The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1851-10-15
The Greatest Wonder of the Age.

The Greatest Wonder of the Age.
Unie' Ibis head The Albany Datchmaa says
10 for opinion, the most ex,raor dinary y on
der connected with lbe present century IS the
success Of Mormonism. Sixteen years ego,
there were less than twenty five Mormons in
the ~Gtd at the present lime, there csnno, be
much less than half million. Ia Eag
iheg timber shout 20 900; while the nua Der
IN Desrel so great lhatin lees han fveye
they Mlhave Stafe Of their own, with Sen
aiors md Representatives in Congress. The
hornioTs have increased more 10 iso years
ihan Chrs'iani'y increased IN The frs, ceniu.
~. How can these things be accounted for
Ths.such jumble OF sbsurdiies as Joe Smith
" rec,ved { ON Heaven should have net with
any iapt lrsGa an age lIuulned with gas, and
slockeawIth ciereymen and newspapers, is a
fact seii variance with probability, that pos.
ierIty Will waste as much ink on discussion, as
We have devoted o the Apocalypse. Mormon.
isn WIS opse supposed to be short lived i'm
/ posrt,e,. Fspresent strength, however shows
'ha, it possesses the ele menls not only Of ea,sn.
sIan bu ogevlty. Il has become fixed fact
and from the rapid manner IN which it is
making pr'seIy,es among the sheep which be.
f a.. othh E,tu ~ tn hah h,t L.
year 2900I~il find that the followers Of Joe
Smith, "est Of Mississippi, will Cu,uuGber
those Of JESUS.
Smith the only successful impos,er tina,
has uppesed since Matcme,. The following
lis, Of hoe who have imposed on the guablll.
,y Of inaik'nd for The last hse centuries, may
prove ineiestIng TO eur readers:
/ 1t! Gnsaavo Martin, a Spaniard, preien.
ded 70 b, the angel Michael be was burn, by
the lrEisltion OF SPAN in 1860.
81 George David, son of waterman a,
Gheni,styled 4 hmsel the nephe Of God. sent
into lh world to adopt children worthy Of
Hesve; he denied tie resurrection, preached
agsips marriage, 10 favor Of a community OF
womel, and taught that the body only could
be de6ed by s'u; be had many followers; died
a, Base, 1856.
81. sabba,a Lew, Jew OF Smyrna, amused
the Tuks and Jear long time al Constant,
nople nd other places by Petsona'leg our Sa
vior, 1908.
All. Elizabeth Bar,cn, sly led the Holy Maid
OF kei, spirited up 10 hinder the Reformation.
by precntlng TO inspiration from Heaven, fore.
lelng,hst the kiug would have aneerly death
If hs divorced Catharne Of SPAN and married
Anne Boleyn. She and her coaiedeta,es we're
hanged ot Tyburn, 1884
5h, William Hacke,, o fanatic, persona,ed
our Srlour, and was executed 70, bIasphemy
in l59l.
6,a, James Nay lor personated our Saviour
he va, convicted Of basphemy, scoufged, and
his to:sJe bored through with hot iron on the
p,lcry, by sentence oil the House Of Commons
under Ctomwe!i's Administration, 1861.
7th. Johanna Sou,hcole made her appear.
ance i, the middle OF the last century. She
proclaimed her conception OF Messiah. Johan
na died IN lSii.
In Tie Uulled States we have bad several no
led imposlers. Among the more considerable
may b. mentioned Ms.hIas, ~ho took his rise
in A Albauy. la 1880, Matthias gave ou, that hs
was tn. Messiah, and as such, succeeded IN i'm
poslnp himself on some of " The best infor met
families IN New York. Fogler, "a mer
chant prince G! the metropolis, wasso certain
that Matthias was the son Of Ged, that he sur
rendered 10 his spiritual keeping not only The
whole Of his property, but his vito, aud family
and connections. The success Of Matthias, for
a time, created an immense sensation through
out the whole Stste-his besotled followers 90
,rg so Ear as even 10 quarrel for the prvIIege
OF washing his feet, Matthias was a house
carpenter BY lrade-of very limited education
-repuslve appearance-long beard, and soil
ed manners. The triuuph of such god
shows how hltle capital is requreo TO palm OF
a religious imposition on the bes, regulatet
community. Matthias died some seventeen
years since, his successor being Joe Smith
whose victories over common sense are now
seen in every part Of Europe and America.
A SELF DESTROYER.
A preacher 10 Ohio lately communicated lh,
following statement to the Christian Mirror