The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-28
AMONG THE BOOKS
Story of the MOrmOns Reviewed
by Kate Stephens.
New History Of This Famous
Sect in America.
AN ADMIRABLE WORK.
Author, Mr.. Linn, Formerly
Editor of New York Post.
Largest and Best Presentation
of MOrmOnism Yet Printed.

Co. ls9A Up XIV oot'
The nineteenth century, called by
some writer's living within 1t the cen.
fury of the humane sentiment openeo
upon the exploiting OF human selll - -.
and military devotion by Napoleon
Bonaparte. The primary end OF lhls
gascOnader was -SelhshnesS-tO e1dtl
himself, to further his amDluon- ms
reasonings were those of the Jesull
casufsts-no matter about the means,
gain the end The nineteenth century
closed upon the exploiting OF human
sacrifice and human labor by CeclI
RhOdes-tO further his personal amt
ton. to have men call him empire
builder" In between the dynamic
selhshness and audaciOus aggrandlze-
ment OF Bonap arte and Rhodes llFed
Joe Smith and Brigham Young. In
moral equipment all these four men
We're close brothers. They all traded
upon the love of the average huma0 TO
herd, and to surrender individuality 70
the cOnbustible enthusiasm OF tHe
crowd hypnotized by designing leaders.
All four lied. They all crushed out OF
the human beings they eWayed inner
parts of their nature When public sem
timent grows to greater moral stature
this viii be the judgment-no matter
what the mems pretences or Faunllhsss
But Smith and Young are the whittier,
not only because their devastation and
murder were less. but because they
united a species of genuinely humor-
GUS Barnum Quackery along with
bloody rapine
Joseph Smith, the founder, prophet,
president and general of the Mormons'
was born in Vermont Early in his life
his family moved to Palmyra, New
York From their own and other evil
dences they seem to have been dirty.
idle shiftless, Vagrant lot. talking OF
and considering the significance Of their
dreams. and digging here and there and
many places in the fair earth about
them for buried treasure-Captain
Kids, Indians and others 1t turned
out that when Joe, the budding prophet,
was fourteen years old he became pos
sessed of an egg-shaped stone. By put
ting the stone in hat, and his face
close to the rim of the crown, ne pro-
fessed to tell not only where lost things
were. but various other occult mys
teries. It was the method of the crys-
tai gazing" familiar these thousands of
years. and among most races. Joe and
his family called the thing his peek
stone. Even in his youth the prophet
hated wOrk-for his own hands, not for
others and preferred picking up chance
quarters and dollars by clap-trap and
appeal to peoples superstitious rather
than by any honest toll 1t is a most
striking fact that the noble things we
call character and intelligence do not
enter the makeup of present day found
ers Of religious enthusiasms- ''Jump-tO-
Glory Jane" is a fair type of them all
Joseph could barely read and could not
write English.
The peek-stone revelations went on
for years, not only in Palmyra but in
the new field of Susquehanna county.
Pennsylvania where the readers char
acter was less known At that time a
rumor was afiOat of the finding of a
gold Bible in Canada. Joseph went the
story one better and announced the un-
covering Of golden plates containing a
new Bible. They had lain hidden in a
hill near Palmyra. Later on Joe dis
covered an angel from heaven had an
nounced the find, not his peek-stOne.
The glory and effulgence of these prec-
ious plates were reserved for the eyes
of the seer alone. He translated them
(they were in characters never before
seen by mem to a scribe who sat the
other side of a curtain.
Where did the prophet get the mat
ter of the Book of Mormon" To an
swer needs reference to two biographies
solomon 6paulding graduated at Dart
mouth in 1885, and afterWard studied
divinity and had charge of a church.
But Spaulding had the Yankee temper
ament of fitting the hand to more than
one business. and after sundry expert
ments became an iron founder in Ohio
His interest in the ancient mounds of
mis- new neighborhoOd. with hls love Of
dwelling upon history of other DAYS
led him to imaginative writings upon
the early races of our country This
manuscript he took to Pittsburg for
publication. and upon failing in the
end he sought, he lent the COPY to Sid
ney Rigdon. who was then filling the
pulpit of a small church in Pittsburg
OF the manuscript Rigdon. 1t was ac-
knowledged, made a transcript.
Where all this matter hinges on ignor-
ant Joe Smiths fortune is that Rigdon
and Smith became intimate about the
time Of the publication Of the Mormon
book. Rigdon was disanected toward
his old church associates. He was
popular and persuasive exhorter of
those times. The Book of Mormon is
doubtless the story of Spaulding plus
the theological vagaries Of Rigdon It's
putting out into the world is due to the
holiness. audacity and efrontery of
Smith himself 1t was a Barnum like
appeal to the superstition and credulity
of his day. 1t was an instance of the
sort Abraham Lincoln had in mind
when he spoke Of "fooling some the
people all the time" No one at the in
ception of the tremendous farce foresaw
the great results evident even within a
year Smith had got bigger peek
stone than he had bargained for. and
for many years he had to keep Rigdon
and to take other astute helpers to con-
ceal nus fraud. The book was published
In 1890 when Smith was twenty-four
Years old A man who helped set the
type said the manuscript had mo para
graphs, no punctuation. no capitals %
4ae title page of the first edition
---t1AAi@ea the DOCK as by joseph
smith, Junior. author and PROPRIETOR -
But the faith of the saints Of latter days
IN Joseph's revelations and prophecies
mas changed this declaration to trans
lated by joseph Smith"
10 understand the credence such a
crudity as Mormonism gained almost at
once we must recall the spiritual con-
uIons or the thinly settled states of the
west at that time. and how far they
We're shut off from the movement of the
world. During the first third of the last
century the religious Authorizations. en-
thuslasms and excesses of the frontier
We're OF so extraordinary a character
tnaf they excited comment and discus
sion even in their own time The com
ing then Of the last new ism was not
unlike the advent today of the last
new play
Success following Rigdon's PROSECUTING
~ ohteA and Smith being without honor