The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-11-04
JOE SMITH. HIS PRETENDED REVE-
IATION AND THE PRESENT SAINT.
How Converts arc Made and E'Iccccu
a Religion Founded Upon Il Stolen
Romance.
Correspondence of the Timcs-Democrat.
SALT LAKE, Oct. %. 1882.

In population of $4,000 the Nor
mons claim 10000. Perpaps 10 pc,
cent Of this latter number are Mormons
in faith, who do not believe in polyg-
amy. They believe that Joe Smiths
pretended srevelation'' commanding
plural marriage IVES q fraud, or that it
was device to cover his immoralities,
for at that time he w:s keeping hotel
at Nauvoo, ILL.,, and had cne wife and
three mistresses.
In half a century the Mormon Churcl,
has grown from half dozen members
to over 100, 900. For it wcs on April
6, 1880, in Fayette, Seneca county, n.
", that Joseph Smith, his brother
Hiram, and four others organized this
peculiar and skillful sect. 1t is q
tumble of several ssism's'' Paganism,
Judaism, J Mohamedanism, Jesuitisn,
ProtestantIsm, etc. From Paganism
comes its idea of God, b: sed on Poly
theism. They not only believe in a
multiplicity of gods, but that each
Mormon will be a god in the next
world, and that his dominion will be
commensurate with the number of
wives and children he has in this
world. From Judaism they get their
theory of priesthood and political power;
about two of every six are officers in
the church: there are two high council
ors or advisers to the president, -
apostles, so patriarci,s, 1860 seventies,
3241 high priest, 96l5 elders, 1917
priests, 1916 teachers and 2997 deacons
There are about 500 missionaries
scattered throughout this country and
in Europe. They receive no salary
and pay their expenses. These mis-
sionaries find their victims among the
poorest, most ignorant and the dis
satisfied classes, especially.
IN ENGLAND AND WALES.
They preach the Bible and call it
When the immigrant
reaches the promised land of Utah, the
Bible is stored in the background, and
the Book of Mormon takes its place.
The immigrant is sold 60 acres of land,
or more, if he can cultivate it. He
pays three or four times the govern
ment price, then his passage is charged
up to him-at increased rates, with
interest; his supplies are from the
Mormon cooperative store, where
MOrmOns zanst trade, in order to shut
out Gentle competition. lie gets
these at credit prices-with interest;
anu .hen gi.es the Church 10 per
cent of his gross earnings. When all
these debts are paid the poor convert
is old, decrepit and about to yield up
the ghost for Il less cxacting, if not a
better world.
The Mormon bible is plagiarism
from pretty romance. 1t is to the
Saints what the Koran is to the Mahom-
mcdans, and the books are said to be
similar. Joseph Smith, the inspired
translator, was bold plagiarist even
more so than some of the modern
dramatis's. He adapted passages in
Genesis, treating state ;ments in the
life of Joseph so as to refer to prophet
called Joseph, who should come forth
in the latter days. This referred to
himself. He even had the audacity to
reWrite Christ's sermon on the Mount,
put it in his book, and make it appear
that he was the de.iverer of it. lie
pretended that he wrote the book while
inspired, and f'om reformed Egyptian
). His writings consisted
Of all kinds of crooked characters in
columns, Greek and Hebrew letters,
CROSSE and .Hourishes, Roman letters
inverted and place sideways, some in
columns, the whole end
ing in Il rude circle, divided into COM
partmen+s, and evidently copied from
the Mexican calendar given by Hum
boldt, but in such a way ss not to
betray the theft. Smith says special
from Heaven in the shape
of a white robed angel told him where
the plates containing the Egyptian
could be found, and that
by the aid of two Opaque stones with
magic power, he could see through the
whole business and translate the
Chinese wash-bill characters.
THE PROPHET JOE
thus rolnances: "-About the year 600
3. c. some of the descendants of the
tribe of Joseph (the original with the
colored coaD came IS colonists from
Palestine across Behring's Straits into
the home of the brave.
They were laid by Nephi and Laman.
By grabbing up a.! the lands and
water rights these tribes
became rich. and We're known as
Nephites ana Lamanites. The latter
Nephites were agriculturists, and be-
came good citizens but the Lamanites
where Of that class who could not
stand prosperity, and lapsed into
The descendants of the
Lamanites changed color and became
Indians. So it will be seen that what
is left of poor Lo hss a record, even
though it be a fictitious one. But tho
Nephites We're highly favored of the
Lord, enjoying visitations from His