Brother Joseph Smith invited us to the upper room of the
Public Store. He shook hands with us and informed us that his enemies had been
hunting him. He greeted us warmly and told us that we must not look for
perfection in him. If we did, he would look for perfection in us. (John
Oakley Journal, MS 8828, Church History Library)
I was called to act in the office of a Teacher and with
my companion had a district assigned to us, and Brother Heber C. Kimball and
Joseph Smith were in our district. We hesitated to visit such prominent men, as
we well knew we are not capable of teaching them, yet we could not find any
excuse to pass by their houses, so we ventured. The Presiding Bishop, Newel K.
Whitney, gave us a routine of questions to ask everyone in our district. Among
the questions was, “do you keep the word of wisdom?” We found that Brother
Joseph Smith was the most submissive of any in our district. After he had
answered our questions, he called his wife Emma to answer also. I then asked
him the meaning and purport of the word of wisdom, as at that time there was a
great diversity of opinion concerning it. He answered and said, “I understand
the Word of Wisdom to mean that we must get in wisdom all things. If I think a
glass of Brandy will do one good, or a cup of Coffee, or to some a cigar, I
will use these things.” Thus, in short, he gave us the meaning of the Word of
Wisdom. (John
Oakley Journal, MS 8828, Church History Library)