the 17th of March, 1842, the Female Relief Society of Nau- voo was organized.
'" In the Salem Advertiser was published an account of the visit to Nauvoo in 1843 of one Newhall, a lecturer, who says: 'I sought in vain for anything that bore the marks of immorality, but was both astonished and highly j^leased at my ill success. I could see no loungers about the streets nor any drunk- ards about the taverns. I did not meet with those distorted features of ruf- fians, or Avith the ill-bred and impudent. I heard not an oath in the place, I saw not a gloomy countenance; all were cheerful, i^olite, and industrious.' Smuch€r\i Mormons, 154-5. 'The mayor of Nauvoo deserves praise for the stand he has taken in favor of temperance. The retailing of anient spu-its is not permitted within the bounds of the corporation.' Kidder's ^lormoiis, 189. For city ordinance prohiljiting the sale of intoxicating liquors in less quantity than a quart except as a physician's prescription, see Bennett's Hist. Saints, 27. On the 12th of Nov. 1841, B. 'Winchester writes from Nauvoo: 'You would be astonished, if you were here, at the vast improvement made in so short a space of time. . .You will see nothing like idleness, but will hear the hum of industry, nay, may I not say more, the voice of merriment. . .Now as to the morality of the people here: . . .you know if you should throw cold water into melted iron the scene would be temfic, because the contrast would be so great; so it is with the saints: if a small portion of wickedness happens among them, the contrast between the spirit of Cluist and that of darkness is so great that it makes a great upstir and tremendous e?;citemeut; this is the ease here; but in other communities the same amount of crime would hardly be noticed. '
