The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-01-26
The Rise Of M0rm0nism.

1t is a generation since some oi
the facts connected with the early
history of Mormomism have been
often rehearsed, and it may be ol
interest to recall them, now that the
subject is again so prominently be-
fore the public. Brigham Young
and Joe Smith are names familiar
to every one, but Solomon Spalding
is not SO well known, though un-
Willingly he played very important
part in the production of the So
called Mormon revelations. He was
native of Ashford, Conn, born in
176I, graduated at Dartmouth Col
lege. was ordained as q minister,
though, after few years, for some
reason he relinquished the profess
sion, and went into business in
Western New York, and subsequent
ly in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In
business he seems to have been sue
cessfnl, but continued to retain a
strong propensity to literary pur-
suits. He wrote several rOmances,
and among the number one which
he entitled The Manuscript Found"
which he seems to have regarded as
his best, and which, among his
friends he claimed would, when pub
lished, give him money enough to
pay the debts, which, unfortunately,
he had contracted. Indeed the pay
ment Of these seems to have been in
part the main spring of his ambition
in writing. But this Manuscript
Found" was q historical romance,
designated to connect the Aborigi-
nees of America with the lost tribes
of the children of Israel; a favorile
theory of his rs well as others. In
this book he did not attempt to give
historical evidence, but by the short
er cut of fictitious assertion, he pro-
ceeded to state the wanderings In the
old world, for seven or eight years, of
a certain Israelish family, which left
Jerusalem in the days OF King Zede-
kiah, about six hundred years before
Christ. He follows them journeying
Eastward, till they come to the ocean,
then cmbarks them up the Pacific,
lands them ON the Western coast of
America, and then recounts the sub
sequeut settlement and history
of their descendants. This gs:e
him an opportunity to account for
races more recently found here, as
well as for the structures, ruins, and
burial mounds existing in various
parts of The Continent. All this was
written in the old Jewish style, in
imitation of the Bible; was COM
prised in various books, and pur-
ported to be by various authors, the
same as our Scriptures. The pre-
tense was that the manuscript had
been found in q Western Cave, deci-
phered, and hence the name he
adopted for the whole. In 1913 this
volume was advertised In the news
papers az about to be published, and
it was said it would contain transla-
tion the of Book of Mormon" which
was name he adopted for one OF
his separate books. The whole man
uscript, it eeems, was sent to print
ing Office in Pittsburgh, where it re-
manned some time, waiting for its
author to raise tho necessary funds
to publish il. He failed to do this,
however, and in that form the book
never saw the light. But man in
the Office, who subsequently, figured
in the history, becoming interested
in the manuscript, made copy. His
doing so was well known to all in
the office, and often mentioned by
himself. This was Samuel Rigdon,
who soon after left his business of
printing, and began TO preach, niak-
ing prominent certain peculiar views
of his own.
Spalding died not long after, but
Rigdon subsequently became ac-
quaintcd with Joe Smith, who,
though possessed OF hardly education
enough to read or write intelligibIy,
knew well how TO avail himself Of
the work OF others, and had shreWd
ness, energy, and enthusiasm enough
to carry out his plans. The story
of his claim to having communi-
cation from the angel who told him
where to find this sacred book, and
the magic stones which he callsd his
".Urirn and Thunmin," looking
through which be would be enabled
to read the mysterious writing, is
familiar. Also, how he went in obe-
dience TO the command, found the
book with the. golden leavefs and, sit
ting behind curtain lest profane
eyes should desecrate it, read and
translated the contents for an aman-
uansis, who sat outside to take down
his words. But during all this time
Rigdon was his colaborer, and was
| far more familiar with Scripture
than he. The two were able to weave
into Spalding's manuscript many pa
ges not originally there; also to
change many which 1t did contain !;
yet they did not essentially alter the
main structure of the narrative, as
was abundantly manifest by c0mpar-
ing their "Book of Mormon" with
the original copy of Spalding's book,
which Mrs. Spalding retained. They
did add. however, such doctrines and
religious teachings "a suited them
selves. But &mong them was
not the doctrine of PolygamY
but quite the contrary, as is evi'
dent from passages such as the
following FROM the Mormon Bible :.
"For behold, thus saith the Lord,
this people begin to wax in iniquity /;
they understand not the Scriptures !;
for they seek to excuse themselves
in committing whoredOms, because
of the things that are written con-
cerning David and Solomon lis son.
Behold, David and Soloman had
many wives and concubines, which
thing was abominable before me,
saith the Lord. Wherefore, thus
saith the Lord, l have led this people
forth out of Jerusalem, by the power
of mine arm, that l might raise up
unto me righteous branch from the
fruit of the loins of Soseph. Where
fore /, the Lord God will not suffer
that this people shall do like unto
them of old. Wherefore, NY breth-
ren, hear me, and hearken unto the
word of the Lord; for there shall
not any man among you have, save it
be one wife, and concubines he shall
have nonc." But notwithstanding
such commands, abundant provision
was made fof any modification Of
this or other doctrine which subse-
quent feelings or events should
make desirable. 1t was express
lv said of Smith that he had
been appointed "seer, translator,
prophet, apostle of Jesus Christ, and
elder of the Church." and "the
Church shall give heed TO all his
,yords and commandments which he