Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-09-23
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Elder Andrew Jensen Gives Discourse
ON the Bool, Of Mormon.

Elder Andrew Jensen Gives Discourse
ON the Book Of Mormon.
The afternoon session OF the Ensign
stake conference convened In the tab
eInacle, President r.. W. Young pre-
siding. Elder Andrew Jensen gave
an interesting discourse upon the
coming forth Of the Book OF Mormon
and cited historical facts TO prove its
authenticity. Tho choir sang. Praise
We the Lord "Lo IN Cumorah's lonely
hill a sacred record lies concealed
and the "Hallelujah Chorus" Elders
V. L. Halliday and John Henry Smith
led IN the invocation and benediction
respectively.
Elder Jensen spoke first OF the early
manifestations that yere given to the
Prophet Joseph Smith and related
many incidents which attended the
translating ana publication OF the
Book OF Mormon. Eighty years ago
today" said the speaker, took place
an event that VIC may say has turned
the world upside down. on that
memorable day stood two personages
on the hill Cumorah. one an angel Of
God. the other a farmer boy only p
We RS OF age. on that occasion the
angel Of the Lord delivered to this boy
a record which has become universally
known throughout the civilized world.
IL has been rejected by many; Il has
been accepted by many; and those who
have accepted Il value 10 more than
any other book that has been produced
I'm the nineteenth century. II makes
connecting link between a very early
day and the present generation. When
the angel appeared TO the boy prophet
continued the speaker. The told him
that this record contained a history OF
the original inhabitants OF this land,
the history OF the North American In
dians. and above all that ii contained
the gospel-the fulness Of the gospel
OF Jesus Christ"
The speaker referred briefly 20 the
coming forth OF the Book OF Mormon.
and its publication from time TO time
till 10 was printed In many different
languages and widely circulated. II IL
estimated that more than 500 0O0
copies OF the book have been sold.
MANY TRANsLATIONs.
The Book Of Mormon has been pub
lished as follows. -Four editions In
the Danish language. French. German
tsiX cditiousD. It1lian, Welsh. Hawaiian
1.-TWO editious), Swedish 1.-TWO editionsl,
Dutch. Maori. Spanish. Samoan. Tia
hitIan Turkish. Japanese. 90 has been
translated into other languages but not
yet ready for the press. The speaker
related the result OF Investigations he
had made ga regard 10 the three witt
nesses and the eight witnesses, ana
he read numerous statements from the
children and grandchildren OF these
witnesses which proved that they never
denied the statements they made in
regard 10 the Book of Mormon.
Elder Jonson then called attention 10
the historical Importance Of the Book
OF Mormon. referred to the period OF
time which IL covers I'm the history Of
this western land. and related many
traditions which have hren HANDED
down Tor generations which corrObOrate
the historical data given IN the Book OF
Mormon. The Spaniards, On conqueIiug
Mexico. destroyed most OF the Aztec
records. but from "a few fragments
which have been preserved much light
has been perpctuated The speaker re-
ferred 90 many traditions held by the
Indians of America which prove their
origin 20 be- CAS- stated in thc Book ~
Mormon. ln "a work written by q.
Cotton and published ln London iu 1888.
mention B. made OF the tradition held
by the Indians OF Mexico that "a book
was once Ia the possession OF tholr an
cestors which told them that The Great
their fathers. that angels once talked
with them. that AN the Indian tribes
descended ftom one man Who had ~
sons. The Indians also believe that
the spirit Of prophecy and manifesto
lions of the spirit which thnir ancestors
oncc enjoYed would some day be zee
stored 90 them. ANA chat they would zee
cover the book WAich bad go long
been lost. ln addition to tnc numerous
traditions of the Indians 90 which the
speaker referred. Do quoted from Nurl-
ODDS writer's to show chat There are
many customs ANA parts of cero morins
which Jed even those writer's iu htirfe