Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1858-02-24
HISTORY OF MoRNOSIsH.

HISTORY OF MoRMONISH.
ne make the following extracts from the
speech of Mr. John Thompson OF this State,
delivered in the House OF Representatives
Oh the 9th &C January:
..Eormonism, as religious system, had its
origin in a romance written about the year
1910 by Solomon SpAlding J. native OF Con-
necticut, who had been educated tor the min
istry, but followed mercantile employment,
removed TO Cherry Valley, y. I where he
amused his leisure hours by weaving late 4
book entitled by him 1.-The MSS. Found, - the
notion entertained OF suggested ~ some
writer's that the American Indians are the des-
cendants Of the lost ten tribes of Israel Hence
be starts them from Palestine, invents for them
various fortunes by blood and field, wars, quar-
Teis, tugrloIiS, strites, separations until they
people this continent, and leave behind them
the yeSt!SeS Of mounds, tGuIulI, fOTtiEcatIOas,
sculpture, and cities tiILPidated, which are
discovered in Nurthrrn and Central America.
Il Is written somewhat ia Scripture style, and
uses the machinery Of the Jewish economy
throughout He read his manuscript to vIrI-
ous persons, who yet remember il, but wgs not
successful in procuring its publication. Some
where about the year 1923 this manuscTipt fell
into the hands of 10 Smith. native OF W ind
ser county, Vermont Smith WAS =b0Ht tWen-
~ years of age and already exhibited that sin
suIIr compound Of gelIus, Of folly Of cum
hing ana SG5UEGWE OF ll0OiCucG amt ctieI-F y
oT craft and earue>tness- which dIstIaS SuisIIed
him 10 the end of his career.
'-C ndeT the new-lIghi preaching OF that day
Smith became iElbCed with al tie Wild aud
-zIrsyagant notions 9f seeing sights hearing
voices, receiving revelations, eetiug and
fighting the devil in bodily form, which iaii-
c=tSd = diseased Imagination and want Of all
solid Instruction and fixed principles on reIis-
ioiis subjects Enthusiasm ran mad through
the whole region where he dIelt, and Smith
was one of its most brilliant exeuIpli6catIOns
ultimately having revelation that all existing
sySremS of religion were wrong and that he
Should tie made the prophet Of i new faith
For more than five years he vibratsd between
his caution ard his enthusiasm. giving out Uc-
casionSIly dark hints aboHt certain mysterious
plates 10 DC dug up by him. containing ! new
revelation Part Of his time spent IN ly-
ing, swindIing and debauchery, and the re-
naaindrr in visions and rcpentance-the val
gar h.bits of the brute conteading with the
higher fuacIions CT the prophet At length
he pretended TO dig oct the Plates from the
side Of ahiEl IN Paimira- Wayne County. N
Y. placed himself behind curtain, permit
ting 10 to enter, from which ssEctgm he
translated from the plates the book of Mormon
20 An amanueDsis, reading it all from Sp1ld-
i1g-s manuscript in his possession, one han-
dFed and eighteen pages OF It having been sto-
len By Martin HARRIS " iih this new Koran
Cur modern Aohammed started upon his
reer.
s.On the 5th OF Nav 1872, John the Baptist
came back 70 earth to bzptise Smith; and Oh
the 9Th of April, 1880, the first church of Lat
ter-Day Saints WAS organized at Manchester,
Eew-York, consisting of -four Smiths and two
converts out of the faraily-Pratt, Rigden,
kinhalI, and Young joining afterwlrd This
Bible, unlike that of the Christian or MuSsE-
man. purports to be chiefly historical and does
Bot enuHcfatc or enforce a system OF moral
ard religions truth In q philosophic or didactic
form ; al its Incidental lessons upon life OF
manners being derived from cfrrent doctrines
of this day. 1t is consequently incapable OF
comparison with any other extant form of re-
Ifgious faith. One nj ght as well compare the
Christian religion with Fenelon.s Tciemachus,
or oae of Jones novels.
sThc history of this fauaticis1 is soon told
The church was organized In 1850. In August
1851, they Commenced settlement at-lnde-
-lsendeBce, Jackson County Missouri -reveaied
to Smith as the site of New JerasaleED-'
Smith wsvered long between tiis place and
Kirkland Ohio. where in 1888. they commenced
building their FRS. temple, which finished
in 1899, at a cost of abont f.sy Thousand doll
lars In 1889 they reiaid the foundations of
their temple in Missouri They lrft this re-
sion again for Nauvoo, in Illinois. where a
mother temple was soon erected 10 Smith 5
life ard Iabors ens.ed together IN Csrtiiage
Jail. where, on the 9th OF Juae- 1874 he was
.hot by gang Of Border Ruffans from His
souri,
..In 1915 they turned their eyes westward
TO Vancouver 5 Island. to Texas. to California,
and finally 70 a valley in the Roesy Mountains.
In lsiS as the yonng grass was peerrng from
the sod and the budswere barstfng into flowers,
IN the month of May. the exodus to Utah
commenced.
asfrona that day Young has reigned supreme
and thousands aud tens of thousands have
docked TO his standard. The unsettled religi-
Gus sentiment of the lower grades of mind
grayitate TO Salt Lake. Il Is the Botany Bay
Of the world There it stands, rampant and
defying-a despotism eonsummate, wearing
the show of popular approval, aud bending
willingly to the bid of tyrant. There il
ssAnds-ft Is before You in your path to the
Pseifc-it viii not away at your bidding .
hsfs, sely stubborn fhet, which no ignorancs