Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-02-19
NIORMONISM.

e~migrantins Mormons in passing over
the plains to Utah, which are now going
the rounds of the public prints are cal
culated to rouse the attention of the
American people and convert the won
der with which they have regarded that
heavendarin gimposture intoindignation.
Especially as it seems that the perilous
experiment of passing over those i'm
mense solitudes with hand carts was
ventured on at the inspired suggestion
of Governor Young.
The appearance and success of Nor
monism is one of the greatest marvels of
the nineteenth century. If it had not
appeared and succeeded, the world would
have secuted it as an utter impossibili-
ty in the midst of the intellectual en-
lightment and moral culture of this age.
The wonder is increased rather han
diminished when we examine their sa-
cred books, especially their Mormon
Bible. 1t is a tissue from beginning to
end of impudent imposture and ridicu-
lous nonsense, unrcdeemed by a single
touch of genius or a spark of eloquence.
The historical part is the recital of Sc
ries of most barcfaced frauds and dcccp-
ton.
Joe Smith, the founder of the COM
munity, was illiterate, coarse and rather
a stupid man, incapable of writing his
own Bible, poor as the composition is.
He was indebted, it has been stated, for
a greater part of it to a clergyman who
wrote it to amuse the hours of a long
decline, and then read it to his friends
as a kind of religious romance, founded
on the incidents of the Old Testament.
After the death of the clergyman, the
manuscript was thrown aside as worth
less, and after occupying two or three
garrets as useless lumber, it was trump
cd up by Joe Smith as Il revelation from
Heaven. Hence the pretencc that it
was found engraven on brass plates in
some casual excavation of the GARTH
At any rate it laid the foundation of the
"Church of the Latter Day Saints"
which has assumed no small degree of
religious and political Importance in our
country. The most remarkable thing,
perhaps, about this new religion, is its
great and shameless s~ensuality. The
Mahometan contents himself with three
or four wives; the Latter Day Saint is
permitted to solace himself with as ma
ny as he car persuade to marry him, and
some of them have wives enough to fill
an omnibus.
In Illinois their principles were SO
obnoxious and their habits so immoral
that their presence became too odious
to be endured; the neighboring popula-
ton rose in a mass, lynched Joe, and
drove his followers over the Mississippi.
But persecution it seems was the very
thing they wanted to fix their faith and
consolidate their union. Cast out by all
the world, they adhered to each other.
Driven out from civilization they sought
and found a home in the Wilderness be-
yond the reach of pcsection. They put
the Rocky Mountains between them and
their prosecutors and settled themselves
on the shores Of Salt Lake, seven eighths
of the way from the Atlantic to the Pa
Here they had ''scope and verge
enough to carry out their own principle!
undisturbed by the rest of the world
Mankind arc said to be oblighed to tn
man who VIII carry out his own princi
pies by actual experiment at his owl
risk and at his own expense. This tn
Mormons have done and as they sa,
they have succeeded.
Certainly it is, that their extraordina
ry condition and fortunates have devel
eped an energy and an enterprise Q
character, which has hitherto %neutraliz
ed the destructive effects of their immor
alities. They have gone on to inereas
in numbers and wealth. Their mission
. aries have gone out to every part of tn
civilized world. Their missionary labor
have been crowned with abundant sue
cess. Converts have been made by thou
sands, invarious parts ofEurope. A stra
tum of society is found there, of tina
degree of ignorance and restitution q
makes them the ready prey of impostul
and the dupes to better their condition
The existence of the Mormons, offel
two problems of our consideration,-or
speculative, the other practical. One
how is their existence to be accountc
for in this age and country?-and IL
other is, what shall be done with then
We shall say a few words on both of the
points.
Their existence demonstrates that '
are not the universally enlightened pc
pie that we have boosted ourselves befo
the world. There is q mass of ipnoran