History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

186 THE STORY OF MORMONISM.
expression peculiar to himself, on which the eye natu-
rally rested with interest, and was never weary of be-
holding. His countenance was ever mild, affable,
and beaming with intelligence and benevolence, mingled
with a look of interest and an unconscious smile
of cheerfulness, and entirely free from all restraint, or
affectation of gravity; and there was something connected
with the serene and steady, penetrating glance
of his eye, as if he would penetrate the deepest abyss
of the human heart, gaze into eternity, penetrate the
heavens, and comprehend all worlds. He possessed
a noble boldness and independence of character; his
manner was easy and familiar, his rebuke terrible as
the lion, his benevolence unbounded as the ocean,
his intelligence universal, and his language abounding
in original eloquence peculiar to himself."
And thus a female convert who arrived at Nauvoo
a year or two before the prophet's death: "The first
time I ever saw Joseph Smith I recognized him from a
vision that once appeared to me in a dream. His countenance
was like that of an angel, and such as I had
never beheld before. He was then thirty-seven years
of age, of ordinary appearance in dress and manner,
but with a child-like innocence of expression. His hair
was of a light brown, his eyes blue, and his complexion
light. His natural demeanor was quiet; his character
and disposition were formed by his life-work; he
was kind and considerate, taking a personal interest in
all his people, and considering every one his equal," 36
On the other hand, the author of Mormonism Unveiled
says: "The extreme ignorance and apparent
stupidity of this modern prophet were by his early
followers looked upon as his greatest merit, and as
furnishing the most incontestable proof of his divine
mission . . . His followers have told us that he could
not at the time he was chosen of the Lord even write
his own name. But it is obvious that all these defi-
36 Another account says that at 36 he weighed 212 lbs, stood 6 feet in his
pumps, was robust, corpulent, and jovial, but when roused to anger his ex
pression was very sever?.