Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-06-28
An Entertaining Book.

/
pied shame of our country and the |
of the nineteenth century.
The work shows how Joe Smith and |
Brigham Young have been enabled to
deceive and cheat their followers /;
how by leading them on from crime
to crime, and enticing them by licen-
tious bats, they have succeeded in.
maintaining their influence over them,
and treats the Mormon religion, its in
famous and heathenish character, its
multitude Of gods, its abominable doc
trines and practices, revealing many
strange and outrageous ceremonies
OF the Endowment or initiation cere-
monies, showing how obscene and dis
gushing they are; how female modes
ty is outraged in them, and how licen-
tiousness is taught as a part of their
religious creed, &c.
We take the following extract from
the book, giving the history Of the
Mormon bible, which we think will be
found Of interest:
The "Book of Mormon" was rapidly cir
culated, and attracted some comment
And at this point, a brief synopsis of this
work is appropriate. 1t consists Of num-
Der of books, named after their reputcd
authors-Book of Nephi, Book of Alma,
Esther, Jared etc. They contain the fol-
lowing history.
In the reign of Iedekiah, six hundred
years before Christ, Jewish family, with
a few friends and retainers, left Jerusalem,
being warned of God that great destruc-
ton and captivity were at hand, and journ-
eyed eastward in search Of Gland Of
! promise" After many wanderings, and
the death of the Patriarch, they reached
| the sea, when Nephi, who had succeeded
his father in the Patriarchate and Priest
hood, was directed by the Lord to build q
boat; and, furnished with double ball
and spindle" which served the exact pur-
]
! They embarked, and in due time reached
! the continent of America. Subsequent
revelations have decided that they landed
| in Central America. There thev increased
rapidly but great schism arose. and one
| Lamar, with his followers refused to obey
the true priesthood for which they were
cut off, cursed and condemned ''to be a
british and Il savage people, having dark
skins, compelled to dig in the ground for
roots. and hunt their meat in the forests
like beasts of prey" But it was foretold
that remnant Of them should, in time,
"have the curse removed, and become a
fair and delightsome people, who should
blossom as the rose, under the teachings
of the Latterday Saints Those were the
Lamanites, the present Indians, while the
christian party were known as Nephitcs
The latter spread over all of North and
South America, became rich and powerful
and built the cities of Xarahem!a, Jacob
bugath, Manti, Gidgiddoni, and scores oil
others, thus accounting for the numerOu,
ruins found on this continent. They were
ruled over successfully by Nephi the First
Second and Third, by Noah, Alma. kisL
Coriantumner, and numerous other kings
and were successfully instructed by mum
Der OF prophets But the Lamanites in,
creased likewise, and carried on almost
perpetual war with the Nephites, till 3
great part of the land was desolate. Ac
cording to this history, there have been No
people of the Old World so warlike anC
blood thirsty as these; and battles in which
from twenty to fifty thousand were slaiT
, were of common occurrence. The Ncph
ties were troubled, too, by false doctrine
heresy, and schism;' the true priesthood
reviled; one man arose and preached Uni
, versalism, "that God would save all man
! kind at the last day" and others followed
| strange gods. An immense mass of tn,
I nation turned back and joined the Lamar
ties, and a band of robbers. under on
Gadianton, desolated large part of tn
; land. At length prophets appeared anC
announced the coming of Christ, who, afte
he was crucified at Jerusalem, preached
the gospel in America. At the time of hi
death, this country, also, was shrouded il
darkness a mighty earthquake threw
; down the wicked city of Jacobbugath
opened great chasms and basins through
out the land, and the whole face of tn
; country was changed The Nephtes &C
cepted Christ at once; but in a few gener
) atiOns, fell again into apOstasy, and tn
t Lord delivered them into the hand of the
enemies. The mighty Chieftain Omanda
1 gus, whose rule was from the Rocky Noun
tains to the Mississippi, fought against tn
g Nephites, and after him many Others
l Little by little, the Nephites were drive
Y eastward, but made a stand near the shore
1 of Lake Erie, and fought 'till the Who'll
land was covered with dead bodies" The
t made their final stand about 1870, A. D., a
the hill CumOrah, in Ontario County, Ne
II York, where the Lamanites came again:
: them, and the battle ragged till two hundre
: and thirty thousand Nephites were slain
IS the little remnant was captured, and onl
|. Mormon and his son Moroni escaped
The various kings and priests had keI
= record of their history, which Mormo
# now collected in one volume, added boo
Al of his own, and gave khem to his son. I'll
"a latter finished the record, and buried Il
"a whole in the hill Cumorah, being assure
i of God that in fourteen centuries, a gre
% Prophet should restore them to man. Sue
:. is the book, and Joseph's account of it,
70 On such testimony alone there is suffice
4 cause to reject it, the book itself containil
es abundant evidence of fraud.
xt Let us now glance at the opposing a
in count In the year 1912, a written wor
or called the Manuscript Found" was pr
a scented to Mr.. Patterson, bookseller
of Pittsburg, Penn, by the author, Rev. s.
he ONION Spaulding. This gentleman W
al born in Pennsylvania, was a graduate
h, Dartmouth College, and for many years
ne Presbyterian minister; he fell into b
r. health, left the ministry, and finally di
! 81 ba INc,,,.
in was written by Spaulding as a historic
Id romance to account for the settlement
b. America and he proposed to Mr. Pate
Id son to publish it with preface, giving
ne imaginary account of its having been tax
ty from the plates dug up in Ohio; but t
nd latter did not think the enterprise won
ne pay. Sidney Rigdon was then at work
the office of Mr.. Patterson; the latter di
in 1926, and what became of that copy
the manuscript is not known. Mrs. Spa1
\ ding had another complete copy; but
Is the year 1925, while residing in Onta
=, Co., n. Y, next door to a man nam
90 Stroude, for whom Joe Smith was then
US ging well, that copy was also lost. S
:. thinks it was stolen from her trunk. III
IL far all is clear, and there is no particu
Id discrepancy between the two accoun
but when the Book of Mormon" was pl
'e, lished, the widow and brother of Solom
N. Spaulding, and several other persons W
:. had heard him read his work, forthw
ST claimed that the new publication was ne
10. " identical with the "Manuscript Foun
varying only in certain interpolated te
III on doctrinal points. This claim was cir
to lated abroad, and caused Sidney Rigdor
write highly slanderous and abusive
las ter to the press in regard to Mrs. Spauldi
he Mormon historians say that Spauldin
book was a mere idolatrous romance, a
that the whole story is the invention
DIR. Philastus Hurlburt, who seeded fir
49, the saints in Ohio, and prosecuted"
* Smith in various ways The widows {
U.s., brothers statement is supported by the
~ idence of Mr.. Joseph Miller, ST., now
'ht Washington CO., Penn, who had of
oa. heard Spaulding read his work; by t
r. NJ DaJ;cE Mckee who cor,,,o,I,- Roo