The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-09-05
BRIGHAM YOUNG.

ING 10 his death is so intense, that we
will give a short sketch of Mormonism
and this man, whose wonderful ability
must be acknowledged when we con-
slider the difficulties through which he
has carried the people ofwhom he was
leader. The founder of Mormonism,
Joseph Smith, was, also, a Vermont
er, born in 1905. His parents remov-
ed to New York state, and when about
Is Smith professed to have received
his first religious impressions. lie
processes to have then examined into
the claims of the various existing de-
nominations, and to have discovered
such confusion and contradiction
among them, that he turned from all
of them in disgust. Then it was that
he determined to put in practice the
advice of st. James: "lf any man
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who
giveth to all men literally and up
braideth not, and it shall be given to
him." Accordingly he retired to ase-
cret place in grove, and began to
call upon the Lord. He declares that
he was then favored with a heavenly
vision, and informed that all existing
religious denominations we're false,
and he was promised another visitation
in which the Gospel of truth in all its
fullness would be reveled to him. The
promise of this second vision Smith
alleged to have been fulfilled in Sept
1928, when the Messenger Of God
told him where there were buried
some golden plates upon which was
written what is now called the "Book
of Mormon" Mormon, from whom
the sect take their name was represent
cd to be the last of n pretended line
of Hebrew prophets. This is Smiths
account of the origin of the sect.
There is, however, another very diff
ferent account, and we were surprised
that the Springfield Republican should
pretend to have recently presented
something new, when it declared the
foundation of the Book of Mormon
to have been a romance written by
one Solomon Spaulding, since every
student at all familiar with the history
of Mormonism knew that such was
probably the fact.
Spaulding was graduate of Dart
mouth College, and wrote a romance
purporting to be an account of the
Lost Tribes of Israel, who were rep
rooontod nc having wondered to Amor
lea, and having become the ancestors
of the aborigines. The identity OF
Spaulding's book with the Book of
Mormon was supported by the aflida-
Wits of several persons Of undoubted
veracity, who had seen the manu-
script of Spaulding, and afterward
examined the Book of Mormon.
This manuscript fell into the hands
of Smith, and upon it he founded his
denomination. The first church was
organized at Manchester, N. Y,
April, 1880, and here began one OF
the most remarkable histories ever
presented in the annals of religion.
The sect were so prosecuted that
they removed from Manchester to
Missouri, where they remained foul
years, land from thence to Nauvoo, ILL.,.
a spot Smith had selected for his New
Jerusalem. Here his followers, who
now numbered several thousand, com.
menced in April, 1871, to erect dwell
ings, public edificcs, and q temple Of
large and imposing dimensions. Ii
two years time numerous commune
ty assembled there, a city gradually
arose many missionaries were sem
forth to proclaim the new faith; jour
mails were established; and the Nor
mon community attained a degree o
prosperity which justly excited the as
constituent, while it provoked the hos
tility and resentment of the genera
public. At that period Nauvoo con
} tanned fifteen thousand inhabitants
But success rendered them quarrel
some, and hostile factions arose anon,
themselves. Smith was shot by
: mob, and Brigham Young, who ha
formerly been Baptist clergyman
but had joined the society in Ohio an
4 rapidly risen to distinction, wa
r chosen president. This remarkabl
: man, when public opinion would n
: longer allow his people to remain
e Illinois, led 1000 of them across IL
s plains to the promised land" in Utal
: when in the beautiful and fertile vale
e of the great Salt Lake he founded
! city, built up community, numberir