The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1900-10-12
Some Chips on MOrmunIsm.
Editor Herald and Nows:

NOW IL tho pcopio can draw in
thor minds from tho wardcrinns of
politics for whilo wo Will have that
say. | haVo locked upon Mormon
ISM Tor the past few years Will, much
wonder a'id surprise, and asked my
self the question, is il pnlt Of i'm.
pudcnce, ignorance, or is it intended
for malicious mischief on tho part of
the people Of Utah 10 send set of
50 called missionaries or ministers
down here IN our land Of Christcn.
dom where we havo Gods word in
all of it's purity, fullncss and sim
pllclty preached and taught by ihn
most ablcst divincs that tho world
| affords?
1t is simply preposteroas for us to
allow set Of people to como among
us dcnouncing our way of salvation
as taught in the different b,uncbes
of our Church, prouounciug it GIRO
neous and scattering their pernicious
doctrines among our people.
We blame tho ministers of the
gospel and other Christian leaders
for being SO leniant to those Mormon
elders. They should have been moro
severe from tho very beginning.
So long as we don't disaprrove or
openly denounco their doctrine. 80
long we will have them among US.
And by our silence shows not only TO
them, but also to the outside world,
that we tolerate instead Of disan.
prove their false teaching.
Strange, indeed it is, that so many
of our people are in perfect ignorance
as to tho origin Of Mormonism,
whence it came and what it teaches.
And still tho Mormons, under the
gulso Of ministers Of the gospel, are
canvassing our country, enjoying the
hospitality and receiving tho courto-
GUS attention Of many of our people,
and sowing thoir seeds Of heresay
that threatens the religious and So
cial life of our country.
Time and space forbids us enter
ing into full details of Mormonism.
But we will give q few outlines by
Rev. j. Is. Mahaffey under the title
of Alormonism exposed:
Mormonlsm WAS founded at Man
chester, N. Y, April 30, 1880, by
Joseph Smith. The reputation of
the Smith family is said to have been
of tho worst kind. They avoided
honest labor, were intemperate, un-
truthful and suspected Of sheep steal
ing and othor Offences. These ac-
cusations and generally denied by
Mormons, but Smith himself partly
admitted them. Smith was regarded
a fanatic, evon by the people of his
day, and rude sensual idea of re-
iiglon seems to have been mixed up
with his more carnal conduct. This
fact must be borne in mind as tho
clue to his real character. At op.
portuno timo he got possession Of an
unpublished work which afforded the
temptation Of his life. Accordingly
he professed to have had yisitatiops
by an angel from heaven while alone
in the woods, and that he was direct
ed to a spot where he found that
wonderful book Of Mormonism en-
graved on gold plates about 7 by s
inches, a little thinner than ordinary
tin and bound together by three
rings. Smith pretended that the
! book was engraved in an unknown
language; but by means of two little
transparent stones found with it, to
be used as spectacles, ho was enabled
to translate it into English.
Now for. the translation. Please
note carefully how it was done.
There is something very striking
about it. Smith says he had been
solemnly warned that no other eye
should over look upon the plates.
Accordingly he sat behind a blanket
hung across the room to keep the
sacred records from profano eyes and
read off to Oliver Cowdery, who
wrote down what tho invisible proph.
OF gave rs n translation, Smith him
self being, as he confessed, but q
poor writer. Please remember:
While the translation was going on
Smith must hide behind blanket to
! keep The sacred records from pro.
/