Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-05-06
gelecteh Miscellany.
THE MORMON BIBLE.

AS the Mormons are just now attracting
considerable attention, it. may not be amiss
to publish what is generally regarded as the
history of the book, called the Mormon BIZ
BILE. The time. has not yet arrived when a
formal disproof of its being an inspired work
is necessary, and plain story will not be
denied on the ground of its excluding the
supernatural.
The opinion is Of many years standing
that the abortgines (?) of America, are des-
cendants OF the lost tribes of Israel A
DAIR, in his history of the North American
II. Il and takes great
count Of some Indian dances where Cd -:
words are used. (yo-ho-wah, which, by 4
little torturing, he supposes, derived from
the word Jehovah, therefore-very cogent
reasoning-th Indians came from the lost
tribes. Whether this account is more ac-
ceptable, or less SO than that of n1ynheer,
DIEDR1cK KNIcKERBocKER, in his veracious
history of New York, the learned must
judge. D1EDR1cK speculates far and wide
to account for there being people on this
continent, but found the problem attended
with as much difficulty as other ethnograph-
ers have experienced in accounting for
race of bipeds on the Eastern Continent
He finally cuts the knot by the sage conclu-
sion that the people of this continent came
hereby accident.
Be this as it may, the opinion of ftheir Is
raelitish descent has had many supporters.
and, it so happening, an ingenious young
gentleman of the bar, by the name of SpAuL-
DING, in the State Of Connecticut, being out
of health and probably out of practice, de-
termined to amuse and occupy his leisure
hours by writing romance upon this idea
of the Jewish descent of the North A.
merican Indians. Upon this idea he wrote
the Book known as the Mormon Bible.
The writer of this article has been assur-
ed by gentleman of intelligence and un-
questionable veracity, that he came from
the town (not now remembered, where Mr..
SPAULDING lived, and that he has seen per-
sons of that town who declared that they
saw whole chapters of the Book of Mormons,
when in the course of composition, shewn to
them by the author.
Mr.. SpAULD1Ne finally emigrated, either
to improve his fortune or his health, or both,
and went to the interior of the State Of New
York, where, it seems, he has been lost
sight of. He no doubt died without being
able to find publisher for his romance,
which ultimately turned up among some
rubbish in the garret Of a printing establish
ment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where
it was found by cunning journeyman prin-
ter by the name of R1GDoN. This R1GDoN
meeting with JOE SMITH, Cor JOE SMITH
meeting with him, the two rogues togeth-
er determined to turn the work to account
The Book is written in Scriptural phrase
ology: land it came to pass" that Joe and
Rigdon made bungling addition by way
of preface. stating that certain metallic
plates had been mysteriously discovered un-
der g certain hill-thus and so-all scrib-
bled over with strange characters, and that,
in short, Joe had been illuminated from
heaven and empowered and instructed to
"read; whence, according to their account,
10 and behold, the Book Of Mormon came
forth. of course from heaven; though some
think the other place has higher claim to
paternity.
The Book, in itself, is not bad romance.
The author takes up the lost tribes and has
them marched to the (or A. coast, where
vessels are constructed, upon which they