Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-30

cordlng 10 the Mormon" belief, as
understand Il, the spirits Ne dead
who have died In sin can aved II
their friends who are in tDl Church
will be baptized In their stead in the
Temple here, and they, the dead, ac-
cept the gift OF salvation from the
Lord Mrs Smith says as many as
ZOO dead per week are being so bap-
tiled by proxy at the present time. II
Is also possible for woman. while
alive In this world, to have herself
sealed or married to some one who has
passed away for the next world.
suppose In this case the departed has
some right 10 say whether he will ac-
cept the consort thus sealed to him.
do not know.
THE MORMON" CREED.
The main principles Of the Mormon"
religion, outside matters like the above,
are not different from those OF other
faiths. They believe In God the Father,
Jesus Christ. His Son, and the Holy
Ghost. They believe In the atOnement
and in the forgiveness OF sins They
use the Bible and believe in 1t. but also
in the Book Of Mormon. They believe
Christ Will come again personally to
reign upon earth, and that this CONT
nent viii be the Zion Of the future
They believe also In the gift Of tongues,
in revelations, prophecies, the laying on
Of hands baptism, etc, etc.
The last three verses Of their creed
read as follows
I'VE claim the privilege of worship
ing Almighty God according to the
dictates Of our conscience, and allow
all men the same privilege, let them
worship how, where or what they may.
I'VE believe In being subject to
kings, presidents. rulers and magls-
trates, In obeyng, honoring and sus-
tanning the law.
I'VE believe in being honest true,
chaste, benevolent. virtuous, and In do
ing good 20 all men; indeed. we may
say that we follow the admonitlon Of
Paul, we believe all things, we hope
all things; we have endured many
things and hope to be able to endure
all things. II there is anything virtu-
Gus, lovely or Of good report or praise
worthy, we seek after these things"
JOSEPH SMITH AND THE BOOK OF
MORMON.
After leaving President Snow, his
secretary sent me book giving the
doctrines and covenants of the Church,
and also one entitled "Reminiscences Of
Joseph the Prophet" In the latter |
find a picture OF Joseph Smith and a
fac smile Of one of the pages of the
gold plates of the Book OF Mormon
Joseph Smith according to this, was
born In 1905, In Windsor county. Yer
mont When he was d boy his father
moved 10 Palmyra, n. Y, and IL was
there that he had his first vision. When
he was seventeen years old he had an
other vision, in which he saw the Lord,
and when he was twenty-five, accord.
ing to this Mormon" belief, he dis
covered the golden plates on which
were printed the Book OF Mormon. He
translated these by means Of pair OF
diamond spectacles,. called the Trim
and Thummim, by looking through
which he was able TO understand and
dictate the English of the strange char
acters. Upon the basis OF this and his
revelations he founded the Mormon
Church in 1880, and fourteen years
later. while acting as its leader, was
killed by mob In the Jail at Carthage.
No,
The gold plates referred to came from
hill about thirty miles from Roches-
ter. N. Y. They were given to the
Prophet by an angel They were about
as thick as tin plates. and this book
says they were pure gold and weighed
forty pounds. II this is so they would
now be worth about $4,000. The plates
were fastened together on rings, and
the diamond spectacles were with
them. Each plate was covered with
characters and the whole Of them
made the Book of Mormon, a volume
OF 623 pages now about equal with the
Bible as a holy book OF the Mormon
Church. II has been translated into
fifteen different languages.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.