In 1833, each morning around 25 elders would cram themselves into a small upper room of the Newell K. Whitney store in K.

K. Whitney's store in K.

Brigham Young described, men would light a pipe and begin to talk about the great things of the kingdom and puff away until they could barely see Joseph through the thick haze of smoke.

After they finished their

pipe, they would pull out their chewing tobacco, and soon their spittle was all over the floor.

This dingy setting was the school of the prophets. Historian Jed Woodworth quipped. Ironically,

this was the place Joseph Smith attempted to teach the men how they and their converts could become holy,

without spot, and worthy of the presence of God.

Now, Brigham Young pointed to Emma's frustration with the stained floor,

prompting Joseph to ask the Lord.

David Whitmer talks about women being strong proponents of temperance,

while many of the men would prefer to ignore such

ideas. This was a time of major flux in the transatlantic world with ideas concerning hygiene and

temperance, and Joseph's decision to ask the Lord gave the saints a new revelation, a principle with

a promise. That revelation, a word of wisdom, is our topic today. My name is Janice Johnson.

I'm a Willis Center Research Associate at the Maxwell Institute, and I, along with Joseph Stewart,

the public communication specialist at the Institute, will be discussing each week's block of

reading from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Come Follow Me curriculum. We aren't here to present a lesson,

but rather hit on a few key themes from the scripture block

that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute's mission

to inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints

and their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ

...