ith him which
won the hearts of all who came to know him.

Elder Charles W. Penrose, of the Council of the Twelve, was chosen to
succeed John Henry Smith in the First Presidency, December 7, 1911.
President Penrose was born February 4, 1832, at Camberwell, London,
England. When he was four years old he could read the Bible. At eighteen he
joined the Church, and being so well versed in the scriptures he was soon
called on a mission. For ten years he traveled about his native land
preaching the gospel, healing many of the sick and organizing branches of
the Church. He suffered from hardships and persecution, but he kept right
on until he was released, when he emigrated to Utah. Since then President
Penrose has filled many missions. He is a clear, forceful speaker, and he
has written much on doctrinal subjects. He was for many years editor of the
_Deseret News_. He wrote a number of our best songs. He was called and
ordained to be an apostle and set apart as one of the Twelve, July 7, 1904.
He presided over the European Mission from December, 1906, to June, 1910.

In January, 1903, Reed Smoot was elected Senator to represent Utah in the
Congress of the United States at Washington. As he is a leading official in
the Church, some anti-"Mormons" objected to his retaining the office to
which he was elected. They sent a protest to the Senate, and that body
appointed a committee to investigate the charges made. President Smith and
many of the brethren were summoned to Washington to give their testimony.
All of this led to much agitation and misrepresentation against the Church.
Senator Smoot retained his seat.

During recent years the Church has been growing both at home and abroad.
Property is being acquired in many parts of the world, and mission houses
are being erected. Carthage Jail, in Illinois, the farm containing the
birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and a large part of the Temple
grounds at Independence, Missouri, have been purchased by the Church.

In the year 1905 a monument of polished granite was erected and a
comfortable and commodious cottage was built on the site of the Prophet's
birth, on the farm purchased by the Church, in Sharon, Windsor County,
Vermont. The monument is 50 feet and 10 inches high and weighs nearly 100
tons. The shaft is 38-3/4 feet long, each foot corresponding to one year
of the Prophet's life. The cottage is built around the original hearthstone
of the old Smith home. On December 23