Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-04-29
BRIEF HISTORY 0E MORMON
ISL.
breckenridge \tW5,

I
wife of u drunken and idle farmer
named Smith was bora Il son, who
was christcnel Joseph. When this
son had attained the are Of ten, his
parents removed to Palmyra, in the
State Of New York, and after Il resi-
dcncc Of fur years, changed their
abode to Manchester, a town six
miles distant from Palmyra.
The reputation Of the members Of
this family was not of the best. On
the contrary, their roputc was Of the
worst. The men were idle, proli-
gllc and thicviSh; the women slal-
tcrnly and unchastc. OF schooling
the children had but little. Joseph.
the subsequent founder OF Mormon
ism, being scarcely able to read, and
could only write his name with
great difficulty and conspicuous illcg-
ibIlity. Combimcl-with his inhcri-
ted disposition to vagabondagc and
acquired cXpcrtncss as shCep-thicf.
! 'hc boy possessed an exceedingly
active and bright mind. Il wonderful
ly fertile Imagination, and marvc
Ous gift Of iaI SchUod. lie could lie
with all the case and rapidity Of Mr..
George Alfred Townsend but, being
wholly umcducatcd, could not clo.hc
his fabrica,iUns in such apparel Of
elegant language rs the latter. In
truth, Joe Smiths lies were compcll-
ed 10 80 barefoot in uncouth English
and wear the ragged garment Of fear
fully manglcd grammar. Yet TO say
idlcr and thief and reprobatc as hr
was, he possessed an instinct that
made him perpGtually long for rclig
iOus experience. Born of better par
rnis and reared amid purer SUR
rGunUingS and associations, with his
bright and original and active intel
lrct, he would have become eminent
/ / whatsoever calling he may have
elected 10 follow. As il was, he at.
lcndrd all the religious meetings
held in Manchester, and, one after
another. joined every denomination
IN the village. But his connect II
with any aud all of them was OF
brief duration. Ills adhesion was
always swiftly followed by cXpul.
sion. Thus he progressed until the
spring of 1922, when, having rum the
gauntlet Of all the churches in his
ncighborhood, lac bctook him TO the
woods "Io mediate and pray" as he
subsequently declared, but in rcali-
~ to hide from thos1 who wished to
hire him TO work.
According to his own story, on the
evening Of the 9th Of June, in the
year mentioned above, he was visited
in the secret place in the forest that
served at this closet Of prayer, by an
angel. who comfortcd him greatly.
The sccoud angelic visitation occur
red on the Dist of September follow
ing, and in his room at the house of
his parents. The heavenly mcsscn-
ger assured him that his prayers had
been heard and his sins forgiven;
that the convcnant God had made
with ancient Israel was about TO be
fulfilled: : that the preparatory work
for the second coming Of the Mes
Siah was TO be speedily commenced !;
that the time had arrived, when
preaching Of the Gospel to all ma
tiUns was TO begin: and that God
had selected him (Smith) as the in
strulncnt to bring about His purpose
in this glorious dispensation. Three
several times did the angel, who pro-
claimed himself to be Gabriel, visit
him that night, counscling and in
structing him. and finally informed
him where he would find some plates
deposited on which were inscribed
the records Of the ancient prophets
that had existed on the American
, continent. That place of deposit
was on the west side of Il hill, not
far from the summit, about four miles
from Palmyra, in the county of On
tario, and near the mairoad leading
from the place Manchester. The am
gel commanded him to 90 and view
them, which he did, but was yet not
holy enough to be intruS;cd with
their care.
From that time until the - Of
September, 1927, nc was under the
constant instructions Of Gabriel, at
which date the archangel pronounce
ed him holy enough TO be instrustcd
with the sacred plates. They were
of Il peculiar white metal, thinner
than tin, fifty in number, and bound
together by three rings, making "A
volume about six inches in thickness
a part of which was sealed. III
characters, letters, or hireoglyphicS
upon the unsealcd part were SIN ]
and beautifully engraved. They rep
resented an unknown language
which Smith dcnominatcd the re-
formed Egyptian. Along with the
plates was n curious instrument which
Smith designated as "Urim and
Thummin," consisting Of two trans
parent stones set on the rim of bow
fastened to breastplate. BY means
of these stone spcctacles God enabled
him to understand and translate the
ancient records into such English as
Smith, now through much holiness
become II "Prophct Of God" was mas
ter of.
These records contained what pre-