Parley P. Pratt | The Legend of Parley P.

The Legend of Parley P. — Parley P. Pratt T-Shirt

Some men leave a legacy. Parley P. Pratt left a trail of books, missions, hymns, newspapers, prison escapes, and stories that sound almost too wild to be true. The Legend of Parley P. celebrates one of the Restoration’s most relentless missionaries, writers, and builders—and gives his nineteenth-century story a Weak Things attitude.

Parley was born in 1807 in New York and encountered the Book of Mormon in 1830 at age 23. His reaction was anything but casual. He later recalled, “I read all day,” describing food and sleep as distractions because he wanted to keep reading. Soon after, he was baptized and called to preach. That first burst of conviction became a lifetime of movement.

Pratt helped introduce the restored gospel in Kirtland, where more than 100 people joined the Church during his missionary journey. In 1835, he became one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. His missionary assignments took him across the United States, to Canada, England, the Pacific, and Chile. In Canada, his preaching helped lead John Taylor and Leonora Taylor into the Church. In England, he helped build a missionary movement that eventually brought thousands of converts into the Church.

And then there was the publishing.

If Parley lived today, we’re pretty sure he would have an unreasonable number of followers and no concept of “posting less.” He understood the power of the printed word and used it relentlessly. He wrote books, pamphlets, newspaper articles, poetry, essays, fiction, and hymns. In 1837, he wrote A Voice of Warning in about two months. The book became one of the most influential missionary works of nineteenth-century Latter-day Saint history and went through numerous editions and translations.

He also became the founding editor of the Millennial Star in England. And he wasn’t content to write only prose. Pratt was a prolific hymn writer, producing nearly 50 hymns for an English Latter-day Saint hymnal. Several of his hymns remain familiar today, including “The Morning Breaks,” “An Angel from on High,” and “Come, O Thou King of Kings.”

His life was not exactly a desk job. Pratt was imprisoned in Missouri for months before escaping and rejoining the Saints. He later crossed the plains to the Salt Lake Valley, traveled through the Pacific region, and went to Chile, where he studied Spanish and attempted to establish missionary work.

That is why this design is called The Legend of Parley P.

The image plays off the famous wilderness “sighting” aesthetic, imagining Parley caught in his natural habitat: moving. Always moving. Probably toward another mission, another printing press, another congregation, or another manuscript that needed finishing.

It’s funny because it’s true.

Weak Things celebrates people who turn conviction into action. Parley P. Pratt was certainly that kind of person. He read. He believed. He wrote. He preached. He traveled. He published. Then he did it again.

The legend wasn’t that Parley stood still.

The legend is that he rarely did.

Product: Next Level Apparel N6210 Men's CVC Crew

Next Level Apparel N6210 Men's CVC Crew

• 4.3 oz.,

• 60% combed ringspun cotton/ 40% polyester jersey

• Colors have a slightly heathered look

• Pre-shrunk for reduced shrinkage

• CVC blend

• 1x1 baby rib-knit set-in collar

• Shoulder to shoulder taping

• Tear-away label

• Side seamed