The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-06
LIVES OF THE ILLUsTRIoUs. >

That il is Il fair proposition to state
that the Mormon people should have
other estimates of the character of tho
| founders of their church, and he works
of these men, aside from those placed
| upon both by proponents Of both, is n
fact undcniablc in reason. With that
lusilflablc idca i'm mind we present the
Following, taken from ''Bivcs of the
lllustrious, y volume >. page 23o;
In person Joseph Smith was OF COM
| mandlng appearance. tall and well pro-
portoncd, HIS talents were debased by
me IN, mGanneSs OF his purposes, They were
stances OF his life. No Impartial man can
deny that they were OF no common or
der, The skin with which he carried out
his lmposture and eludcd detection from
the masses-his clopucncc. rude but POW =
erful-the manifold character and bold =
ness or his designs-hls courage i'm enter
prisc-his perseverance despite great OBJ
staclcs-his conception and partial cX-
ecution Of the temple OF Nauvoo-Thcse
and other things mark him as man Of
moro than ordinary calIber, We do not
claim Tor him tho praise or intellectual
greatness. much less OF moral consistency.
Enthusiastic he might have been; but
his enthusiasm was based on fraud and
glorined in fraud. lie was not a Mahomet
its spirit. He held out promises of free
dom, Of independence; he pointed 10 the
rewards of industry, to the comforts Of
peace and plenty; he bowed in felgned
submission 10 the truth, appealed 10 pre-
yailing notions and then misled by vaunt =
ing promises He was an impostcr-a
successful impostcr, with 100 600 follow
ers scattered throughout the world at the
time OF his death That he was n rcli-
giouS enthusiast VIC can not grant-his
deeds were Inconsistent With such a char
yN.. TN,tNa "a. NA,,H.,
form or other, actuated him through life,
and that was-selhshness.
The work from which that matter is
land, in the year 1856 The writer of
that estimate of the character of 10.
seph Smith was nearer to the period of
the pretended prophet than we of to-
day are, and he was possessed Of better
facilities for learning the truth with
regard to the man. That his conclusions
so succinctly stated-arc of great
value, is further attestcd in the follow
ing short comment upon the nature of
the Book Of Mormon. and whose truth
forces itself upon the mind Immediately
upon perusal of that book in a spirit of
the Tlustrous,' volume 4, pages 23l
and 232:
Were the Book OF Mormon authentic.
It's value would arise from it's restoring
a fragment OF lost history, Beyond this
II could have no claim for regard. II
might crafty a laudable curiosity, and
form the basis OF interesting. and per-
haps. profitable speculation; but neither
science nor art could he advanced by It's
III hry L.
or neglected agencies for the rcgencra-
ton and civilization OF the world nor
does IT reflect the light OF a religion ra-
dating through mans dark estate ="
free and full. In promise OF day before
whose splendor the ills that flesh is heir
to- shall vanish ms mist upon the noun
tains. It's want OF purpose as a divine
revelation condemns Its prctcnslons: all
that Is grand in language or sentiment
is borrowed from the Bible; all that is
new is trihinE. where not inconsistent
with those earlier and undoubted COM
munications which IT processes 10 supple
mentr II there be any one object loom
Ing through its pages. II is not one of
heneflcence and purity bursting forth in
fresh fountains to bless and renovate
barren earth. The Jewish history. with
its mysterious forcshadowinEs and sub
lime consummation, Is essential to n COM
prehension OF the Christian scheme, the
idle records of Mormon are necessary
only 10 an appreciation of the dignity
and mission OF Joseph Smith. The Bible
is
ION every line
Marked with the seal OF high divinity
on every leaf bedcwd with drops OF love
Divine. and with the eternal heraldry.
And sigma ture of God Almighty stamped
From first TO last"
The Book of Mormon initiates its
style but never approaches its poetry
and force OF expression, II is a COM
pound OF fancful and ingenious details.
with wholesale plagiarsms from Scrip
ture, Its violations OF grammar are null
tfarlous and constant: would that its per-
versions OF doctrine were as Innocent
Ponder that, and then read the Book
of Mormon. It Will be such study as
will do good to any mind, because it
will throw of the pail of superstition
and the damning influence of lies and
fraud-upon which foundations Joseph
Grr,,lh h,,lt his IA Linz kc,,co