The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1852-11-03

j"Siuo"ieih, their cOntent1OnS and wars,
which we're many and great. One time.
when he was reading to me the tragic &C,
count OF Laban, | pointed out to him what
considered an Inconsistency, which he
promised to correct; but by referrlcg to the
Book of Mormon, l find to my surprise it
stands there, just as he read it to me then.
Some months ago borrowed a golden
Bible, NJ had not read twenty minutes
before was astonished to find the same
passages in it that Spaulding had rea to
me, more than twenty years before, from
his "Manuscript Found" Since q l,cn, I
have more fully examined the said golden
bible, and have no hesitation in saving
that the historical part of it is principally,
IT not wholly, taken from the MANUSCRIPT
Found" well recollect telling Mr.. Spauld-
ing that the too frequent use of the words.
"Now it came to pass" "And it came TO
pass, rendered it ridiculous. Spauldng
left here in 1912, and l furnished him
with the means to carry him to Pittsburg,
where he said he would get the book
printed and pay me. But never heard
amy thing more from him, or of his writ
lngs, till | saw them in the Book Of Nor
mon."
The same in effect is the evidence of
the brother of Spaulding, that he heard
much OF the manuscript" read, and that,
according to his best recollection, @The
Book OF Mormon is the same as nv broth
er Solomon wrote, with the exception of
the religious matter" All this is confirm
Ell by more than half dozen other gen.
tlemcn; and by the widow and daughter
OF the author Of Manuscript Found
1t appears that Mr.. Spauldinp left pitts.
burg in 1914, and that his widow. after
hIs death, in 1916, removed to Onondapa
county, New York, near to her early re-
sldence, and carried trunk thither, con-
tanning the writings Of her deceased hus-
band. During part Of the time from
1917 to 1920, when she again married
and moved TO Massachusetts. the trunk
was at her brothers in Onondapa Hollow.
near the residence of the Smith fam'ly.-
When the Book Of Mormon appeared
and its identity with the Spaulding Ms.
was discovered, the trunk was hunted up.
and search made for the Spaulding Ms.
1t had mys.eriously disappeared, and the
Manuscript Found" has ever since been
the Manuscript Lost" From these cir.
cumstances it is thought that Joseph
Smith obtained possession oft. and mould
ed 1t into the Book Of Mormon. arranging
and altering the matter so as to suit his
own purposes.
A copy of the Book of Mormon was
placed IN our hands few days apo whom
in iha phil.l-i-it--.,.--- -
10 Hesitation in saying that II more sue
ccssful attempt to initiate the Scriptures,
was perhaps never made. Its lrtcrary
style aud merits are, however, truly con-
tcmptihle, its author having been plainly
about rs igEorant of the rules of gram
mar and composition rs II lIottentot.-
Contrast the revelations in the Book Of
Mormon with the sublime beauty and
grandeur of the revelations Of the nm
changing laws "f nature, in the "Principa
of Newton" How truly contemplate is
superstition!
The manner Of writing the Book of
Mormon was as follows: "Smith would
place his pseudo gold plates in hat, and
take the stones, Urim and Thummim,
which he affirmed had been delivered to
him at the Hill Cumorali, in PALMYRA, by
an angel-and, raising screen Of cloth
between himself and the scribe, proceed
to look through the stones, and the words,
in reformed Egyptian characters would
change TO his vernacular, and "pass BE-
fore his eyes by the power and gift of
God"
lie gives us n particular account Of the
first persecution by his neighbors. 40
tried to capture the "gold plates;" aul .
escape from this, he concealed them in -
barrel Of beans. We are also told that
Cowdery, the scribe, was sharply rebuked
for impertinent curiosity, in wishing to see
the gold plates, ,chich ,oas the prophets
privilege oniy. .. .a .... -
The Book Of Mormon WAS Issued in
1880, and on the 4th Of April, Of the
same year, the first Mormon church was
organized, consisting Of only six members
the father Of Smith, his two brothers,
and Oliver Cowdery, a schoolmaster, be-
ing amongst the number. 1t is said that
Cowdery first baptized the prophet, and,
to render the act legitimate, there was pre-
sent as sponsors, Moses and Elias, togeth-
er with Peter, James and John. The pro-
phet now baptized and commissioned eld-
ers, who began their enthusiastic preach
ing, end converted several visionary char
acters, persons without any settled opin.
ions in Christianity, Of weak and super
sitious turn Of mind, and liable to be i'm
medistely carried away by the first elo-
quent harangue in favor of Milierism,
Mormonism, or any other religious delu-
sion. In this manner, the Mormon church
gradually increased in numbers.
In the following August, Farley p.
Pratt, CampbelIite preacher in Ohio,
who was preaching notions on prophecy,
the restoration Of the Children Of Israel,
and the Millennium, met with the Book
Of Mormon, and became convert, whilst
on visit to the State Of New York. On
/ hfo rat,,.,. h.. - kka 49,. D:ll-