ANNIVERSARY NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8257, 23 December 1911, Page 6

ANNIVERSARY NOTES.

It was on December 23, 1861, that the first English cricket team to visit Australia arrived.- m Melbourne. On December 23, Samuel Smiles was born (1812), Tliackeray died (1863), and Dr. Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, died (1902),, Joseph Smith, the founder of' ; tha Mormons, was born m New 1 York. County on December 23, 18051 %Tien he vras 15. years old he began to liaveh^is. alleged visions, and m 1830 lie had printed and published the ■'' Book <:>f Mormon,'' which declared hinx to be " God's prophet," and purported to give the history of America from the time of the Tower of Babel till the year 5 A.D. He quickly gained a large 1, if somewhat disunited following; In order to pacify his lawful wife and silence the objections of the "saints" to his profligate life, he had a revelation oh July 12 ; 1843, expressly establishing and approving polygamy. As the result of his violent resentment of a, protest against his doctrine, Smith was arrested and imprisoned m Carthage Goal, on June 27, 1844, and that same night a mob broke into the prison and shot him and his brother dead.