Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-07-04

WIN AMI WHAT IHh1 AXE, AND WHAT
PROPOSE.
The Mormon problem is knotty one. The
precipitation of the threatened crisis in the af-
fairs of that people since the incoming of Mr..
Buchanans Administration lends increased in
terest to the remarkable community which has
settled itself down beyond the confines OF civ
lization, and which seeks to establish among
the wilds of the Western slope of the Cont
nent an independent hierarchy, unamenable to
United States laws, and differing in essential.
particulars from any religious or political phen
omenon that has preceded il.
The fact that many rumors have gained
ground prejudca TO the character of Mormons
that they are looked upon the most danger
Gus and least scruPulons of all the classes Of
our population that their religion is denounced
as an inhuman ianatcism, and that the vague
reports which appear from time to time in the
public newspapers lend a color of veracity 10
the most abominable tales of outrage and indie
cency, are the reasons which have suggested
the propriety Of laying before our readers
correct, unpreludiced. and candid exposition Of
Mormon doctrine and belief, of Mormon prac-
tees, of the origin of that singular community
of its present condition, and its prospects under
the new circumstances with which ii finds it,
self surrounded We derive our information
on these points from the published official
records of the Mormons taking as the repre-
sentative of their religious faith their great
standard authority, the Book of Mormon for
their exposition of the origin of this book, their
Voice Of Warning, a controversial publication
Il k,,E I
since for the defense of the sect against as
saults, Spencr's Letters; for the opinions of
the Elders who govern Utah at this day, the
Desert Necs, The Saints official paper, publish
ed at Great Salt Lake City; for statements of
the progress of Mormonism, The Mormon, a
weekly newspaper which has been issued from
New York for two years past under the imme-
diate direction of one Of the Twelve Apos-
tles." These authorities can not be gansayed.
The picture derived from the tints they furnish
must necessarily be truthful.
Farsi the Origin Of the Mormons.
1t is now twenty years since Joseph Smith,
divinely directed, as the Mormons claim, fell
upon the place where the sacred plates were
buried, from which plates, of golden hue, in
scrlbed with mysterious characters, the Bible
of the Mormon Church, "Book of Mormon
was copied under angelic guidance. Mormon
lived ia the age OF the Nephles and the La
NANTES who came from Jerusalem six hundred
years before Christ, and re-peopled America.
This colony we're descendants of the tribe of
Joseph. They grew and multiplied, and gave
rise TO two mighty nations. One of these,
founded by Nephi, was an enlightened, civil
lied, cultivated race had visions, communings
with angels, and held the gift of prophecy
The olher founded by Lamar, was a wicked
and benghtcd generation, given to wars and
cruelties. had no spiritual communings, and
finally fell upon their neiPhbors, the Nephites,
and destroy them utterly. Mormon was a
Nephite, and prophet of the Lord. by com
mandment of the Lord he made an abridgmeni
of the sacred records, containing the history of
his forelathers, and the prophecies ard gospel
which had been revealed to them TO which
he added sketch Of the history of his own
time, and the destruction of his nation. Pre-
vious to his death, Mormon committed these
records to the keeping of his son, Moroni.-
by him they were continued down to A. D. 420.
In that year the records were buried by Moron
in a hill called CumOrdh, situated in Ontario
County, in the State of New York--for it
may not be generally known that the Mormon
belief is that this part Of the earihs surface
was peopled by race of high intelligence and
culture, long ages before the aboriginal popu-
lation throve and hunted in its forests. The
Nephites disappeared from the earth's surface,
annhlated by the Lamanites. Their records
remained buried 10 the hill in Manchester town
ship from 42O ill the 22d day of September,
1927. They we're written $50 the tradition as
serts) son plates which had the appearance of
gold. Each plate was not far from seven inch
es in width, by eight inches in length, being
not quite so thick as common tin. They were
filed on both sides with engravings, in Egyp-
ilan characters, and bound together in vol
ume, as the leaves of book, and fastened at
one edge with three rings running thrnugh the
whole. This volume was something near six
inches in thickness, part Of which was sealed.