The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-31
"THE BOOK OF MORMON

Joseph Smith established at the time OF this
publication, have read this curious history of
ancient America, the following brief sum-
mary is offered, that the nature of this Nor
mon Bible, SO often misrepresented, may be
understood without the labor Of reading its
entire mass of dull and aften absurd
matter It comprises fifteen books, as fol-
lows
The First Book of Nephi
The Second Book of Nephi
The Book of Jacob, Brother of Nephi.
The Book of Enos.
The Book of Jarom.
The Book of Omni.
The Words of Mormon.
The Book Of Mosiah, to which are added
the Records of Zeniff.
The Book of Alma, Son of Alma.
The Book of Helaman.
The Book of Nephi, Son Of Nephi, who was
the son of Helaman.
The Book of Nephi, Son of Nephi, one of
the disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Book of Mormon.
The Book of Ether.
The Book of Moreni.
After the confusion of languages at
Babel, the Jaredites crossed the ocean
in eight ships, and, landing on the coast
Of North America, built cities, and
became a great nation. But, falling from
godliness, the whole people was destroyed
about six hundred years before Christ. Their
prophet Ether wrote their annals, and hid
the history, written on plates, for the infor-
nation of the finder.
A party of Israelites from the tribe of
Joseph left Jerusalem in the reign of Zede-
kiah, followed the Red Sea and the continent
to the ocean, and then sailed eastward to
.he coast of South America, peopled the
country and soon became divided into two
factions, styled, from the names of their
leaders, Nephites and Lamanites. The first
were righteous and suffered persecution at
the hands Of the wicked Lamanites, but, like
the Puritans, emigrated to free land, CON-
ing to the northern part of South America,
where God blessed them for their upright
ness, and prospered them exceedingly; while
their brethren, the Lamanites were left by
God to the evil devices of their own hearts,
and their white skins grew dark under His
curse
In the eleventh year of the reign of Zede-
kiah, few of the tribe of Judah came to
North America, and, travelling towards the
centre, were, after four centuries, discovered
by the Nephites who found them a large
tribe of ignorant people, who had no
records, and had utterly lost their former
civilization. They are called, in the Book of
Mormon, Zarahemla. Acting as missionaries,
the Nephites converted, and entered into an
alliance with, Zarahemla; and together they
built ships on the Isthmus of Darien, and
sent colonists along the coast northward.
Others went overland and in few hundred
years North America was repeopled. The
Book of Ether, with the history of the Jared
ties, was recovered.
At the crucifxion of Christ, the Nephites,
who were fallen away from the law, were
punished by earthquakes and terrible up
heavals, which destroyed many; but the sur
vivors saw Christ after his ascension. Then
the law of Moses was done away with, the
gospel substituted, and twelve disci Piles chosen
as apostles. The Lamanites and Nephites
were converted; but hardly four GEN.
turies passed away before they again
became corrupted, and war broke ont
between the inhabitants of the two
continents. The Nephites were driven
northward; and while the remnant of the
nation was encamped around the hill of Gu
morah, some two hundred miles west of
Albany, the Lamanites came upon them, and
destroyed nearly all. Mormon and his son
Meroni, being righteous men, survived; and
after completing the record hid it in the hill
OF Cumorah, where, after fourteen centuries,
Heaven revealed it to Joseph Smith. From
the Lamanites sprung the American Indians
There are many very amusing stories in
the Book of Mormon: and much of it is SIM
ply copy of the prophecies of Isaiah and
other Jewish prophets. The ships in which
the early fugitives crossed the ocean were
maze somewhat on tne principle OF
snbmarine rams, with hole at the
op, and another at the bottom, for ventila-
tion, when either top or bottom was not sub
merged. These arks did not carry the extern
sive freight Noah was obliged to take on
board. In the words of Ether, the vessels
''were small; and they were light upon the
water-even unto the ightness of a fowl
upon the water; and they were built after q
mann er that they were exceedingly tight-even
that they would hold water, like unto a dish
and the bottom thereof was tight, like
unto dish; and the sides thereof were tight
like unto dish; and the ends thereof were
peaked and the top thereof was tight, like
unto dish; and the length thereof was the
length of tree; and the door thereof, when
it was shut, was like unto dish. And
the Lord said unto the brother of Jared
Behold, thou shalt makesa hole in the tor
thereof, and also in the bottom thereof; and
when thou shalt suffer for air, thou shalt un
stop the hole thereof, and receive air. And
ii il be so that the water come in upon thee
behold, ye shall stop the hole thereof, tha
ye may not perish in the food" A luminous
stone at each end of the ship gave light dur
ing the three hundred and forty-four days thu
voyage to America lasted.-Old aAdNeCo .f0l
'eeptem6er.
SoANDINAvIANs FOR MAINE.-Maine has nov