# Letter to Emma Smith, 13 October 1832
# Date: October 13, 1832 | Source: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-to-emma-smith-13-october-1832/1
# Scribal status: holograph (JSP source note: 'handwriting and signatures of JS')
# Spelling: original (Joseph Smith Papers verbatim transcript); deletions, editorial glosses/footnotes, and address panels removed

Oct 13 1832 Pearl Street House N Y city
My Dear Wife
This day I have been walking through the most splended part of the city of New Y — the buildings are truly great and wonderful to the astonishing of every beholder and the language of my heart is like this can the great God of all the Earth maker of all things magnificent and splended be displeased with man for all these great inventions saught out by them my answer is no it cannot be seeing these works are calculated to make men comfortable wise and happy therefore not for the works can the Lord be displeased only aganst man is the anger of the Lord kindled because they Give him not the Glory therefore their iniquities shall be visited upon their heads and their works shall be burned up with unquenchable fire the inequity of the people is printed in every countinance and nothing but the dress of the people makes them look fair and butiful all is deformity their is something in every countinance that is disagreable with few exceptions Oh how long Oh Lord Shall this order of things exist and darkness cover the Earth and gross darkness cover the people after beholding all that I had any desire to behold I returned to my room to meditate and calm my mind and behold the thaughts of home of Emma and Julia rushes upon my mind like a flood and I could wish for

a moment to be with them my breast is filled with all the feelings and tenderness of a parent and a Husband and could I be with you I would tell you many things yet when I reflect upon this great city like Ninavah not desearning their right hand from their left yea more then two hundred thousand souls my bowels is filled with compasion towards them and I am determined to lift up my voice in this city and leave the Event with God who holdeth all things in his hands and will not suffer an hair of our heads unnoticed to fall to the ground there is but few cases of the cholera in this City now and if you should see the people you would not know that the y had ever heard of the cholera I hope you will excuse me for writting this letter so soon after writing for I feel as if I wanted to say something to you to comfort you in your beculier triel and presant affliction I hope God will give you strength that you may not faint I pray God to soften the hearts of those around you to be kind to you and take the burdon off your shoulders as much as posable and not afflict you I feel for you for I know your state and that others do not but you must cumfort yourself knowing that God is your friend in heaven and that you have one true and living friend on Earth your Husband
Joseph Smith Jr

PS while Brother Whitney is Selecting goods I have nothing to do but to Sit in my room and pray for him that he may have strength to indure his labours for truly it is a tedious job to stand on the feet all day to select goods it wants good judgement and a long acquaintence with goods to git good ones and a man must be his own judge for no one will judge for him and it is much pepleccity of mind I prefer reading and praying and holding communeion with the holy spirit and writing to you then walking the streets and beholding the distraction of man I have had some conversation with few which gave satisfaction and one very butiful young gentleman from Jersey whose countinance was very sollam he came and set by my side and began to converce with me about the cholera and I learned he had been seased with it and came very near dieng with it he said the Lord had spared him for some wise purpose I took advantage of this and opened a long discours with him he received my teaching appearanly with much pleasure and became very strongly attacth to me we talkd till late at night and concluded to omit conversation till the next day but having some business to do he was detained untill the boat was ready to go out and must leave he came to me and bid me Farewell and we parted with much reluctance Brother Whitney is received with great kindness by all his old acquaintance he is faithful in prayr and fervant in spirit and we take great comfort together there is about one hundred boarders and sometimes more in this house every day from one to two from all parts of the world I think you would have laughed right harty if you could have been where you could see the waiters to day noon waited on the table both Black and white and molato runing bowing and maneuvering but I must conclude I remain Your affectionate Husband until Death
Joseph Smith Junior
