Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-19

his gift Of translation. But we have q
better description Of the manner OF
translation than that given by Whit.
mer or Harris In the course Of trans
lation Oliver Cowdery became desrous
TO translate, and In a revelation he
Lord promised him that power.
Yea, behold ! VIII tell you q. O. the
interpretation In your mind, aAd On
your heart by the Holy Ghost which
shall come upon you, and which shall
dwell IN your heart Oliver made th-
attempt to translate ana failed where.
upon the Lord in subsequent revell.
ton gave this as the reason Of his tail
ure. Behold you have not understood,
you have supposed that / would give e
g. o. the translation unto you, when
you took no thought save 1t was to ask
me; but. behold, say unto you that
you must study II out In your mind
then you must ask me II II be right,
and IL II is right ! wlii cause that y)ur
bosom shall burn within you, therefore
YOU shall feel that II is right but II 1t
he not right, you shall have no such
feelings but you shall have st lDCr
Of tforght that shall cause YOU to for
get the thing which Is wrong; therefore
you carLot write that which is 0acred
save II be given You from me. '-(Doc.
and COW, Sections s and 80
THIS H. the Lords description NJ how
OllvCr could have translated had he
pCrseycred, and beyond question L is
the manner IN which Joseph Smith Ind
translate, This Is sufficient to estab-
llsh the fact that the CnhnoWp IS
speaking upon a subj ct with witch Inc
has bui a very slight aCquqintance,
and further ! may not enter irfo 1t
here, because OF the necessary limits
Of this article.
SECOND CRITICISM.
Having disposed OF the question re-
lating to translation, take up the Tn
known's second canon of criticism,
which he states In these terms
ANY book which processes to be a
divine revelation TO the people OF the
present time, and yet reveals nothing
which It does not appropriate from
some other book or sources Of knowl-
edge already IN the possession Of the
people, is spurious book
The Book Of Mormon reveals the fact
that there existed two great Civlliza-
lions on the American continent The
first was established by a colony which
left the valley Of the Euphratcs in very
ancient times, established themselves
in time grew to be great nation far
advanced IN civilization. This race
passed through all the vicissitudes in
Cident 10 national existence periods of
prosperity times Of disaster, periods of
great righteousness, when prophets
with their divine message Influenced
the people to keep the commandments
Of God, followed by long periods of
moral and spiritual depression and VI
timately suCcumbed to the fate which
ovcrtakes all nations that depart from
truth and righteousness, The second
civilization resulted from two colonies
which came from Judea; one led by
Lehi landing IN South America; the
other colony was led by Mulek, who
escaped from Palestine after the over
throw of Jerusalem by the Babylonians,
This colony landed In North America.
These colonies subsequently united and
formed one great nation. This nation,
like others, followed the beaten track
of the history Of other nations. In
periods of righteousness they advanced
in civilization. They had their pro-
phets, philosophers, statesmen, patriots,
traitors, and passed through all the eX-
perlences incident to national existence.
Their history is the poets moral of all
human tales;
This but the same rehearsal Of the past;
First freedom, and then glory--when
that fails,
Wealth, vice, --barbarsm at
last:
And history with all her volumes EAST
hath but one page!
After he had completed his ministry
I'm Judea, the resurreCted Messiah APP
peared among the Nephtes, this latter
nation in fulfllment OF his promise to
theiI fathers by the prophets, He an
nounced His divinity, taught them the
gospel, conferred divine authority upon
certain men whom He chose from
among them, authorized the establish
ment of the church for their instruc-
ton and development in righteousness
He taught them every moral truth
which lie had impaired to those living
on the eastern hemisphere. He full
filed all the prophecies relating TO Him
up to this point In the Jewish Scrip
lures, which their fathers had carried
with them from Jerusalem. He as
sured them OF the reality of life beyond
the grave. and, In a word, planted here
the whole system of truth which makes
for the salvation of men and is called
the fulness of the everlasting gospel
The book of Mormon gives a voice to
the ruined cities and half buried mon
uments upon this land Of America.
II confirms all the revealed truths
made known In the Jewish Scriptures,
in sustaining the truth. inspiration and
authenticity Of the Bible. the Book Of
Mormon is more valuable than a
thousand Rosetta Stones. II IS super
ior 20 all the clay tablet libraries found
IN old Babylon and Egypt; 1t is the
voice Of sleeping nations speaking as
from the dust of ages. bearing witness
10 the existence of God, the divinity
OF Messiah, and to the truth of the
Gospel as the power OF God unto sal
walton. II vindicates the justice OF God
in that It reveals the fact that He did
not leave untold millions of people to
perish on this Western hemisphere
witht 1t the knowledge of God and the
means OF salvation II banishes from
the minds Of men that narrow, seotar-
ian dogma OF an apostate Christendom
which undertakes to limit the word of