The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-01-01
The PEOPLES FORUM.
HOrmOniSm.

To the Editor of The Republican:
1t may not be unintereSting or nm
profitable to call the attention of YOUR
readers to the great social and political
sore on our body polite, that abomina-
ton of inIquity that has been, and is
yet curse to our community and one
of its worst and most treacherous
enemies. As to its origin.
In the early part OF the century there
were great spiritual awakenings. There
We're few preachers, so young men who
were ignorant, yet gifted with speech.
took 1t up and began to preach. Sidney
RigdOn, of Western Pennsylvania, was
one of these. He was a member Of the
Baptist church. He aspired to member
ship, but failing in his ambition. went
to what was then called the Camp
belite church, when his cunning and
hyprOcitlcal pretensions so offended the
good men of the church that he was
expelled. He then formed an in
dependent church IN Pittsburgh.
Here in the Book Rooms he found
Spaldings book. Spaldlng was d super
anuated minister who wrote this book
hoping to realize some money out of il.
Rigdon saw his opportunity so he
changed the book so as to make it
appear to be a revelation from the Lord
to him.
He soon thereafter went to Mentor,
Ohio.
Joe Smith was born Dec. %, 1905, at
Sharon, Vt. At the age of 10 he moved
to Palmyra. n. Y. His parents were
ignorant, untruthtul and dishonest.
In 1919 during a revival at PALMYRA.
Joe was greatly impressed by and
wrought up over the subject Of religion.
He went to the woods to pray and as
he says, asked the Lord what church
TO JON. He was told that all secrs were
wrong. This was his first vision at
about l6 years old For several wears
he seems to have been in this state of
mind. During four of these years he
was absent from Palmyra, and worked
for VIM. II. Sabln, of Washington
county, Pa, at whose home was the
widow of Solomon Spaldlng. In trunk
In the garnet was found the manuscript
which Mrs. Spaulding had received from
the publishers at Pittsburgh after the
death of MIR. Spalding. After Joe
went back nome, Rigdon visited him in
1927. Soon after this Joe said the LORD
told him ne was to be a prophet and
restore the gospel which had been taken
from the world centuries before.
The angel MORON, son of Mormon, an
ancient prophet told him this, and took
MIN to the hill Cumorah, now owned, it
is said, by Admiral Samson, where ne
found golden plates with the records of
the original inhabitants of America.
These he translated into English. These
golden plates were prepared, so it is
claimed, by Mormon, who gave them
to MORON his son, who in the year
APO buried them in the hill of Cumorah
four miles from Palmyra.
Joe hid behind curtain in the kitchen
and translated the engravings on those
plates to scribe outside the blanket,
who wrote what he read. Eleven men
testified that they had seen the plates,
but not one of them could read a word,
so the world had to take Joe's word for
it. This translation of Joe's proved to
be the Book of Mormon and the church
was at once organized with five of these
eleven witnesses.
Joe was ordained and baptized by Oil
yer Cowdery; then Joe returned Il
compliment and fixed Oliver, and thus
the long lost gospel was restored thro'
the later day prophet. Oliver however
IN few years was cast off from the
church ana given over to the buffetings
of Satan, for lying, theft and open adul-
terry with servant girl. He died a
drunkard. Martin Harris, a scribe, was
cut off for wickedness. AS Joe said, he
was not fit for decent people to notice.
Two others of the witnesses, were fin
ally sent to Jail for immortality and
crime and then shot by mob, who broke
into the Jail.
The church made no Roadway in New
York because those who Knew him would
not believe him as he was a lazy, dis
honest liar. All he gained in New York
were those associated with him in the
fraud, whom he got to do the work,
while he prOphesied This was the origin
of the Latter Day Saints or Mormonism,
organized April 9th. 1880.
They never called themselves Nor
mons when on a mission for the church,
better styled a prosecuting expedition.
Pratt, strolling preacher, was one of
the first converts. He visited Rlgdon
at Mentor and became an enthusiastic
convert. Pratt went to Kirkland Ohio.
where he baptized 1870 in four weeks