Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-02-13


descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel Hence
he starts them from Palestine, invents for them
various fortunes by food and field, wars quarrels,
turmos, strfes separations until they people this
continent, and leave behind them the vestiges Of
mounds, tumuH Notifications, sculpture, and cities
dilapidated, which are discovered in Northern and
Central America. 1t is written somewhat in Scrip
ture style, and uses the machinery of the Jewish
: economy throughout. He read his manuscript to
various persons who yet remember IL, but was not
successful in procuring its publication. Some
where about the year 1928, this manuscript fell
into the hands of Jo Smith. native Of Windsor
county, Vermont. Smith was about twenty years
of age, and already exhibited that singular com
pound Of genius and folly, Of cunning and absurd
ity, ofiadolence and energy Of craft and earnest
ness, which distinguished him to the end of his
career. sSsv4sEAa
Under the new-lght preachers Of that day Smith
became imbued with all the wild and extravagant
notions of seeing sights; hearing voices receiv.
ing revelations meeting and fighting the devil in
bodily form which indicate a diseased imagina-
ton, and want of all solid instruction and fixed
principles on religious subjects Enthusiasm ran
mad through the whole region where he dwet,
and Smith was one of its most brilliant exempli-
fcations; ultimately having revelation that all
existing Systems of religion were wrong, and that
he should be made the prophet Of new faith
caution and his enthusiasm giving out, OCCASION
ally, dark hints about certain mysterious plates to
be dug up by him, containing new revelation.
Part of his time was spent in lying, swindling, and
debauchery, and the remainder in visions and re-
pentance; the vulgar habits of the brute contend
ing with the higher functions tf the prophet. At
length he pretended to dig out the plates from the
side of hill, in Palmyra, Wayne county, New
York placed himself behind curtain, permitting
IL. 4 n
from the plates the book of Mormon to an amanu-
ensis, reading it all from Spaldings manuscript in
his possession, one hundred and eighteen pages of
it having been stolen by Martin Harris With this
new Koran our modern Mohalnmed started upon
his career
On the 9th Of May, 1929 bhn the Baptist came
back to earth to baptize Smith; and on the 9th Of
April, 1880, the first church OF Latter-Day Saints
was organized at Manchester, New York consist
ing Of four Smiths and two converts out of the
family-Pratt, Rgdon, Kimball, and Young, Join.
ing afterwards. This Bible unlike that of the
Christian OF Musselman, purpoIts to be chiefly his
torical, and does not enunciate or enforce sys.
tenn of moral and religious truth in philosophic
or didactic form; all its incidental lessons upon
life or manners being derived from current doc.
trines Of this day. 1t is consequently incapable of
comparison with any other extant form of religious
faith. One might as VIII compare the Christian
religion with Fenelon's Telemachus, or one of
James novels.
"Ifit be true that the author of the Koran stole
his materials, yet must man had greatness aud
elevation of soul to have stolen as he has done.
If on the rich fields of sacred literature he plum
dered, he plundered like a prince! The spoil
which he gathered so largely from the Jewish and
Christian Scriptures, might be lkened to that
with which certain learned and munifcent con.
-'querors have graced their trumphs They have
indeed trampledup and oyerthrown the ancient
seat OF arts and learning; but yet have first
snatched from the devastations of war, each sg-
nal monument of greatness and beauty"
And out of these monuments he constructed an
cdi6ce, if of grotesque, yet gorgeous proportions,
and blazing with the decorations of oriental spen-
dor; but the materials of the Mormon book, though
mostly derived from the same source, are so era
zily jumbed together inartificialy constructed,
that if whirlwind had scattered the leaves of the
sacred record, and combined them again with the
feats Of Baron Munchausen by machinery, it could
not have surpassed this production Of inanity and
folly.
Two things may be remarked upon this Koran
of Mormonism. 1st IL does not sanction the Gen.
tral principle of the new faith as now practiced-
polzamy this was the growth of after years. I'd.
1t does not purport to be full and complete reve-
lation indeed, IL dscoses that twentyone plates
and dstones still buried and undiscovered in the
hill "Comorah," in the State of New York. But
neither the plates dug up, nor those still unknown
prevented Smith from having direct visions and
revelations from the Most High; and it is by this
instrumentality primarily, and not by any potency
in the doctrines embodied among the contemplate
literature of the Mormon Bible, that the system
has grown intoits present magnitude. A very sim
liar organization exsteda short time before at Sing
Sing, in the State Of New York. headed by Matthias
Folger, and others, which soon ripened and died
out with disclosure of the vices and seishness of
its founders. There is nothing whatever in the
distinctive doctrines or truths Of Mornonsm which
would tend to give il perpetuity. These clements
lie in its polity, which was not at first a matured
system, but grew up gradually, as circumstances
gave It development:
First. An eldershp of two and two was or
ganized to preach the new system, consisting prin-
cipally of vioi.nt harangues against all existing
forms Of religious faith.
Second. Anapostleship Of twelve, after the model
Of the early Christian church, with penary power
over inferior orders
Third A commission ofseventy, now very much
enlarged, to go through the world and propagate
the new faith.
Fourth. A location for the " new Zion" where
without disturbance from Gentle powers, il could
carry out and display its inherent strength, and
evince its glory ascale proportioEedt to the great
commanded.
Fifth A perpetual and iufallble Inspiration,
through the high priest designated by Heaven, ac-
cording to whose revelations all the personal, So
cial, domestic economic, POLITICAL military, and
religious concerns Of the church are TO be regu.
lated, in the minutcst matter, without hesitation,
question, or appeal
There was an attempt, by Smith, to introduce
communism while the Saints were located at Jack.
son, in Missouri, in 1882; but the principle Of
mewn and tu,nm was yet too strong for the imma-
ture fanaticism of the early disciples and the ex
pertinent has not been repeated.
This element Of spiritual despotism pervadcs all
the several orders and runs through the entire line
of this singular affation. Il grasps and encom.
passes every interest," the vast and the minute pub.
lie as well as private. No circle ia too sacred for
its prying censorship aud approach Its thou
sand eyes gaze upon all the promptngs Of ambi-
tion, all the workings of It's industry, all its com.
plainings, discontents, hopes, affections Through
mysterious and hidden conduit pipes flow to the
ear of this dictator the secrets Of every domicil
the thiobbngs OF every soul; and back, like a
thunderclap, comes revelation that goes crashing
on its rcmorseless way, through heart aud home
of the disciple, WHO takes up his staff and flies to
fulfil its stern DEGREES. 1t Is despotism which
combines all the traditional force of Mohammedan
absolutism with the shifting policy of Jesuit craft
dominant at once over State and Church, intoler-
ant, exclusive, and fanatcal. If :" the priest of
superstition rides an ass, and the priest of hnat
icism tiger here Ia n do,1hIa nroof and ranroso,