View source for Question: What was the real purpose of the letter written by Joseph Smith to the parents of Sarah Ann Whitney?

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==Question: What was the real purpose of the letter written by Joseph Smith to the parents of Sarah Ann Whitney?==
===The one portion of the letter in which Joseph actually ''gives a reason'' for this meeting is often excluded by critics===

Interestingly enough, the one portion of the letter in which Joseph actually ''gives a reason'' for this meeting is often excluded by critics:

<blockquote>
..one thing I want to see you for is <to> git the fulness of my blessings sealed upon our heads, &c. you wi will pardon me for my earnest=ness on <this subject> when you consider how lonesome I must be, your good feelings know how to <make> every allowance for me...
</blockquote>

According to Richard L. Bushman, this may have been "a reference perhaps to the sealing of Newel and Elizabeth in eternal marriage three days later." <ref>{{RSR1 | start=473}}</ref> Compton adds, "This was not just a meeting of husband and plural wife, it was a meeting with Sarah's family, with a religious aspect. <ref>{{CriticalWork:Compton:Sacred Loneliness|pages=350}}</ref> 

===Joseph needed to have the company of friends who supported him===

In addition to the stated purpose of the meeting, Joseph "may have been a lonely man who needed people around him every moment." <ref>{{RSR1 | start=473}}</ref> Consider this phrase (included in Van Wagoner's treatment, but excluded by the others):

<blockquote>
...it would afford me great relief, ''of mind'', if those ''with whom I am al[l]ied'', do love me, now is the time to afford me succour, in the days of exile. {{ea}}
</blockquote>

These are not the words of a man asking his secret lover to meet him for a private tryst&mdash;they are the words of a man who wants the company of friends.

==="...when Emma comes then you cannot be safe"===

So, what about Emma? The letter certainly contains dire warnings about having the Whitney's avoid an encounter with Emma. We examine several possible reasons for the warning about Emma. Keep in mind Emma's stated concern just two days prior,
<blockquote>
If it was pleasant weather I should contrive to see you this evening, but I dare not run too much of a risk, on account of so many going to see you. (History of the Church, Vol.5, Ch.6, p.109)
</blockquote> 

====Joseph wished to discuss and/or perform a sealing ordinance that Emma had not yet received====

Joseph had been sealed to Sarah Ann three weeks before without Emma's knowledge.<ref>{{RSR|pages=473}}</ref> Joseph may have wished to offer a sealing blessing to Newel and Elizabeth Whitney at this time. Given Joseph's indication to the Whitneys that he wished to "git the fulness of my blessings sealed upon our heads," and the fact that Emma herself was not sealed until she consented to the doctrine of plural marriage nine months later, Joseph may have felt that Emma’s presence would create an uncomfortable situation for all involved&mdash;particularly if she became aware of his sealing to Sarah Ann.

====Joseph wished to avoid involving his friends in case he were found by those looking for him====

If Joseph was in hiding, he had good reason to avoid being found (hence the request to burn the letter that disclosed his location). He would also not want his friends present in case he ''were'' to be found. Anyone that was searching for Joseph knew that Emma could lead them to him if they simply observed and followed her. If this were the case, the most dangerous time for the Whitney's to visit Joseph may have been when Emma was there&mdash;not necessarily because Emma would have been angered by finding Sarah Ann (after all, Emma did not know about the sealing, and she would have found ''all three'' Whitney's there&mdash;not just Sarah Ann), but because hostile men might have found the Whitney's with Joseph. Note that Joseph's letter states that "when Emma comes then you cannot be safe, but when she is not here, there is the most perfect safty: only be careful to escape observation, as much as possible." Joseph wanted the Whitneys to avoid observation by anyone, and not just by Emma.
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[[Category:MormonThink]]
[[Category:Nauvoo Polygamy]]
[[Category:One Nation Under Gods]]

[[es:Pregunta: ¿Cuál fue el verdadero propósito de la carta escrita por Joseph Smith a los padres de Sarah Ann Whitney?]]
[[Category:Questions]]