The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-10-23
THE MORMON BOOK.
One os the ROmanees Of Eraud-An
Old StsrY

VRG 3LSA
, The report that the "Book {
Mormon" has actually been foun'
will be received with general an,
justifable incredulity. TINS social
ed 'faith" has long been affirmed tc
: be little better than an ilIiterat
travesty of a novel, written by one
Solomon Spa ulding.
If the report that the manuscript
has at last come to light prove well
founded, all surmises on the matte,
are likely to be set at rest, though
Of Course, the Mormons will not be
backward III asserting the document
TO De forgery, just as they declare
Solomon Spauiding to have been
what, in the vernacular Of Utah, is
expressively termed "a fraud.
They will continue to repeat the
wondrous tale of how Soseph Smith
the prophet, received from ian
angel the golden plates on which
WAS written, in language described
as reformed Egyptian" the rev.
elation on which he founded d new
religion" The basis of the ram
bling narrative IS sufficiently absurd,
resting as it does on the assumption
that tie North American Indians
are the descendants of certain bad
Hebrews, Who migrated at some un-
known period to what are improve
in their new home, and, finally, in
the year 384 A. D., a decisive con-
fiet took place at the hill Cumorab,"
IN Western New York, in which the
'EEcphites," or Christians-who
seemed to have obtained a direct
revelation Oftheir faith-were near
Iy annihilated'
But even the Palmyra people
were justifiably incredulOus upon
hearing that this Joe Smith claimed
to by the latest of thest messengers.
They we're still more crit c.ll when
Smiths own father and his tw"
brothers appeared among the author
tiles for his statenants, since these
relations Of his had long been sus-
pected Of saeep stealing and other
nefarioss practices.
These illus,riuus witnesses all de
c.a.ud, Nith ous voice, mat they
had seen tue golden plates. Ih"us
ands Of other people demanded the
same privilege but they have not W
to the present date been successful.
All We are told is thNt S.niltl, nol
being much of a scholar sat be
hind blanket screen, and BY the
aid of his "U.im and Thumin" die,
tated 70 Oliver Gowdcrey, his trans
lator Of the golden n'ates. After
this. the s4crod manuscripts, forum
utoy disappeared.
But if the skei i we're ipcreju>
D. OF Smiths story, they were still
aore inclined to 5colf when they
.cad ,4e Book oi Mo mon,7 and
.,und Caiviuism, UuiyersaIism,
Me;Aodism and Roman Catholicism
freely refer red to BY prophet
" % wrote ia the Ash ccnturYl In
ant baptism was condemned, an"
-, strange 10 say, were Dolygamy
>ud commemorative were jusl
men beginning to arouse some am
..la,.vcrsion among the more ignorant
,!as~es IN the United SIates. Then
came 2 fresh revelation, i'll the s ape
i llc assertion. which was 'nade y
..-nres of pe2pie, thar the whoio
.ory (,ho Bibiicai plsFage interPO-
ted alone eXcepted) was mere
roc Of 4 novel written by Solo
I'm Sl.auldiug, \ local preacher amt
t:.rksnith, vino had died some -
ears before. Spauldiug seems to
ave bren imaginative, and to have
been Impressed with the craze, more
rent then than now, that the
indians were the direct descendants
the "iust tribes"
The Book of Mormon" is curl
a.. medley OF decent grammar
mixed with ungrainmatical passages
hat bear The appe rance of having
cen interpclated by -. other hand.
Ihe theory Is, therefore. that the
!iterate peics, aud the work Of
smith. viii the basis Of the book is
{ work of Spauldung, who was a
man of some education. But 1t has
avs been rs diEcult u Confirm
this assumption b., a sight u Sp .uld
= tory by ali exalnin2l'on 4 th'
.oiuen la'es
l. will be we'll, Therefore, not K
depeid too irnpi city on tbs eircuH-
SANTA! account of the discovery
. II the SgauiIlug aiauuacripr S.
n4uv - tere.ts are osuud up @,tl
I t.,g notor Gus doeu:ncnt that it i
more taaa probable tAat the re