,,defense ,,of ,,the ,,faith ,,and ,,the ,,saints ,,by ,b4 ,h4 ,,roberts ,,author ,,of ,the ,gospel ,outlines of ,ecclesiastical ,history ,new ,witness for ,god ,mormon ,doctrine of ,deity ,etc41 ,etc4 ,,volume ,,ii4 ,salt ,lake ,city #aiab ,,general ,,foreword ,no word of ,preface is necessary to this ,volume1 except to say that in presenting it to his readers1 the author feels that that he is fulfilling a promise made to them when ,volume ,i of the series was issued4 ,a word of explanation will be found as an introduction to each subdivision of the book1 which excludes the necessity of making any reference to such subdivisions in this ,general ,forward4 ,,the ,,author4 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,january1 #aiab4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,,general ,,foreword ,part ,i4 ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,schroeder-,roberts' ,debate4 ,foreword4 ,the ,appearing of ,moroni4 ,the ,book of ,mormon4 ,description of the ,nephite ,record4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,by ,theodore ,schroeder4 ,i4 ,solomon ,spaulding and his first manuscript4 ,spaulding's rewritten manuscript4 ,erroneous theories examined4 ,,ii4 ,how about ,sidney ,rigdon8 ,rigdon's prior religious dishonesty4 ,rigdon had opportunity to steal the manuscript4 ,rigdon's only denial analyzed4 ,rigdon and ,lambdin in #ahae4 ,rigdon exhibits ,spaulding's manuscript4 ,rigdon foreknows the coming and contents of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,,iii4 ,from ,rigdon to ,smith via ,p4 ,p4 ,pratt4 ,rigdon visits ,smith before ,mormonism4 ,the conversion of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt4 ,rigdon's miraculous conversion4 ,the plagiarism clinched4 ,,iv4 ,for the love of gold1 not ,god4 ,concluding comment4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,by ,brigham ,h4 ,roberts4 ,i4 ,justifications for replying to ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,preliminary considerations4 ,various classes of witnesses4 ,conflicting theories of origin4 ,mr4 ,schroeder's statement of his case4 ,the facts of the ,spaulding manuscript4 ,the task of the present writer4 ,the enemies of the ,prophet4 ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt4 ,rev4 ,adamson ,bently1 et al4 ,,ii4 ,the second ,spaulding manuscript4 ,the failure of ,howe's book4 ,the ,conneaut witnesses4 ,e4 ,d4 ,howe discredited as a witness4 ,the ,davidson statement4 ,alleged statement of ,mrs4 ,davidson1 formerly the wife of ,solomon ,spaulding4 ,the ,haven-,davidson interview4 ,mrs4 ,ellen ,e4 ,dickinson's repudiation of the ,davidson statement4 ,reverend ,john ,a4 ,clark and the ,davidson statement4 ,mutilation of the ,haven-,davidson interview4 ,mr4 ,schroeder and the ,davidson statement4 ,why ,mr4 ,schroeder discredits the ,spaulding witnesses4 ,,iii4 ,the connection of ,sidney ,rigdon with the ,spaulding manuscript4 ,of ,rigdon's alleged religious dishonesty4 ,rigdon's opportunity to steal ,spaulding's manuscript4 ,did ,rigdon exhibit the ,spaulding manuscript4 ,did ,rigdon foreknown the coming and contents of the ,book of ,mormon8 ,alexander ,campbell and the ,book of ,mormon in #ahca4 ,,iv4 ,the ,angel of the ,prairies4 ,the supposed meetings of ,joseph ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon before the publication of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,of the conversion of ,pratt and ,rigdon4 ,the denials of ,rigdon4 ,the real origin of the ,spaulding theory4 ,the motive for publishing the ,book of ,mormon4 ,concluding remarks4 ,part ,,ii4 ,,recent ,,discussion ,,of ,,mormon ,,affairs4 ,foreword4 ,i4 ,,an ,,address4 ,by the ,presidency of the ,church4 ,the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints to the world4 ,,ii4 ,,review ,,of ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,world4 ,by the ,ministerial ,association4 ,foreword4 ,review4 ,,iii4 ,,answer ,,to ,,ministerial ,,association',s ,,review4 ,by ,b4 ,h4 ,roberts4 ,foreword4 ,answer4 ,part ,,iii4 ,,joseph ,,smith',s ,,doctrines ,,vindicated4 ,foreword4 ,i4 ,,the ,,first ,,message ,,of ,,mormonism ,,vindicated4 ,joseph ,smith's first vision4 ,creeds are an abomination4 ,god's first message confirmed4 ,reform in ,protestantism4 ,what ,mormonism affirms4 ,immortality of man4 ,,ii4 ,,other ,,doctrines ,,of ,,joseph ,,smith ,,vindicated ,,by ,,the ,,colleges4 ,i4 ,men the ,avatars of ,god4 ,,ii4 ,the ,existence of a ,plurality of ,divine ,intelligences--,gods4 ,part ,,iv4 ,,miscellaneous ,,discourses4 ,i4 ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,mormonism2 ,a ,,slander ,,refuted4 ,introductory4 ,people judged by their laws4 ,the calling of ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,a few days with the ,prophet--,prayerfulness4 ,woman's place in ,mormonism4 ,god's ,herald of the ,resurrection and ,human ,brotherhood--,woman4 ,unjust criticism answered4 ,by their works they shall be judged4 ,,ii4 ,,erroneous ,,impressions ,,about ,,the ,,latter-,,day ,,saints--,,some ,,things ,,they ,,do ,,not ,,believe4 ,catholic belief4 ,faith in the ,godhead4 ,erroneous reports4 ,revelation quoted4 ,belief in revelation4 ,inspired utterances4 ,revealed word4 ,god's word is ,truth4 ,testimony borne4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,things ,,of ,,god ,,greater ,,than ,,man',s ,,conception ,,of ,,them4 ,divine things misjudged4 ,marvelous work and a wonder4 ,the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,restoration of ,israel4 ,lost tribes in the north4 ,israel now gathering4 ,purposes of ,god will not fail4 ,,iv4 ,,mormonism ,,as ,a ,,body ,,of ,,doctrine4 ,introductory4 ,mormon view of the universe4 ,philosophy of ,mormonism4 ,source of moral evil4 ,the place and mission of ,christ in ,mormon doctrine4 ,v4 ,,peace4 ,the blessedness of peace4 ,the ,god of ,battles4 ,justice the basis of peace4 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,mysterious ,,harmonies ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,republic4 ,introduction4 ,the miracle of ,american achievements4 ,the inspiration of the founders of the ,american ,constitution4 ,the unique things in ,american government4 ,part ,i4 ,origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,,schroeder-,,roberts ,,debate4 ,published with the consent and by courtesy of the ,national ,american ,society1 ,david ,i4 ,nelke1 ,president4 ,,foreword4 ,the following debate on the ,origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 came about in the following manner3 ,the writer saw in the ,salt ,lake ,tribune two numbers of ,mr4 ,schroeder's article and observing the general trend of the argument felt that a prompt reply should appear in the same publication1 that it might be read by the same people who would read ,mr4 ,schroeder's article4 ,a letter was accordingly addressed to the ,tribune1 to ascertain if that paper would publish a reply to ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,the ,editor answered that the ,tribune was reproducing the article from the ,american ,historical ,magazine1 published in ,new ,york1 and that perhaps its publishers would be pleased to receive a reply to ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,if the publishers of the ,historical ,magazine accepted such an article1 the ,tribune would then be willing to reproduce it1 if the ,deseret ,news1 the ,mormon ,church organ1 would agree to publish ,mr4 ,schroeder's article4 ,this suggested a too complicated arrangement to suit the writer1 hence he dropped the matter with the ,tribune1 and took it up with the publishers of the ,american ,historical ,magazine1 who gave place to his answer to ,mr4 ,schroeder in current numbers of that publication1 #aijh-i4 ,and the writer has heard nothing from the ,tribune or ,mr4 ,schroeder since4 ,at the conclusion of the article on the ,origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,historical ,magazine ,company1 ,mr4 ,david ,i4 ,nelke1 ,president1 announced their willingness to publish in ,americana1--which in the meantime had succeeded the ,american ,historical ,magazine a detailed history of the ,mormon ,church1 if the writer would prepare it4 ,the ,history has been running in ,americana now for more than two and a half years1 and will continue until the ,history of the ,church is completed up to date4 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,and now a word as to the origin of the ,book of ,mormon before presenting the discussion4 ,it will be an advantage to the reader if he has before him ,joseph ,smith's account of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,for our present purpose the account the ,prophet gives in his statement to ,mr4 ,john ,wentworth1 of ,chicago1 of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon is1 on account of its brevity and comprehensiveness1 most suitable4 ,after detailing the events of his first vision1 received in the ,spring of #ahbj1 and the intervening three years1 the ,prophet comes to the ,book of ,mormon part of his narrative3 ,,the ,,appearing ,,of ,,moroni4 ,on the evening of the #bast of ,september1 ,a4 ,d4 #ahbc1 while ,i was praying unto ,god and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of scripture1 on a sudden a light like that of day1 only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness1 burst into the room1--indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled with consuming fire2 the appearance producing a shock that affected the whole body2 in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which ,i was already surrounded4 ,this messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of ,god1 sent to bring the joyful tidings that the covenant which ,god made with ancient ,israel was at hand to be fulfilled2 that the preparatory work for the second coming of the ,messiah was speedily to commence2 that the time was at hand for the gospel in all its fulness to be preached in power unto all nations1 that a people might be prepared for the ,millennial reign4 ,i was informed that ,i was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of ,god to bring about some of ,his purposes in this glorious dispensation4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,i was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country and shown who they were1 and whence they came2 a brief sketch of their origin1 progress1 civilization1 laws1 governments2 of their righteousness and iniquity1 and the blessings of ,god being finally withdrawn from them as a people1 was made known to me2 ,i was also told where were deposited some plates on which were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent4 ,the angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things4 ,after having received many visits from the angels of ,god unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days1 on the morning of the #bb;d of ,september1 ,a4,d4 #ahbg1 the angel of the ,lord delivered the records into my hands4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,nephite ,,record4 ,these records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold2 each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long1 and not quite so thick as common tin4 ,they were filled with engravings1 in ,egyptian characters1 and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book1 with three rings running through the whole4 ,the volume was something near six inches in thickness1 a part of which was sealed4 ,the characters on the unsealed part were small1 and beautifully engraved4 ,the whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving4 ,with the records was found a curious instrument1 which the ancients called ',urim and ,thummim1' which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breastplate4 ,through the medium of the ,urim and ,thummim ,i translated the record by the gift and power of ,god4 ,in this important and interesting book the history of ancient ,america is unfolded1 from its first settlement by a colony that came from the ,tower of ,babel1 at the confusion of languages1 to the beginning of the fifth century of the ,christian era4 ,we are informed by these records that ,america in ancient times had been inhabited by two distinct races of people4 ,the first was called ,jaredites and came directly from the ,tower of ,babel4 ,the second race came directly from the ,city of ,jerusalem1 about six hundred years before ,christ4 ,they were principally ,israelites1 of the descendants of ,joseph4 ,the ,jaredites were destroyed about the time that the ,israelites came from ,jerusalem1 who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country4 ,the principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century ,a4,d44 ,the remnant are the ,indians that now inhabit this country4 ,this book also tells us that our ,savior made ,his appearance upon this continent after ,his resurrection2 that ,he planted the gospel here in all its fulness1 and richness1 and power1 and blessing2 that they had apostles1 prophets1 pastors1 teachers1 and evangelists2 the same order1 the same priesthood1 the same ordinances1 gifts1 powers1 and blessings1 as were enjoyed on the ,eastern continent2 that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions2 that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies1 history1 etc41 and to hide it up in the earth1 and that it should come forth and be united with the ,bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of ,god in the last days4 ,the book issued from the press sometime in the month of ,march1 #ahcj4 ,a ,footnote ,a3 ,for a more detailed account of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 see the writer's work1 ,new ,witnesses for ,god1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 chs4 iv and viii4 ,from the first appearance of ,joseph ,smith's account of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 there was felt the need of a counter theory of origin4 ,the first to respond to this felt need was ,alexander ,campbell1 founder of the ,disciples or ,christian ,church4 ,he assigned the book's origin straight to ,joseph ,smith1 whom he accused of conscious fraud in foisting it upon the public as a revelation4 ,this in #ahca4 ,then came the ,spaulding theory of origin by ,hurlburt1 ,howe1 et al41 #ahcd2 for which ,mr4 ,campbell repudiated his first theory of the ,joseph ,smith authorship4 ,in #ahii ,lily ,dougall in ,the ,mormon ,prophet1 advanced her theory of the ,prophet's self delusion1 by the automatic freaks of a vigorous but undisciplined brain4 ,this was supplemented in #aijb by ,mr4 ,i4 ,woodbridge ,riley's theory of pure hallucination1 honestly mistaken for inspired vision2 with partly conscious and partly unconscious hypnotic powers over others4 ,b ,footnote ,b3 ,both the ,dougall and ,riley theories are considered in ,vol4 ,i4 of ,defense of the ,faith and the ,saints1 pp4 #db-fb2 and the older theories of the origin in ,new ,witness for ,god1 ,vol4 ,,iii1 chas4 xliv1 xlv4 ,mr4 ,schroeder1 however1 will have none of these later theories2 and although the finding of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,spauldings' ,manuscript ,found1 by ,professor ,fairchild of ,oberlin ,college1 in #ahhd--;details of which are given in the debate gave a serious set back to that theory1 ,mr4 ,schroeder deems the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon the only tenable counter theory advanced1 and assuming the existence of another ,spaulding manuscript not found1 and not likely to be found1 he proceeds with his argument2 to which ,i make answer1 with what success the reader must judge4 ,b4 ,h4 ,,roberts4 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,october1 #aiaa4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,,by ,,theodore ,,schroeder ,i4 ,every complete1 critical discussion of the divine origin of the ,book of ,mormon naturally divides itself into three parts3--first1 an examination as to the sufficiency of the evidence adduced in support of its miraculous and divine origin2 second1 an examination of the internal evidences of its origin1 #a such as its verbiage1 its alleged history1 chronology1 archaeology1 etc42 third1 an accounting for its existence by purely human agency and upon a rational basis1 remembering that ,joseph ,smith1 the nominal founder and first prophet of ,mormonism1 was probably too ignorant to have produced the whole volume unaided4 ,under the last head1 two theories have been advocated by non-,mormons4 ,by one of these1 conscious fraud has been imputed to ,smith1 and by the other1 psychic mysteries have been explored #b in an effort to supplant the conscious fraud by an unconscious self-deception4 ,footnote #a3 ,valuable contributions to this study are ,lamb's ,golden ,bible and a pamphlet by ,lamoni ,call classifying two thousand corrections in the inspired grammar of the first edition of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,footnote #b3 ,the best effort along this line is ,riley's ,the ,founder of ,mormonism4 ,to me the conclusions are very unsatisfactory1 because so many material considerations were overlooked by that author4 ,in #ahcd1 four years after its first appearance1 an effort was made to show that the ,book of ,mormon was a plagiarism from an unpublished novel of ,solomon ,spaulding4 ,for a long time this seemed the accepted theory of all non-,mormons4 ,in the past fifteen years1 apparently following in the lead of ,president ,fairchild of ,oberlin ,college1 #c all but two of the numerous writers upon the subject have asserted that the theory of the ,spaulding manuscript origin of the ,book of ,mormon must be abandoned1 and ,mormons assert that only fools and knaves still profess belief in it4 #d ,with these last conclusions ,i am compelled to disagree4 ,footnote #c3 ,president ,fairchild1 in the ,new ,york ,observer for ,february #e1 #ahhe1 that being immediately after his discovery of the ,oberlin ,manuscript1 says3 ,the theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon in the traditional manuscript of ,solomon ,spaulding will probably have to be relinquished4 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,rice1 myself1 and others compared it with the ,book of ,mormon1 and could detect no resemblance between the two in general or detail4 99 99 99 ,some other explanation of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon must be found1 if an explanation is required4 7,reproduced in ,whitney's ,history of ,utah1 #ef4 ,talmage's ,articles of ,faith1 #bgh47 ,ten years later ,mr4 ,fairchild is not so brash in assuming the ,oberlin ,manuscript to be the only ,spaulding ,manuscript1 and he certifies only that the ,oberlin ,manuscript is not the original of the ,book of ,mormon4 7,letter dated ,oct4 #ag1 #ahie1 published in vol4 lx41 ,millennial ,star1 p4 #fig1 ,nov4 #c1 #ahih4 ,talmage's ,articles of ,faith1 #bgi47 ,fairchild's ,latest ,statement4--,in #aijj ,president ,fairchild wrote the ,rev4 ,j4 ,d4 ,nutting as follows3 ,with regard to the manuscript of ,mr4 ,spaulding now in the library of ,oberlin ,college1 ,i have never stated1 and know of no one who can state1 that it is the only manuscript which ,spaulding wrote1 or that it is certainly the one which has been supposed to be the original of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the discovery of this ,,ms4 does not prove that there may not have been another1 which became the basis of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the use which has been made of statements emanating from me as implying the contrary of the above is entirely unwarranted4 ,,james ,h4 ,,fairchild ,footnote #d3 ,the ,deseret ,news editorially says this on ,july #ai1 #aijj3 ,the discovery of the manuscript written by ,mr4 ,spaulding1 and its deposit in the library at ,oberlin ,college1 ,o41 99 99 99 has so completely demolished the theory once relied upon by superficial minds that the ,book of ,mormon was concocted from that manuscript1 that it has been entirely abandoned by all opponents of ,mormonism except the densely ignorant or unscrupulously dishonest4 ,and this on ,may #ad1 #aija3 ,it is only the densely ignorant1 the totally depraved and clergymen of different denominations afflicted with anti-,mormon rabies who still use the ,spaulding story to account for the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,in setting forth my convictions and the reasons for them1 ,i have undertaken nothing entirely new1 but have only assigned myself the task of establishing as an historical fact what is now an abandoned and almost forgotten theory4 ,this will be done by marshaling in its support a more complete array of the old evidences than has been heretofore made and the addition of new circumstantial evidence not heretofore used in this connection4 ,it will be shown that ,solomon ,spaulding was much interested in ,american antiquities2 that he wrote a novel entitled the ,manuscript ,found1 in which he attempted to account for the existence of the ,american ,indian by giving him an ,israelitish origin2 that the first incomplete outline of this story1 with many features peculiar to itself and the ,book of ,mormon1 is now in the library of ,oberlin ,college1 and that while the story as rewritten was in the hands of a prospective publisher1 it was stolen from the office under circumstances which caused ,sidney ,rigdon1 of early ,mormon fame1 to be suspected as the thief2 that later ,rigdon1 on two occasions1 exhibited a similar manuscript which in one instance he declared had been written by ,spaulding and left with a printer for publication4 ,it will be shown further that ,rigdon had opportunity to steal the manuscript and that he foreknew the forthcoming and the contents of the ,book of ,mormon2 that through ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 later one of the first ,mormon apostles1 a plain and certain connection is traced between ,sidney ,rigdon and ,joseph ,smith1 and that they were friends between #ahbg and #ahcj4 ,to all this will be added very conclusive evidence of the identity of the distinguished features of ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,these facts1 coupled with ,smith's admitted intellectual incapacity for producing the book unaided1 will close the argument upon this branch of the question1 and it is hoped will convince all not in the meshes of ,mormonism that the ,book of ,mormon is a plagiarism4 ,to those ,mormons whose minds are untainted by mysticism1 who have the intelligence to weigh evidence and the courage to proclaim convictions opposed to accepted church theories--to such ,mormons1 though not convinced that the evidence here reviewed amounts to a demonstration1 it must be that this essay will yet furnish even to them a more believable and more probable theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon than the one which involves a belief in undemonstrable miracles as well as matters entirely outside of all other experience of sane humans4 ,certainly the theory here advanced requires for its belief the acceptance of less of improbable assumption than does any other explanation offered4 ,with this statement of what it is expected to accomplish we may proceed to review the evidence in detail4 ,,solomon ,,spaulding ,,and ,,his ,,first ,,manuscript4 ,solomon ,spaulding was born in #agfa at ,ashford1 ,conn41 graduated from ,dartmouth in #aghe1 graduated in theology in #aghg1 and became an obscure preacher4 ,the fact that ,spaulding had become an infidel1 #e that in rewriting the first outline of his story he adopted1 as he said1 the old ,scripture style to make it seem more ancient1 #f and the further fact that he told at least four persons at different times that his story would some day be accepted as veritable history #g--;all of these1 combined with the peculiar product1 tend to show that one motive for the writing of this supposed novel may have been the author's desire to burlesque the ,bible and furnish a practical demonstration of the gullibility of the masses4 ,footnote #e3 ,see ,addendum to ,spaulding ,manuscript at ,oberlin ,college and ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhh4 ,footnote #f3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhh4 ,footnote #g3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhc1 #d1 #f1 #g4 ,while at ,dartmouth ,college1 ,spaulding had as a classmate the subsequently famous imposter and criminal1 ,stephen ,burroughs1 #h which fact furnishes interesting material for reflection as to how far the subsequent ill fame of ,burroughs1 coupled with personal acquaintance1 may have operated in ,spaulding as a fruitful suggestion inducing this labor as a means of securing fortune through fraud4 ,if ,spaulding did not see the possibility of a new and profitable religion in his ,manuscript ,found1 then he was more short-sighted than was a nephew of his named ,king4 ,this nephew told one ,hale1 a schoolteacher1 of his belief that he could start a new religion out of this novel and make money thereby1 at the same time briefly outlining a plan very similar to the one long afterward adopted by ,smith1 ,rigdon and ,company4 ,if we can place any confidence in the report of an interview between a ,mormon elder and a nephew of ,solomon ,spaulding1 then it would appear that in the opinion of the latter's brother ,solomon ,spaulding was not a man who would be1 by conscientious scruples1 deterred from practicing such a fraud1 if believed profitable4 #aj ,be that as it may1 ,spaulding did hope by the sale of his literary production to make sufficient money to enable him to pay his debts4 #aa ,footnote #h3 ,memoirs of ,stephen ,burroughs1 p4 #bf1 ed4 of #ahaa1 shows ,burroughs to have entered ,dartmouth in #agha1 which must have been ,spaulding's date of entry1 he having graduated in #aghe4 ,footnote #i3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #bfa4 ,footnote #aj3 xxxv4 ,saints' ,herald1 #hbj4 ,footnote #aa3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhe4 ,in #ahji ,solomon ,spaulding and ,henry ,lake built and conducted a forge at ,salem 7now ,conneaut71 ,o41 where1 in #ahab1 the former made his second business failure4 #ab ,footnote #ab3 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #ddc2 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bgi and #bhb2 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #ac4 ,spaulding1 being an invalid1 possessed of a good education and habits of study1 naturally took to literary work1 which he probably commenced soon after #ahji1 #ac and continued until his death in ,october1 #ahaf4 ,during this seven years he seems to have written several other manuscripts #ad besides the two with which we are directly concerned4 ,footnote #ac3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bgi2 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #ac-ad4 ,footnote #ad3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhe2 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #bj4 ,necessarily ,spaulding's surroundings gave some direction to the course of his literary efforts4 ,environed as he was in a country where once dwelt the mound-builders1 and having himself caused one of the mounds to be opened1 with the resulting discovery of bones and relics of a supposedly prehistoric civilization1 #ae like thousands before him1 he was led to speculate upon the character of that civilization and the origin of those ancient peoples4 ,josiah ,priest1 in his ,wonders of ,nature and ,providence 7#ahbd71 quotes over forty authors1 half of whom are ,americans1 and all of whom1 prior to #ahbd1 advocated an ,israelitish origin of the ,american ,indian4 ,some of these dated as far back as ,clavigaro1 a ,catholic priest in the seventeenth century4 ,footnote #ae3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #ad4 ,in ,spaulding's first writing of his manuscript story1 he pretended to find a roll of parchment in a stone box within a cave4 ,in the ,latin language1 this contained an account of a party of ,roman sea voyagers1 who1 in the time of ,constantine1 were1 by storms1 drifted ashore on the ,american continent4 ,one of their number left this record of their travels1 of ,indian wars and customs1 which record ,spaulding pretends to have found and to translate4 #af ,how that resembles a synopsis of the ,book of ,mormon6 ,footnote #af3 ,the ,manuscript ,found4 ,for ,howe's synopsis see ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhh4 ,whitney's ,history of ,utah1 #di-ea4 ,in #ahcd1 when ,e4 ,d4 ,howe had in preparation his book1 ,mormonism ,unveiled1 wherein the ,spaulding story was first exploited1 this first manuscript was given by ,spaulding's family to ,d4 ,p4 ,hurlburt1 the agent of ,howe4 ,the ,spaulding family1 without having made any examination whatever of the papers delivered to ,hurlburt1 seem always to have believed1 #ag though without any evidence1 that he received and sold to the ,mormons the rewritten story entitled ,manuscript ,found1 which will be more fully discussed hereafter4 ,from ,howe this first manuscript story went into the possession of one ,l4 ,l4 ,rice1 who bought out ,howe's business1 and later1 with other effects of ,rice's1 it was shipped to ,honolulu1 and there1 in #ahhd1 accidentally discovered by ,president ,james ,h4 ,fairchild of ,oberlin ,college4 #ah ,this manuscript is now in the ,oberlin library1 and has been published by two of the ,mormon sects as being a refutation of the ,spaulding origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,it can be such refutation only to those who mistake it for another story4 ,howe1 in #ahcd1 published a fair synopsis of the manuscript now at ,oberlin #ai and submitted the original to the witnesses who testified to the many points of identity between ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,these witnesses then 7in #ahcd7 recognized the manuscript1 secured by ,hurlburt and now at ,oberlin1 as being one of ,spaulding's1 but not the one which they asserted was similar to the ,book of ,mormon4 ,they further said that ,spaulding had told them that he had altered his original plan of writing by going farther back with his dates and writing in the old ,scripture style1 in order that his story might appear more ancient4 #bj ,footnote #ag3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 by ,mrs4 ,ellen ,f4 ,dickinson4 ,footnote #ah3 ,publisher's ,preface to ,the ,manuscript ,found1 p4 iv4 ,deseret ,news1 #ahhf2 ,whitney's ,history of ,utah1 p4 #di2 ,talmage's ,articles of ,faith1 #bgh-i4 ,footnote #ai3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhh2 ,whitney's ,history of ,utah1 #di4 ,footnote #bj3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhh4 ,according to many witnesses1 the re-written ,manuscript ,found 7like the ,book of ,mormon7 was an attempt at imitating the literary style of the ,bible4 ,so was the manuscript submitted to ,patterson1 according to his own statement4 #ba ,no such indications are found in the ,oberlin manuscript1 which further evidences that it is not the manuscript of which the witnesses testified1 and which ,patterson says was submitted to him4 ,the ,oberlin manuscript also furnishes internal evidences of an improbability that it was ever submitted to a publisher by any man as sane and well educated as was ,spaulding4 ,the plot of the story is incomplete1 and the manuscript is full of interlineations1 alterations1 careless or phonetic spelling1 and misused capital letters4 ,these are all easily explainable consistently with ,spaulding's erudition1 if we view the manuscript as a hasty and careless blocking out of his literary work1 but it is not in such a condition as would make him willing to submit it to a publisher4 ,footnote #ba3 ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 by ,john ,e4 ,page1 #g2 ,who wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #g2 ,mormonism ,exposed1 by ,williams4 ,if we bear in mind that from the beginning it was asserted that this manuscript now at ,oberlin was not the one from which the ,book of ,mormon was alleged to have been plagiarized1 then ,president ,fairchild's conclusion that it disproves such plagiarism of course becomes absurd and only demonstrates his ignorance of the early testimony upon which was asserted the connection of the ,book of ,mormon and another manuscript4 ,this also disposes of the ,mormon argument most frequently urged against the theory here advocated4 ,either through like ignorance of the evidence of #ahcd that this was not the manuscript then being testified about1 or through a willingness to play upon the ignorance of others1 the two leading sects of ,mormons have published this first manuscript as a refutation of a theory which no one ever advocated1 viz43 ,that the manuscript now at ,oberlin was the thing from which ,smith et al4 plagiarized the ,book of ,mormon4 ,in my judgment1 the publication of this first incomplete manuscript story furnishes additional evidence that the rewritten story did constitute the foundation of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,when we remember what was said in #ahcd as to the character of changes made in rewriting1 and that the rewritten story was revamped by ,smith1 ,rigdon and ,company1 we are astonished at the number of similarities retained2 as1 for instance1 the finding of the story in a stone box1 its translation into ,english1 the attempt to account for a portion of the population of this continent1 the wars of extermination of two factions1 the impossible slaughters of primitive warfare1 and the physically impossible armies which were gathered without modern facilities of either transportation or the furnishing of supplies--the fact that after two rewritings1 the second being by new authors1 there should remain these very unusual features1 makes the discovery and publication of this first manuscript only an additional evidence that the second one did furnish the basis of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,by always remembering these separate manuscripts and their different histories1 much seeming conflict of evidence can be explained1 mistaken conclusions accounted for1 and confusion avoided4 ,the ,mormons1 in their publication of this first manuscript story1 have labeled it ,the ,manuscript ,found1 though no such title is discoverable anywhere upon or in the body of the manuscript in the ,oberlin library4 #bb ,the evident purpose of this is to further confound that first story with the second or rewritten manuscript which it will be demonstrated really was used in constructing the ,book of ,mormon1 and which manuscript the witnesses to be hereafter introduced described by that title4 ,having traced to its final resting-place at ,oberlin ,college the first manuscript story1 which had no direct connection with the ,book of ,mormon and never was claimed to have such1 let us now1 if we can1 trace into the ,book of ,mormon ,spaulding's rewritten story1 entitled ,the ,manuscript ,found4 ,footnote #bb3 xxxv4 ,saints' ,herald1 #acj2 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dei4 ,,spaulding',s ,,rewritten ,,manuscript4 ,spaulding commenced his writing about #ahji1 changing his plans while still at ,conneaut1 that is1 prior to #ahab1 #bc at which later date the rewritten story of ,the ,manuscript ,found was still incomplete4 #bd ,in #ahab ,spaulding borrowed some money with which to go to ,pittsburg1 hoping there to get his novel published and thus make it possible for him to pay his debts4 #be ,in ,pittsburg ,spaulding submitted his manuscript to one ,robert ,patterson1 then engaged in the publishing business4 #bf ,the exact date is not known but it is probable almost to certainty that ,spaulding would do this immediately upon his arrival in ,pittsburg in #ahab1 since that was one of his definite purposes in going there4 ,spaulding's widow is reported as saying3 ,at length the manuscript was returned to the author1 and soon after we removed to ,amity1 ,washington ,county1 ,pa4 #bg ,the return of the manuscript before #ahad1 the date of the removal to ,amity1 is made additionally certain by the testimony of ,redick ,mc,kee #bh and ,joseph ,miller4 #bi ,this additional evidence1 especially that of the latter1 makes it plain that ,spaulding had his rewritten manuscript at ,amity1 thus demonstrating its return to ,spaulding before the latter's removal from ,pittsburg4 ,the evidences of identity between the manuscript testified about as being at ,amity1 and ,spaulding's rewritten story1 leave no doubt4 ,the review of this evidence of identity will be postponed until we come to review the other evidences of identity between ,the ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,footnote #bc3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhh4 ,footnote #bd3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhc4 ,footnote #be3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhb-c4 ,footnote #bf3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #af-ag2 ,history of the ,mormons1 #dc2 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #g4 ,footnote #bg3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #beb2 ,mormons' ,own ,book1 #bi2 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dai2 ,history of the ,mormons1 #dc4 ,footnote #bh3 ,washington 7,pa47 ,reporter of ,april #ba1 #ahfi2 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #f4 ,it is said that ,patterson returned the manuscript to ,spaulding with the advice to polish it up1 finish it1 and you will make money out of it4 #cj ,on behalf of ,patterson it has been said that he directed its return unless the author would furnish ample security to guarantee the expense of publishing1 which we can readily believe to have been impossible to the impecunious ,spaulding4 #ca ,footnote #cj3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #bch2 ,magazine ,american ,history1 ,june1 #ahhb2 ,scribner's ,monthly1 ,august1 #ahhj2 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dbc4 ,footnote #ca3 ,mormonism ,exposed1 by ,williams1 #af2 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dee2 ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 by ,john ,e4 ,page1 #g4 ,after residing in ,pittsburg two years1 #cb the ,spauldings moved to ,amity in ,washington ,county1 ,pa41 where ,solomon ,spaulding and his returned ,manuscript ,found again became the center of attraction among the commonplace neighborhood listeners1 who did their loafing about the ,spaulding tavern4 #cc ,here the story was polished and finished1 #cd and from ,amity ,spaulding again journeyed to ,pittsburg1 in the hope in the second attempt of securing the publication of his story1 ,the ,manuscript ,found4 #ce ,spaulding's widow and daughter assert that at one time ,patterson advised ,spaulding to make out a title-page and preface4 #cf ,that remark would seem most likely to have been made after the finishing of the story1 and ,i therefore feel justified in believing it to have been made after the second submission of the manuscript4 ,mrs4 ,spaulding-,davidson says this request was never complied with1 but for reasons which are unknown to her4 ,in the light of evidence to be hereafter reviewed1 we are justified in an inference that one of the causes was a theft of the manuscript from the publisher's office1 followed1 perhaps1 within a few weeks or months1 by the death of ,spaulding1 which occurred in ,october1 #ahaf4 ,footnote #cb3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhg2 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #g4 ,footnote #cc3 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dda1 #ddb4 ,footnote #cd3 ,reddick ,mc,kee in ,washington 7,pa47 ,reporter1 ,april #ab1 #ahfi2 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #f4 ,footnote #ce3 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #ddb-ee4 ,footnote #cf3 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dai-db2 iii4 ,millennial ,harbinger1 about ,may #ahci2 ,boston ,recorder during ,may #ahci2 ,mormons' ,own ,book1 #bi4 ,,erroneous ,,theories ,,examined4 ,it has been a theory among some that ,joseph ,smith himself secured the ,spaulding manuscript from the house of ,william ,h4 ,sabine of ,onondaga ,valley1 ,n4,y41 for whom ,smith worked as a teamster in #ahbc4 #cg ,according to another theory1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 while the ,manuscript ,found was at the printing office1 copied it1 the original being returned to ,spaulding4 ,a third theory supposes ,smith to have copied it while working for ,sabine about #ahbc1 leaving the original there4 ,a fourth theory makes ,spaulding copy his story for the publisher while keeping the duplicate at home to be afterward cared for by the family4 ,under all of these theories1 the original of ,spaulding's rewritten story was delivered in #ahcc to ,d4 ,p4 ,hurlburt to be used by ,e4 ,d4 ,howe in his then forthcoming book1 ,mormonism ,unveiled1 but1 according to the ,spaulding family1 was by ,hurlburt sold to the ,mormons1 and1 according to the ,mormons1 destroyed by ,hurlburt because wholly unlike the ,book of ,mormon4 ,these theories can claim for themselves no greater weight than that1 in the opinion of their several non-,mormon advocates1 they furnish a possible explanation as to the connecting link between ,spaulding and ,smith1 but upon all essentials1 except one1 are without any evidence which involves the conclusion deduced from it1 and not one of these theories is necessary as an explanation for the established facts4 ,the one element which has direct evidence in its support is the allegation that ,spaulding's rewritten story of the ,manuscript ,found was1 after ,spaulding's death1 in the possession of his widow4 ,that allegation rests upon the following statement of ,spaulding's daughter1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry1 and the family belief in it without any additional evidence upon which to base that belief4 ,she says3 ,footnote #cg3 ,hand ,book on ,mormonism1 #c2 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #dg and #aah4 ,in #ahaf my father died at ,amity1 ,pa1 and directly after his death my mother and myself went to visit my mother's brother1 ,william ,h4 ,sabine1 at ,onondaga ,valley1 ,onondaga ,county1 ,n ,y4 99 99 99 ,we carried our personal effects with us1 and one of these was an old trunk in which my mother had placed my father's writings1 which had been preserved4 ,i perfectly remember the appearance of this trunk1 and of looking at its contents4 ,there were sermons and other papers1 and ,i saw a manuscript about an inch thick1 closely written1 tied with some of the stories my father had written for me1 one of which he called the ',frogs of ,wyndham1' ,on the outside of this manuscript were written the words1 ',manuscript ,found4' ,i did not read it1 but looked through it and had it in my hands many times and saw the names ,i had heard at ,conneaut when my father read it to his friends4 ,i was about eleven years old at this time4 #ch ,footnote #ch3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 #bch2 ,magazine of ,american ,history1 ,june1 #ahhb2 ,scribner's ,monthly1 ,august1 #ahhj4 ,the trunk remained at ,sabine's until some time soon after #ahbj1 #ci while in #ahbc ,smith is said to have worked for ,sabine as a teamster1 and almost certainly heard ,spaulding's stories discussed as a matter of family history4 ,if the rewritten story of ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found had been in the trunk at ,sabine's while ,smith worked there1 which is doubtful1 he might have stolen it or copied it1 though the latter is made almost impossible by ,smith's inability to write1 #dj and by his youth4 ,footnote #dj3 ii ,journal of ,discourses1 #aig4 ,assuming1 for the sake of argument1 that it has been established that the ,book of ,mormon is a plagiarism from ',spaulding's rewritten story1 then we may still doubt that any of the above theories have sufficient evidence to warrant their acceptance as established facts4 ,these various theories were all invented because of a supposed necessity of accounting for the alleged presence of the rewritten ,manuscript ,found in the trunk at ,sabine's house after #ahaf1 the date of ,spaulding's death4 ,if the ,manuscript ,found was never there1 the theories constructed to explain that fact must fall4 ,that the first outline of the story which is now at ,oberlin was then in the trunk is certain1 because ,hurlburt1 in #ahcd1 found it there4 ,it is even possible that this first manuscript may at some time have been labeled ,manuscript ,found4 ,but was the rewritten story ever in the trunk at ,sabine's8 ,if not1 ,smith could neither have stolen it nor copied it1 and1 if never there1 or if stolen by ,smith1 ,hurlburt could not have secured the rewritten manuscript and sold it to the ,mormons1 as it has been charged he did do1 while he gave only the first manuscript to ,howe1 by whom he was employed to secure another4 ,it may not be amiss to here state that ,howe never doubted ,hurlburt's fidelity in this matter4 #da ,footnote #da3 ,under date of ,september #ab1 #ahgi1 ,e4,d4 ,howe wrote to ,r4 ,patterson saying1 ,i am very certain he 7,hurlburt7 never had any ,manuscript ,found to sell to anybody4 ,whatever ,mormons may say1 ,i think ,hurlburt was perfectly honest in all his transactions here4 7,taken from a copy of the letter furnished by ,patterson in his ,history of ,washington ,county1 ,pa47 ,the great preponderance of the evidence is against the allegation that the second manuscript was ever in the trunk at ,sabine's4 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's evidence does not establish the identity of ,spaulding's rewritten ,manuscript ,found and the trunk manuscript4 ,such assertion of identity is contradicted by that more satisfactory evidence to be hereafter reviewed1 and which shows that the rewritten manuscript was stolen from the printing office before ,spaulding's death2 that the latter suspected ,rigdon of being the thief2 the possession by ,rigdon of some such manuscript1 and which1 on one occasion1 he said had been written by ,spaulding2 ,rigdon's advance knowledge of the forthcoming ,book of ,mormon and his sudden conversion after its appearance1 and coupled with a very plain connection between ,rigdon and ,smith through ,parley ,p4 ,pratt as intermediary4 ,these conclusions and much of the evidence upon which they are based will contradict ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's statement1 if she meant by it to assert that the ,sabine trunk manuscript contained the names ,mormon1 ,moroni1 ,lamanite1 and ,nephi1 which names1 it will be shown1 occur in and only in the rewritten manuscript and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,in determining what weight to give to ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's statement as to the contents of the trunk manuscript1 several important facts must be kept in mind4 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry made this statement in #ahhj1 when she was seventy-four years of age4 ,her father died in ,october1 #ahaf1 very soon after she and the trunk went to ,sabine's at ,hartwick1 ,onondaga ,county1 ,n4,y41 and there she many times had it in her hand4 ,at the earliest date this must have been in the fore part of #ahag1 and she tells us that she was about eleven years old at this time4 ,if1 in #ahag1 she was eleven years old1 then1 in #ahab1 when she1 with her parents1 left ,conneaut for ,pittsburg1 she could not have exceeded six years of age4 ,at the age of seventy-four ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry testified that when she was eleven years old she looked through1 but did not read1 a manuscript1 yet saw the names she heard her father read at ,conneaut1 between #ahaj and #ahab1 when she was from four to six years old4 ,that this woman1 at seventy-four1 should remember strange names1 casually repeated in her presence1 before her sixth year1 and those names wholly unrelated to anything of direct consequence to her child life1 is a feat of memory too extraordinary to give her uncorroborated statement any weight1 as against valid contradictory conclusions drawn from established facts4 ,from #ahcd1 when this alleged plagiarism was first publicly charged1 until the giving of ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's evidence in #ahhj1 it had necessarily been a matter of frequent discussion in the family circle that the ,book of ,mormon was a plagiarism from her father's ,manuscript ,found1 and always the identity of names must have been spoken of as the connecting link in the chain of evidence proving the plagiarism1 since that identity of names was the principal item of evidence as it was first argued and published in #ahcd4 ,with like uniformity1 it was firmly believed 7but as a mere matter of inference1 be it remembered7 that ,hurlburt secured from the trunk that second manuscript1 which contained these names4 ,hence it would be inferred by the ,spaulding family that the trunk must have contained the names in question4 ,this association of ideas through an almost infinite number of recurrences in mind became firmly impressed as a fixed fact during these forty-six years of frequent repetition4 ,it is not strange1 therefore1 if1 after these forty-six years1 and with the failing memory of the age of seventy-four1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry should have forgotten the real origin of this association of ideas1 and relate it back to the supposed inspection of the trunk manuscript and the ,conneaut readings1 honestly believing in her accuracy4 ,in this conclusion ,mormon authorities concur4 #db ,footnote #db3 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #bi4 ,the only other statement which has ever been claimed as evidence showing ,spaulding's rewritten manuscript to have been in the ,sabine trunk is one by his widow1 ,matilda ,spaulding-,davidson4 ,she says that before leaving ,pittsburg for ,amity1 her husband's manuscript was returned by the publishers4 ,she seemingly remembers nothing of its second submission while her husband resided at ,amity1 or else those who wrote and signed her statement didn't see fit to mention it4 ,the ,manuscript then after ,mr4 ,spaulding's death in #ahaf fell into my hands1 and was preserved carefully4 ,it has frequently been examined by my daughter1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry of ,monson1 ,mass41 with whom ,i now reside1 and by other friends4 #dc ,footnote #dc3 ,boston ,daily ,advertiser1 copied in iii4 ,millennial ,harbinger1 ,may1 #ahci2 ,mormons' ,own ,book1 #bh2 ,boston ,recorder1 ,may1 #ahci2 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dag4 ,by what follows1 she makes it plain that the other friends referred to are the ,conneaut neighbors1 whose examination was made prior to #ahab1 and not at ,sabine's4 ,that she herself never examined the ,sabine trunk manuscript so as to speak upon the matter of identity of manuscripts from personal knowledge1 is apparent from several facts4 ,first1 although writing an argumentative article1 the strongest part of which would have been her personal testimony as to some point of identity between the trunk manuscript and the ,book of ,mormon1 she mentioned none such as being within her own knowledge4 ,in the absence of personal knowledge1 she repeats as a justification of her belief the evidence of ,conneaut witnesses as to the identity of her husband's ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,even upon the question of the existence of any manuscript in the ,sabine trunk1 she seems not to rely upon any personal inspection of the trunk manuscript1 but with an apparent intention of putting the responsibility for her statement upon the inspection of her daughter1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry1 speaks of the latter's inspection1 while remaining silent as to whether or not she made any inspection of her own4 ,the argumentative style and the failure to distinguish between personal knowledge and argumentative inferences is all readily understood when the history of this statement is made known4 ,it seems that two preachers1 named ,d4 ,r4 ,austin and ,john ,storrs1 are responsible for this letter4 ,mrs4 ,davidson never wrote it1 but afterwards stated that in the main it was true4 #dd ,even with her re-affirmance of the story as published1 we cannot give it evidentiary weight except in those matters where it is plain from the nature of things that she must have been speaking from personal knowledge4 ,footnote #dd3 ,quincy ,whig1 quoted in ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 #e1 to be read in connection with ,gleanings by the ,way1 #bfa-g4 ,on p4 #bb of the ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found this interview appears with the statement that the ,boston ,recorder article was in the main true carefully omitted4 ,for still more gross dishonesty see ,apostle 7afterward ,prophet7 ,john ,taylor's lying perversion of this alleged interview as reported in his ,three ,nights' ,public ,discussion1 pp4 #de and #ef4 ,the dishonesty of the original publication of this interview is pointed out in ,gleanings by the ,way1 #bfa-d4 ,upon the question as to whether or not ,spaulding's rewritten manuscript was in the possession of anybody but ,rigdon at any time after ,october1 #ahaf1 ,mrs4 ,davidson's statement as published cannot in any sense whatever be considered as evidence4 ,and since ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's unsupported evidence1 for the reasons already given1 must be considered as of such very infinitesimal weight1 ,i conclude that there is no believable evidence upon which to base the conclusion that the ,manuscript ,found was ever returned to ,spaulding after its second submission to ,patterson1 or was ever in the trunk at ,sabine's1 and therefore1 could not have been either copied or stolen by ,smith4 ,this also answers one ,mormon argument made against ,rigdon's theft of the manuscript from the printing office1 which argument is always based upon the assumption that the original manuscript of the rewritten story was in the ,sabine trunk long after the time of the alleged theft by ,rigdon4 ,,ii4 ,when we digressed from the main lines of our argument1 ,spaulding's rewritten story had been traced into the hands of ,robert ,patterson1 a ,pittsburg publisher1 and this prior to ,spaulding's death in ,october1 #ahaf4 ,if the manuscript was never returned to ,spaulding after its second submission to ,patterson1 then what became of it8 ,john ,miller1 who knew ,spaulding at ,amity1 bailed him out of jail when confined for debt1 made his coffin for him1 and helped lay him in his grave1 says ,spaulding told him there was a man named ,sidney ,rigdon about the office of ,patterson1 and they thought he had stolen it the manuscript4 #de ,footnote #de3 ,gregg's ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #ddb2 7date1 ,january #bj1 #ahhb47 ,see also ,times and ,seasons4 ,the ,rev4 ,cephus ,dodd1 a ,presbyterian minister of ,amity1 ,pa41 as well as a practicing physician1 attended ,spaulding at his last sickness4 ,as early as #ahcb1 when ,mormonism was first attracting general public attention1 and two years prior to the publication of ,howe's book1 in which ,spaulding's story was first ventilated1 this ,mr4 ,dodd took ,mr4 ,george ,m4 ,french of ,amity to ,spaulding's grave1 and there expressed a positive belief that ,sidney ,rigdon was the agent who had transformed ,spaulding's manuscript into the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the date is fixed by ,mr4 ,french through its proximity to his removal to ,amity2 hence the date given is probably correct4 #df ,footnote #df3 ,history of ,washington ,county1 ,pa41 by ,patterson4 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #aj4 ,the conclusion thus expressed by ,mr4 ,dodd in advance of all public discussion or evidence is important1 because of what is necessarily implied in it4 ,first1 it involved a comparison between ,spaulding's literary production and the ,book of ,mormon1 with a discovered similarity inducing conviction that the latter was a plagiarism from the former4 ,this comparison presupposes a knowledge of the contents of ,spaulding's rewritten manuscript4 ,the second and most important deduction is to be made from the assertion that ,sidney ,rigdon was the connecting link in the plagiarism4 ,such a conclusion must have had a foundation in ,mr4 ,dodd's mind1 and could have arisen only if he was possessed of personal knowledge of what he considered reliable information creating a conviction in his mind of the probability of ,sidney ,rigdon's connection with the matter4 ,this conclusion1 if not made on independent evidence1 in all human probability had no less significant foundation than a confidence in the accuracy of ,spaulding's expressed suspicion to the effect that ,rigdon had stolen the manuscript from the printing office4 ,thus accounted for1 ,dr4 ,dodd's statement has less force than if presumed to have been made on independent evidence1 yet it confirms ,joseph ,miller's statement that ,spaulding suspected ,rigdon1 and that suspicion must be accounted for by those who deny ,rigdon's presence in ,pittsburg prior to #ahba4 ,,how ,,about ,,sidney ,,rigdon8 ,was ,spaulding's expressed suspicion that ,rigdon had stolen his manuscript from the printing office well founded8 ,we can never know upon what evidence the accusation was made1 but we may inquire into the probative force of such new corroborative evidence as has been adduced since ,spaulding's death4 ,sidney ,rigdon was born ,february #ai1 #agic1 in ,piny ,fork of ,peter's ,creek1 ,saint ,clair ,township1 ,allegheny ,county1 ,pa41 #dg which place is variously estimated at from six to twelve miles distant from ,pittsburg4 ,at least until #ahaj1 that being the date of the death of1 his father1 and his own eighteenth year1 ,rigdon remained on the farm with his parents4 #dh ,footnote #dg3 ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 by ,john ,e4 ,page1 #g4 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #db4 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #bd4 ,footnote #dh3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star4 #db4 ,according to the ,mormon account1 ,rigdon was licensed as a ,baptist preacher fourteen years before becoming a ,mormon4 #di ,this would make the date #ahaf1 the same year in ,october of which ,spaulding died1 it being ,rigdon's twenty-fourth year1 and the same year in which he stole from the publishing office of ,patterson the manuscript of ,spaulding1 if the latter's suspicions shall prove well founded4 ,a very opportune time1 be it observed1 for the giving of attention to religious subjects4 ,footnote #di3 #ce ,saints' ,herald1 #acj4 ,according to another account1 and perhaps the more accurate one1 ,rigdon joined the ,baptist ,church ,may #ca1 #ahag1 #ej a ,welsh clergyman1 ,rev4 ,david ,phillips1 being his pastor4 #ea4 ,this church was located near where the neighboring hamlet of ,library is now situated4 ,rigdon began to talk in public on religion soon after his admission to the church1 probably at his own instance1 as there is no record of his license4 #eb ,footnote #ej3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #h4 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #bd4 ,footnote #ea3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #db and #dc4 ,footnote #eb3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #i4 ,the following year 7#ahah7 ,rigdon left the farm and took up his residence and the study of divinity with the ,rev4 ,andrew ,clark at ,sharon1 ,beaver ,county1 ,pa41 #ec where1 in ,march1 #ahai1 he was licensed as a ,baptist4 #ed ,i am informed by ,sidney ,rigdon's son that in #ahah his father made a lengthy visit to ,pittsburg4 ,in ,may1 #ahai1 ,rigdon moved to ,warren1 ,trumbull ,county1 ,o41 where1 in ,july1 he took up his residence with the ,rev4 ,adamson ,bentley1 later of ,disciple fame1 #ee and was here ordained a regular ,baptist preacher4 #ef ,while thus situated ,rigdon met1 and on ,june #ab1 #ahbj1 married ,phoebe ,brooks1 #eg who was a sister to ,mrs4 ,bently4 #eh ,rigdon continued his preaching hereabouts1 not appearing to have any regular charge until ,february1 #ahbb4 ,in ,november1 #ahba1 he received a call from the ,first ,baptist ,church of ,pittsburg1 which was accepted1 active duties commencing ,february1 #ahbb1 #ei and according to ,joseph ,smith ended ,august1 #ahbd1 at which time ,rigdon was expelled for doctrinal error4 #fj ,another account fixes the date of his being deposed as ,october #aa1 #ahbc4 #fa ,thereupon ,rigdon1 ,alexander ,campbell1 and ,walter ,scott organized the ,christian ,church1 otherwise known as ,disciples--and1 with his following1 ,rigdon secured the courthouse in ,pittsburg in which to do his preaching1 at the same time working as a journeyman tanner #fb with his brother-in-law1 ,mr4 ,brooks4 #fc ,mr4 ,lambdin1 through whom ,rigdon is supposed to have secured access to the ,spaulding manuscript1 and of whom more shall be written later on1 died ,august #a1 #ahbe1 #fd and in #ahbf ,rigdon returned to ,bainbridge1 ,geauga ,county1 ,o4 #fe ,here he soon met ,orson ,hyde1 who became a student of divinity at ,mr4 ,rigdon's1 with a view1 as ,hyde says1 of entering the ministry4 ,except for a little ,campbellite preaching which he did under ,rigdon's guidance1 ,hyde never appears to have entered any ministry except the ,mormon4 ,in #ahbi ,hyde became a boarder of ,rigdon's family1 and in #ahcj #ff he was almost miraculously converted to ,mormonism1 and still later became one of the first ,quorum of apostles in the ,mormon ,church4 ,rigdon died ,july #ad1 #ahgf4 #fg ,footnote #ec3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #h1 #i4 ,footnote #ed3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millenial ,star1 #db and #ec4 ,footnote #ee3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millenial ,star1 #dc4 ,footnote #ef3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #i4 ,supplement #ad1 ,millenial ,star1 #dc4 ,footnote #eg3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millenial ,star1 #dc4 ,footnote #eh3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #ab4 ,footnote #ei3 ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 #d1 by ,j4,e4 ,page4 ,mormonism ,exposed1 #b exact date1 ,january #bh1 #ahbb4 ,footnote #fj3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millenial ,star1 #dc4 ,footnote #fa3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #h4 ,footnote #fb3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millenial ,star1 #de4 ,footnote #fc3 ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 p4 #h4 ,footnote #fd3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #g4 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #bf4 ,footnote #fe3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millenial ,star1 #dd4 ,times and ,seasons #dah4 ,footnote #ff3 ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 #aj4 ,footnote #fg3 ,historical ,record1 #iib4 ,bancroft's ,history of ,utah1 #bjb ,,rigdon',s ,,prior ,,religious ,,dishonesty4 ,there are two circumstances of the above narrative which need a little further elucidation1 since the impressions which ,rigdon made upon his discerning intimates during his earlier life may have some bearing upon the force to be given to the circumstantial evidence concerning his after life4 ,as to ,rigdon's conversion to the ,baptist ,church so very soon after the time when ,spaulding expressed the suspicion that ,rigdon had stolen his manuscript1 the ,rev4 ,samuel ,williams1 in his ,mormonism ,exposed1 says3 ,he ,rigdon professed to experience a change of heart when a young man1 and proposed to join the church under the care of ,elder ,david ,phillips4 ,but there was so much miracle about his conversion1 and so much parade about his profession1 that the pious and discerning pastor entertained serious doubts at the time in regard to the genuineness of the work4 ,he was received1 however1 by the church and baptized by the pastor with some fears and doubts upon his mind4 ,very soon1 ,diotrephes-like1 he began to put himself forward and seek pre-eminence1 and was well-nigh supplanting the tried and faithful minister who had reared and nursed and led the church for a long series of years4 ,so thoroughly convinced was ,father ,phillips by this time that he was not possessed of the spirit of ,christ1 notwithstanding his miraculous conversion and flippant speech1 that he declared his belief 'that as long as he ,sidney ,rigdon should live1 he would be a curse to the church of ,christ4' #fh ,footnote #fh3 ,mormonism ,exposed1 by ,williams1 copied in ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 page #ac4 ,concerning ,rigdon's expulsion or resignation from the ,baptist ,church1 the ,mormons declare that it was caused by ,rigdon's refusal to either accept or teach the doctrine of infant damnation4 ,dr4 ,winter1 in the course of a historical notice of the ,first ,baptist ,church of ,pittsburg1 says3 ,when ,holland ,sumner dealt with ,rigdon for his bad teachings1 and said to him3 ',brother ,rigdon1 you never got into a ,baptist church without relating your ,christian experiences1' ,rigdon replied3 ',when ,i joined the church at ,peter's ,creek ,i knew ,i could not be admitted without an experience1 so ,i made up one to suit the purpose2 but it was all made up and was of no use1 nor true4' ,this ,i have just copied from an old memorandum as taken from ,sumner himself4 #fi ,footnote #fi3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #ac4 ,baptist ,witness 7,pittsburg71 ,january #a1 #ahge4 ,the first of these accounts was published in #ahdb1 the last in ,january1 #ahge1 and ,rigdon lived until ,july #ad1 #ahgf4 ,while one ,h4 ,a4 ,dunlavy of ,lebanon1 ,o41 did1 in the ,march number of the same paper1 publish an apology for ,rigdon by way of answer to the article of ,dr4 ,winter1 yet neither ,dunlavy nor ,rigdon ever denied the facts alleged therein4 ,we must1 therefore1 accept the facts stated as true1 and they fasten upon ,rigdon such religious dishonesty as establishes his willingness to be a party to a religious fraud in kind like the one here charged against him4 ,this1 then1 brings us to the question of what1 if any1 opportunity ,rigdon had for stealing ,spaulding's manuscript from ,patterson's publishing office4 ,,rigdon ,,had ,,opportunity ,,to ,,steal ,,the ,,manuscript4 ,it has been frequently charged that ,sidney ,rigdon lived in ,pittsburg and was connected with the ,patterson printing office during #ahae and #ahaf4 ,to this charge ,rigdon1 under date ,commerce 7,ill471 ,may #bg1 #ahci1 makes the following denial3 ,it is only necessary to say in relation to the whole story about ,spaulding's writings being in the hands of ,mr4 ,patterson1 who was then in ,pittsburg1 and who is said to have kept a private printing office1 and my saying that ,i was connected with the same office1 etc41 etc41 is the most base of lies1 without even the shadow of truth4 ,there was no man by the name of ,patterson during my residence in ,pittsburg who had a printing office2 what might have been before ,i lived here1 ,i know not4 ,mr4 ,robert ,patterson1 ,i was told1 had owned a printing office before ,i lived in that city1 but had been unfortunate in business and failed before my residence in ,pittsburg4 ,this ,mr4 ,patterson1 who was a ,presbyterian preacher1 ,i had a very slight acquaintance with during my residence there4 ,he was then acting under an agency in the book and stationery business1 and was the owner of no property of any kind1 printing office1 or anything else during the time ,i resided in that city4 ,if ,i were to say that ,i ever heard of the ,rev4 ,solomon ,spaulding and his hopeful wife until ,dr4 ,p4 ,hurlburt wrote his lie about me1 ,i should be a liar like unto themselves4 #gj ,footnote #gj3 ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 #aa and #ab4 ,history of the ,mormons1 #de and #df4 ,the ,mormons1 #cd4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #id4 ,plain ,facts ,showing the ,falsehood and ,folly of the ,rev4 ,c4,s4 ,bush1 p4 #ad to #af4 ,the evidence upon which is based the charge of ,rigdon having a permanent residence in ,pittsburg during the years in question1 or his connection with ,patterson's printing office1 is so unsatisfactory that these issues must be found in favor of ,rigdon's denial1 even in spite of the fact that his evidence is discredited by reason of the conclusion as to his guilt1 which is to be hereafter set forth1 and his personal interest4 ,rigdon1 it will be remembered1 lived within from six to ten miles of ,pittsburg during the years in question4 ,pittsburg was the only town of consequence1 and the family's place of buying and selling4 ,rigdon would of necessity make many friends in the city1 and it would not be strange if almost everybody knew him and he knew all of the prominent citizens4 ,in #ahaj ,pittsburg had only about #d1jjj inhabitants1 and in #ahbj had but #g1bdh4 ,the very prevalent notion as to ,rigdon's connection with the ,patterson publishing establishment must have had some origin1 which1 in all probability1 would be ,rigdon's close friendship for some who were1 in fact1 connected with it4 ,upon this theory only can we account for such a general impression4 #ga ,footnote #ga3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #aa4 ,it might be well1 before entering upon that subject1 to fix in our minds ,patterson's business mutations4 ,in #ahab ,patterson was in the book business in the firm of ,patterson and ,hopkins4 ,they had then in their employ one ,j4 ,harrison ,lambdin1 he being a lad of fourteen4 ,january #a1 #ahah1 ,lambdin was taken into the partnership of ,patterson and ,lambdin1 which firm succeeded ,r4 and ,j4 ,patterson4 ,r4 ,patterson had in his employ one ,silas ,engles as foreman printer and superintendent of the printing business4 ,as such1 the latter decided upon the propriety1 or otherwise1 of publishing manuscripts when offered4 ,the partnership of ,patterson and ,lambdin had under its control the book store on ,fourth ,street1 a book bindery1 a printing office 7not newspaper1 but job office1 under the name of ,buttler and ,lambdin71 entrance on ,diamond ,alley1 and a steam paper mill on the ,allegheny 7under the name of ,r4 and ,j4 ,patterson74 #gb ,patterson and ,lambdin continued in business until #ahbc4 ,lambdin died ,august #a1 #ahbe1 in his twenty-seventh year4 ,silas ,engles died ,july #ag1 #ahbg1 in his forty-sixth year4 ,r4 ,patterson died ,september #e1 #ahed1 in his eighty-second year4 #gc ,footnote #gb3 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #bf4 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #i4 ,footnote #gc3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #g and #i4 ,this covers all ,patterson's migrations4 ,,rigdon',s ,,only ,,denial ,,analyzed4 ,let us now analyze ,mr4 ,rigdon's denial of #ahci as quoted above4 ,rigdon was an educated man1 a controversialist in religion1 and at the date of the denial he was also a lawyer4 ,therefore we are justified in holding him in a strict accountability for all that is necessarily implied from what he says or omits to say1 as we could not1 in justice1 do with a layman4 ,rigdon's first denial is of the ,story about ,spaulding's writing being in the hands of ,patterson4 ,this story is established by the evidence already adduced and some besides1 even to the satisfaction of most ,mormons4 ,the negative of this proposition ,mr4 ,rigdon1 if he was a stranger to the office1 as is claimed1 could not possibly assert as a matter within his own knowledge4 ,if ,rigdon had in his mind any fact upon which he justified this assertion1 it could only have been a knowledge that the manuscript was at the printing office of ,buttler and ,lambdin1 not knowing that that office was controlled by ,patterson4 ,the second denial in ,rigdon's statement is3 ,there was no man by the name of ,patterson during my residence in ,pittsburg who had a printing office4 ,the foregoing account of ,patterson's business affairs is made up from the information possessed by ,patterson's family and an employee4 ,it must1 therefore1 be accepted as correct4 ,here again ,rigdon's denial can be accounted for by assuming his ignorance of ,patterson's interest in the printing office known as ,buttler and ,lambdin4 ,rigdon's son says ,rigdon lived in ,pittsburg in #ahah4 ,church biographers allege that he preached there regularly after ,january #bh1 #ahbb4 ,during #ahah and #ahbb ,patterson was in the printing business1 and ,rigdon's statement must be deemed untrue4 ,howe1 in his ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #gd did1 as early as #ahcd1 charge that ,rigdon had been on intimate terms with ,lambdin4 ,this statement in many forms has been very often republished since1 and between #ahcd and #ahgf1 the year of ,rigdon's death4 ,during these forty-two years ,rigdon never recorded a denial4 ,that fact may1 therefore1 be taken as true4 ,if ,rigdon was on terms of intimacy with ,lambdin1 and ,lambdin1 at the time of that intimacy1 as is clearly established and undenied1 was connected with ,patterson in the publishing business1 ,rigdon1 being intimate with him1 must have known something of ,patterson's business1 and assuming his mental faculties unimpaired1 he1 in the statement under consideration1 must have told what he knew was untrue1 justifying himself by the apparent evidence in his favor that ,patterson's printing office was not run in his own name4 ,footnote #gd3 p4 #bhi ,rigdon's third matter of denial relates to his own admission of a connection with ,patterson's printing establishment4 ,this denial we must accept as true1 since no one to whom he is alleged to have made the admission has ever recorded his evidence1 and the hearsay statements without certainty of origin are too indefinite to be entitled to weight4 ,this paragraph above quoted and thus analyzed absolutely denies nothing in the remotest degree essential to the real issues involved in the charge of plagiarism under investigation1 and is absolutely the only recorded public denial ever made by ,rigdon1 though from #ahcd to #ahgf he was almost continually under the fire of this charge1 reiterated in various forms and with varying proofs4 ,,rigdon ,,and ,,lambdin ,,in #ahae4 ,heretofore we have argued that by his silence ,rigdon admitted his intimacy with ,lambdin1 successively ,patterson's employee and partner from #ahab to #ahbc4 ,the early writers all treated the intimacy between ,rigdon and ,lambdin as a matter apparently too well known to need proof4 ,yet we need not rely upon that1 nor even ,rigdon's failure to deny1 since more definite evidence has been preserved4 ,mrs4 ,r4 ,j4 ,eichbaum1 under date of ,pittsburg1 ,september #ah1 #ahgi1 leaves us this very convincing statement3 ,my father1 ,john ,johnston1 was postmaster at ,pittsburg for about eighteen years1 from #ahjd to #ahbb4 ,my husband1 ,william ,eichbaumn1 succeeded him1 and was postmaster for about eleven years1 from #ahbb to #ahcc4 ,i was born ,august #be1 #agib1 and when ,i became old enough ,i assisted my father in attending to the post office1 and became familiar with his duties4 ,from #ahaa to #ahaf ,i was the regular clerk in the office1 assorting1 making up1 dispatching1 opening1 and distributing the mails4 ,pittsburg was then a small town1 and ,i was well acquainted with all the stated visitors at the office who called regularly for their mails4 ,so meager at that time were the mails that ,i could generally tell without looking whether or not there was anything for such persons1 though ,i would usually look in order to satisfy them4 ,i was married in #ahae1 and the next year my connection with the office ceased1 except during the absences of my husband4 ,i knew and distinctly remember ,robert and ,joseph ,patterson1 ,j4 ,harrison ,lambdin1 ,silas ,engles1 and ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,i remember ,rev4 ,mr4 ,spaulding1 but simply as one who occasionally called to inquire for letters4 ,i remember there was an evident intimacy between ,lambdin and ,rigdon4 ,they very often came to the office together4 ,i particularly remember that they would thus come during the hour on ,sabbath afternoon when the office was required to be open1 and ,i remember feeling sure that ,rev4 ,mr4 ,patterson knew nothing of this1 or he would have put a stop to it4 ,i do not know what position1 if any1 ,rigdon filled in ,patterson's store or printing office1 but am well assured he was frequently1 if not constantly1 there for a large part of the time when ,i was clerk in the post office4 ,i recall ,mr4 ,engles saying that ',rigdon was always hanging around the printing office4' ,he was connected with the tannery before he became a preacher1 though he may have continued the business whilst preaching4 #ge ,footnote #ge3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #aj-aa4 ,while this does not establish that ,sidney ,rigdon had a permanent abode in ,pittsburg1 nor that he was connected with ,patterson's printing establishment1 it yet explains why seemingly everybody who knew him reached that conclusion4 ,it also establishes beyond doubt his undeniable intimacy with ,lambdin and ,engles1 and by reason thereof1 his possible access to ,spaulding's manuscript1 and doubtless is one of the circumstances leading ,spaulding to suspect ,rigdon of the theft4 ,,rigdon ,,exhibits ,,spaulding',s ,,manuscript4 ,it will be remembered that in #ahbb-c ,rigdon was a ,baptist preacher in ,pittsburg4 ,the ,rev4 ,john ,winter1 ,m4,d41 one of the western ,pennsylvania's early preachers1 was then 7#ahbb-c7 a school teacher in ,pittsburg4 ,dr4 ,winter died at ,sharon1 ,pa41 in #ahgh4 ,on one occasion during this period 7#ahbb-c7 ,dr4 ,winter was in ,rigdon's study when the latter took from his desk a large manuscript1 and said1 substantially1 that a ,presbyterian minister named ,spaulding1 whose health had failed1 brought it to a printer to see if it would pay to publish it4 ,it is a romance of the ,bible4 ,dr4 ,winter did not read the manuscript1 nor think any more of the matter until the ,book of ,mormon appeared4 ,it was thought by members of ,dr4 ,winter's family that he had committed his recollections of this interview to writing1 but none could be found4 ,the authorities of ,dr4 ,winter's statement are ,rev4 ,a4 ,g4 ,kirk1 to whom ,dr4 ,winter communicated it in a conversation had at ,new ,brighton1 ,pa41 in #ahgj-a4 ,the second authority is the ,rev4 ,a4 ,j4 ,bonsall1 a stepson of ,dr4 ,winter1 and for twenty-three years pastor of the ,baptist ,church at ,rochester1 ,pa4 ,to him the same story was often repeated by ,dr4 ,winter4 ,the third authority is ,mrs4 ,w4 ,irvine1 a daughter of ,dr4 ,winter1 in #ahha resident at ,sharon1 ,pa4 ,her statement has one or two details not already given1 so ,i quote3 ,i have frequently heard my father speak of ,rigdon having ,spaulding's manuscript1 and that he had gotten it from the printers to read it as a curiosity2 as such he showed it to father2 and that at the time ,rigdon had no intention of making the use of it that he afterwards did4 #gf ,footnote #gf3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #aa-ab4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #db4 ,thus authenticated1 ,dr4 ,winter's statement may be given as much weight as though reduced to writing by himself4 ,,rigdon ,,foreknows ,,the ,,coming ,,and ,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,the ,rev4 ,adamson ,bentley 7whose wife was sister to ,mrs4 ,sidney ,rigdon7 wrote the following to ,walter ,scott under date of ,january #bb1 #ahda3 ,i know that ,sidney ,rigdon told me that there was a book coming out1 the manuscript of which had been found engraved on gold plates1 as much as two years before the ,mormon book made its appearance or had been heard of by me4 ,this statement was published in the ,millennial ,harbinger for #ahdd1 with the following editorial note from ,rev4 ,alexander ,campbell3 ,the conversation alluded to in ,brother ,bentley's letter of #ahda was in my presence as well as his1 and my recollection of it led me1 some two or three years ago1 to interrogate ,brother ,bentley touching his recollection of it1 which accorded with mine in every particular1 except the year in which it occurred1 he placing it in the summer of #ahbg1 ,i in the summer of #ahbf1 ,rigdon at the same time observing that in the plates dug up in ,new ,york there was an account1 not only of the aborigines of this country1 but also it was stated that the ,christian religion had been preached in this country during the first century1 just as we were preaching it in the ,western ,reserve4 #gg ,footnote #gg3 ,besides ,millennial ,harbinger #ahdd1 p4 #ci1 see ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #ab and #ac4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #de4 ,it will be remembered that ,rigdon lived for a time at his brother-in-law ,bentley's house1 and that it was ,scott1 ,campbell1 and ,rigdon who1 in ,pittsburg1 organized the ,disciple ,church in #ahbd or #ahbe4 ,the above statements were published in the ,millennial ,harbinger in #ahdd 7p4 #ci71 twenty-two years before ,rigdon's death1 yet he never published a denial to either4 ,it seems that before that publication ,adamson ,bentley was orally making statements1 probably to the same effect1 which remained undenied by ,rigdon1 though he published a card denouncing his brother-in-law4 #gh ,footnote #gh3 ,evening and ,morning ,star1 #cja4 ,mrs4 ,amos ,dunlap1 a niece of ,mrs4 ,rigdon1 under date of ,warren1 ,o41 ,december #g1 #ahgi1 writes this3 ,when ,i was quite a child ,i visited ,mr4 ,rigdon's family4 ,he married my aunt4 ,they at that time lived at ,bainbridge1 ,o4 #ahbf-g4 ,during my visit ,mr4 ,rigdon went to his bedroom and took from a trunk which he kept locked1 a certain manuscript4 ,he came out into the other room and seated himself by the fireplace and commenced reading it4 ,his wife at that moment came into the room and exclaimed3 ',what1 are you studying that thing again8' or something to that effect4 ,she then added3 ',i mean to burn that paper4' ,he said1 ',no indeed1 you will not2 this will be a great thing some day4' ,whenever he was reading this he was so completely occupied that he seemed entirely unconscious of anything passing around him4 #gi ,footnote #gi3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #ab4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #de4 ,since ,rigdon never1 in person or by anyone else1 has claimed to have written any such manuscript of his own1 in the light of other evidence here adduced1 we are warranted in believing that to have been ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found4 ,the ,rev4 ,d4 ,atwater1 under date ,mantua ,station1 ,o41 ,april #bf1 #ahgc1 three years before ,rigdon's death1 writes this3 ,soon after this the great ,mormon defection came on us ,disciples4 ,sidney ,rigdon preached for us1 and notwithstanding his extravagantly wild freaks1 he was held in high repute by many4 ,for a few months before his professed conversion to ,mormonism1 it was noticed that his wild1 extravagant propensities had been more marked4 ,that he knew before of the coming of the ,book of ,mormon is to me certain from what he said during the first of his visits at my father's some years before4 ,he gave a wonderful description of the mounds and other antiquities found in some parts of ,america1 and said that they must have been made by the aborigines4 ,he said that there was a book to be published containing an account of those things4 ,he spoke of these in his eloquent1 enthusiastic style1 as being a thing most extraordinary4 ,though a youth then1 ,i took him to task for expending so much enthusiasm on such a subject1 instead of things of the gospel4 #hj ,footnote #hj3 ,early ,history of the ,disciples in the ,western ,reserve1 #bci-bdj1 copied in ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #ac4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #de4 ,of this statement ,rigdon never made a denial4 ,dr4 ,s4 ,rosa1 under date of ,painsville1 ,o41 ,june #c1 #ahda1 writes1 among other things1 this3 ,in the early part of the year #ahcj1 when the ,book of ,mormon appeared1 and in ,november of which year ,rigdon was converted1 either in ,may or ,june1 ,i was in company with ,sidney ,rigdon1 and rode with him on horseback a few miles4 ,our conversation was principally upon the subject of religion1 as he was at that time a very popular preacher of the denomination calling themselves ',disciples' or ,campbellites4 ,he remarked to me that it was time for a new religion to spring up2 that mankind were all rife and ready for it4 ,i thought he alluded to the ,campbellite doctrine4 ,he said it would not be long before something would make its appearance2 he also said that he thought of leaving ,pennsylvania and should be absent for some months4 ,i asked him how long4 ,he said it would depend upon circumstances4 ,i began to think a little strange of his remarks1 as he was a minister of the gospel4 ,i left ,ohio that fall and went to the ,state of ,new ,york to visit my friends who lived in ,waterloo1 not far from the mine of golden ,bibles4 ,in ,november ,i was informed that my old neighbor1 ,e4 ,partridge1 and the ,rev4 ,sidney ,rigdon1 were in ,waterloo1 and that they both had become the dupes of ,joe ,smith's necromancies4 ,it then occurred to me that ,rigdon's new religion had made its appearance1 and when ,i became informed of the ,spaulding manuscript1 ,i was confirmed in the opinion that ,rigdon was at least accessory1 if not the principal1 in getting up this farce4 #ha ,footnote #ha3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #cag4 ,prophet of the ,nineteenth ,century1 #eh4 ,early ,days of ,mormonism1 #agb-c4 ,this last article was first published in book form in #ahdb1 thirty-four years before ,rigdon's death1 but never publicly denied or explained by him4 ,whether this particular letter was published in the ,christian ,observer and ,episcopal ,recorder ,i cannot say1 but other portions of the same book evidently were1 and received comment in a ,mormon church organ4 #hb ,this but emphasizes ,rigdon's silence upon ,dr4 ,rosa's letter4 ,footnote #hb3 ,gospel ,reflector1 #ai4 ,in ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #hc it is said that ,rigdon1 during the incubation period of ,mormonism between #ahbg and #ahcj1 preached new matters of doctrine which were afterwards found to be inculcated in the ,mormon ,bible4 ,the evident purpose of all this was to prepare his congregation for the acceptance of ,mormonism1 and the end was most successfully achieved4 ,evidently this and the other circumstances showing ,rigdon's foreknowledge of the forthcoming ,book of ,mormon1 all combined with a guilty conscience1 irresistibly impelled the making of an explanation tending to allay the suspicion that there was a conscious purpose in all such conduct4 ,this defense is found in a revelation to ,sidney ,rigdon1 dated ,december #g1 #ahcj1 at the alleged first meeting between ,rigdon and ,smith1 and within one month after the former's conversion4 ,the revelation1 in part1 says3 ,footnote #hc3 ,page #bhi4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #de4 ,behold thou was sent forth1 even as ,john1 ,to prepare the way before me1 and before ,elijah which should come1 and thou knewest it not4 #hd ,footnote #hd3 ,section #ce1 ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #ej4 ,the exact date of this revelation is ,december #gth4 #ahcj1 according to ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #ajg4 ,that ,rigdon did prepare the way we knew before the revelation informed us of it4 ,that it was done unconsciously we cannot even now believe4 ,especially in the light of the foregoing evidence1 this revelation must be construed as much more convincing proof of ,rigdon's advance knowledge of the forthcoming ,book of ,mormon and its contents than even a tacit admission4 ,it is practically an admission of guilty knowledge1 coupled with a transparent effort at warding off the inference of complicity in fraud by veiling the acts constituting the evidence in an assumed mysticism1 which really deceives few aside from the mystic degenerate and the willing victim who enters the fold for opportunities to fleece the flock of ,christ4 ,,iii4 ,,from ,,rigdon ,,to ,,smith via ,p4 ,p4 ,,pratt4 ,when to this evidence already adduced is added1 as will be done1 conclusive proof of the identity of the salient features of the ,book of ,mormon and ,spaulding's rewritten ,manuscript ,found1 it would seem that the case of plagiarism through ,rigdon's complicity is established beyond reasonable doubt4 ,the ,mormon objector1 however1 insists that no possible connection between ,rigdon and ,smith has ever been shown to exist prior to #ahcj1 and that1 therefore1 even if ,rigdon did steal the manuscript1 ,smith could not have obtained it for use as a help in preparing the ,book of ,mormon4 ,it would seem as if the facts above recited should1 even if unaided by more direct evidence1 raise an almost conclusive presumption of the existence of an undiscovered connection between the two4 ,but we are not confined to an inference from such evidence alone4 ,there are still more pointed evidentiary circumstances to which we will now give attention4 ,parley ,parker ,pratt was born at ,burlington1 ,otsego ,county1 ,n4,y41 ,april #ab1 #ahjg1 of parents who later resided at ,canaan1 ,columbia ,county1 ,n4,y4 #he ,during his sixth year 7#ahac7 he went to reside with his father's sister1 named ,van ,cott1 #hf which name afterward became conspicuous in the early history of ,utah4 ,in #ahbf ,pratt spent a few months with an uncle in ,wayne 7formerly ,ontario7 ,county1 ,n4 ,y4 #hg ,footnote #he3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #ag4 ,footnote #hf3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #ai4 ,footnote #hg3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #a4 ,this1 it will be remembered1 is the same county in which ,smith was at that time gaining much newspaper notoriety as a peep-stone money digger #hh through mention made of him in papers published in several counties in southern ,new ,york and northern ,pennsylvania4 #hi ,while ,smith was thus working the gullible of his neighborhood with his necromancy1 ,pratt was a peddler1 who1 it is said1 knew almost everybody in western ,new ,york4 #ij ,at that time ,ontario ,county took in all the territory of several counties as now bounded1 and in #ahbj had only a population of #hj1bfg4 #ia ,pratt1 therefore1 could hardly have helped knowing ,smith's fame1 which was such as at once to have suggested him as the star actor in any scheme of fraud requiring a prophet4 ,in view of ,pratt's subsequent connection with the ,wells family1 #ib who were ,smith's neighbors and friends1 #ic it is more than probable that he knew the ,smiths personally in or prior to #ahbf1 although1 of course1 they would carefully guard the fact of such acquaintance from publicity as a most important secret4 ,footnote #hh3 ,origin1 ,rise1 and ,progress of ,mormonism1 #bg4 ,footnote #hi3 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #dg4 ,footnote #ij3 ,hand ,book of ,mormonism1 #c4 ,footnote #ia3 ,compendium1 #aath ,census4 ,footnote #ib3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #cg4 ,footnote #ic3 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 by ,lucy ,smith1 #aja-b-c4 ,in ,october of this year ,pratt went to ,ohio1 locating at ,amherst1 thirty miles west of ,cleveland #id and was also located fifty miles west of ,kirtland4 #ie ,one of the temptations inducing ,pratt's departure from ,new ,york was to get to a country where1 as he himself expresses it1 there is no law to sweep away all the hard earnings of years to pay a small debt4 #if ,the ethical status of an average country peddler who is willing to leave his native state to avoid the payment of his small debts furnishes a fertile immorality in which to plant the seeds of religious imposture4 ,footnote #id3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #bg4 ,footnote #ie3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #ej4 ,footnote #if3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #bf4 ,it will be remembered that it was also in #ahbf that ,rigdon went for a second time to reside in ,ohio1 where he became an itinerant ,disciple preacher1 laboring in the vicinity of ,bainbridge1 ,mantua1 ,kirtland1 ,mentor1 ,chester1 ,new ,lisbon1 and ,warren1 #ig at some of which places ,rigdon had an unsavory reputation4 #ih ,rigdon and ,pratt1 therefore1 were in the same neighborhood in #ahbf1 and undoubtedly met soon after4 ,the date of their first meeting is nowhere given1 but may reasonably be inferred from an address delivered by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt in #ahdc or '#d4 ,in this discourse ,pratt tells of an occurrence which transpired on his way to his future ,ohio home1 which occurrence furnishes the key to his first connection with ,mormonism4 ,on his way he stopped at a humble cottage1 the name of whose occupant he carefully fails to give4 ,here1 while asleep 7so he says71 a messenger of a mild and intelligent countenance suddenly stood before me ,pratt1 arrayed in robes of dazzling splendor4 ,according to ,mormon theology1 an angel is but an exalted man4 #ii ,of course ,sidney ,rigdon was an exalted man2 why not1 then1 an angel8 ,this angel claimed to hold the keys to the mysteries of this wonderful country1 and took ,pratt out to exhibit those mysteries to him4 ,pratt then had portrayed to his mind the whole future of ,mormonism2 its cities1 with inhabitants from all parts of the globe2 its temples1 with a yet unattained splendor2 its present church organization was1 with considerable definiteness outlined2 its political ambition to establish a temporal kingdom of ,god on the ruins of this government was set forth with quite as much definiteness as in the subsequent more publicly uttered1 treasonable sermons4 #ajj ,i conclude from the exact manner in which this ,angel of the ,prairies foreknew the ambitions1 hopes1 and future achievements of the ,mormon ,church and the similar admitted foreknowledge of ,rigdon and the subsequently established connection between ,rigdon1 ,pratt1 and ,smith1 that the ,angel of the ,prairies who outlined to ,pratt his then contemplated and now executed religious fraud1 was none other than ,sidney ,rigdon himself1 and that this fact accounts for ,pratt's failure to give the name of his host or the date of his first meeting with ,rigdon4 #aja ,footnote #ig3 ,history of the ,church1 #adi-aej4 7,josephite47 ,footnote #ih3 #d ,times and ,seasons1 #bji4 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #de4 ,footnote #ii3 ,see ,text for foot-notes1 ,nos4 #ajf to #aji herein4 #f ,millennial ,star1 #bj4 ,history of ,mormonism1 #aed4 ,footnote #aja3 #bj ,millennial ,star1 #cc-cf4 #g ,deseret ,news1 #bhh-i4 #g ,journal of ,discourses1 #ec4 #a ,journal of ,discourses1 #bcj1 and ,sermons generally of this period4 ,see also ,am4 ,hist4 ,mag41 ,july1 #aijf4 ,lambdin1 who1 by some1 has been suspected of once having been ,rigdon's partner in the contemplated fraud1 died ,aug4 #a1 #ahbe4 ,engles1 ,patterson's foreman1 died ,july #ag1 #ahbg4 ,spaulding had died in #ahaf1 and ,robert ,patterson1 it seems1 knew nothing personally of the contents of the ,spaulding manuscript1 #ajb which fact ,rigdon probably well knew through his intimate acquaintance with ,lambdin4 ,in ,september of #ahbg the time was1 therefore1 as ripe as it was ever likely to be for active preparation in the matter of bringing forth the ,book of ,mormon1 since probably all those having any intimate knowledge of the ,manuscript ,found had conveniently died4 ,footnote #ajb3 ,mormonism ,exposed1 by ,williams4 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #g4 ,in #ahbg ,pratt started back to ,new ,york for the purpose of getting married4 ,now1 remember1 this was nearly three years before the advent of ,mormonism4 ,pratt reached the home of his aunt ,van ,cote ,july #d1 #ahbg1 and in his autobiography records a summary of a conversation with his future wife thus3 ,i also opened my religious views to her and my desire1 which ,i sometimes had1 to try and teach the red man4 #ajc ,in ,october1 #ahcj1 within a month after ,pratt's professed conversion to ,mormonism1 a revelation was received for ,pratt1 in which the ,lord1 through ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 directed ,pratt to carry out this very design4 #ajd ,the desire which ,pratt thus expressed to his wife three years before the advent of ,mormonism was afterward and for a long time the pet scheme of all ,mormons4 ,pratt was married ,september #i1 #ahbg4 #aje ,on ,september #bb1 #ahbg1 a heavenly messenger appeared to ,joseph ,smith and unfolded to him the scheme of the ,book of ,mormon1 and disclosed the whereabouts of the ,golden ,plates4 #ajf ,this heavenly messenger is called the ,angel ,moroni4 ,according to ,mormon theology1 ,god may use any beings he has made or that he pleases1 and call them his angels1 or messengers4 #ajg ,god's angels and men are all of one species1 one race1 one great family4 #ajh ,god is a man like unto yourselves2 that is the great secret4 #aji ,why1 of course6 ,that is the great secret4 ,god is but an exalted man1 and may call ,parley ,parker ,pratt his angel4 ,parley ,parker ,pratt was the heavenly messenger1 the angel who1 on that day 7,september #bb1 #ahbg71 appeared to ,joseph ,smith and told him where were the golden plates1 that is1 ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found4 ,sidney ,rigdon1 for ,smith's purposes1 was the exalted man1 the ,god who sent this heavenly messenger ,parley ,parker ,pratt1 just as the ,mormon people now look upon ,joseph ,smith as the ,god to this people4 #aaj ,now1 watch the sequel1 and no doubt can remain4 ,footnote #ajc3 ,pages #bi and #cj4 ,footnote #ajd3 ,section #cb1 ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,smith's ,god was1 however1 unfamiliar with governmental regulations of ,indian affairs1 so in spite of the revelation ,pratt and ,company were compelled by the ,united ,states ,indian agent to leave the reservation4 #e ,journal of ,discourses1 #aii4 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bah-bbf4 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #cbd4 ,footnote #aje3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #cj4 ,footnote #ajf3 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #f4 ,footnote #ajg3 #e ,journal of ,discourses1 #ada4 ,footnote #ajh3 ,key to ,theology1 #da1 #e ,millennial ,star1 #bj4 ,footnote #aji3 #e ,times and ,seasons1 #fac4 ,god an ,exalted ,man1 #f ,journal of ,discourses1 #c4 ,footnote #aaj3 ,deseret ,news1 ,march #ah1 #aheg1 #ac4 ,see also ,deseret ,news #agi4 ,those most familiar with the psychology of dreams and the influence over them had by the experiences of waking life1 will give considerable evidentiary weight to a dream of the prophet's father1 in which there appeared to him a man with a peddler's budget on his back1 such a peddler ,p4 ,p4 ,pratt probably carried4 ,this peddler of his dreams flattered him1 told him he had called seven times and this last call had come to tell him what was the one thing essential to his salvation1 and then he awoke4 7,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 #gd47 ,september #i1 #ahbg1 ,pratt was married4 ,on ,september #bb1 #ahbg1 he was the angel who appeared to ,smith1 and in ,october he started back to ,ohio1 the home of ,rigdon4 #aaa ,rigdon is now brought again upon the scene4 ,he preaches in ,pratt's neighborhood1 converts him1 the latter commences preaching1 #aab evidently preparing for his part in the drama about to be enacted4 ,footnote #aaa3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #cj4 ,footnote #aab3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #ca-cc4 ,,rigdon ,,visits ,,smith ,,before ,,mormonism4 ,the work of revising the ,spaulding manuscript1 or1 as ,holy ,joe calls it1 the ,translation of the ,golden ,plates1 is begun4 ,a mysterious stranger now appears at ,smith's residence and holds private interviews with the far-famed money-digger4 ,for a considerable length of time no intimation of the name or the purpose of this personage transpired to the public1 or even to ,smith's nearest neighbors4 ,it was observed by some of them that his visits were frequently repeated4 #aac ,at about this time ,rigdon is away from his ,ohio home on several long visits1 reporting himself as having gone to ,pittsburg4 #aad ,footnote #aac3 ,origin and ,progress of ,mormonism1 #bh4 ,the author was a native of ,palmyra and read proof on the ,book of ,mormon4 ,hand ,book of ,mormonism1 #c4 ,this author lived thirty-two years in ,palmyra4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #df4 ,mother ,lucy in ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 pp4 #aai1 #abj1 #aba1 gives an account of a mysterious and unnamed stranger who came to their home with ,joe at the time ,harris had lost some of the manuscript of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,as a mere matter of kindness this stranger forced upon the ,prophet his company for a twenty mile walk through the woods at night1 left a stage coach and went out of his way to do it1 and attended the interview with ,harris next day4 ,an opportune time was this for ,rigdon's presence4 ,may #a1 #ahbi1 ,sec4 #aj1 ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,footnote #aad3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhi1 followed in ,gleanings by the ,way1 #cai4 ,prophet of the ,nineteenth ,century1 #eg4 ,see also the pointed statement of ,l4 ,rudolph1 father-in-law to ,president ,garfield1 quoted in ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #de4 ,abel ,chase1 a near neighbor of the ,smiths1 says3 ,i saw ,rigdon at ,smith's at different times with considerable intervals between4 ,lorenzo ,saunders1 another neighbor1 testifies3 ,i saw ,rigdon at ,smith's several times1 and the first visit was more than two years before the ,book appeared4 ,j4 ,h4 ,mc,cauley1 in his history of ,franklin ,county1 ,pa41 states as a matter too well known to need argument1 that ,joseph ,smith1 the founder of ,mormonism1 and ,sidney ,rigdon were acquainted for a considerable time before ,mormonism was first heard of4 #aae ,footnote #aae3 ,see ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #df1 for three last statements4 ,tucker in his ,origin and ,progress of ,mormonism1 p4 #ej1 says ,rigdon officiated at the wedding of ,joseph ,smith and ,emma ,hale1 but he fixes date of wedding in ,november1 #ahbi1 when in fact it seems to have occurred ,january #ah1 #ahbh4 7,historical ,record1 #cfc47 ,tucker may therefore have been misinformed4 ,an alleged admission of ,sidney ,rigdon to ,james ,jeffries that ,spaulding's story was used1 which is quoted in ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #db1 ,i consider of doubtful value4 ,i have been able to find but one specific denial of ,rigdon's acquaintance with ,smith prior to the appearance of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,that denial comes from ,katherine ,salisbury1 a sister of the ,prophet ,joseph1 and is dated ,april #ae1 #ahha1 when she was nearly #fh years of age4 ,she says that ,prior to the latter part of the year ,a4 ,d4 #ahcj1 there was no person who visited with1 or was an acquaintance of1 or called upon the said family of ,smith1 or any member thereof to my knowledge by the name of ,rigdon1 nor was such person known to the family or any member thereof to my knowledge1 until the last part of the year ,a4 ,d4 #ahcj1 or the first part of the year #ahca4 ,i remember the time when ,sidney ,rigdon came to my father's place1 and that it was after the removal of my father from ,waterloo1 ,n4,y41 to ,kirtland1 ,o4 ,that this was in the year #ahca4 #aaf ,footnote #aaf3 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #cd4 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #ajj4 ,in #ahbg and #ahbh1 when ,rigdon's visits must have occurred1 and his help was needed in revamping ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found1 this woman was fourteen or fifteen years of age4 ,that ,rigdon did visit at the ,smiths' in ,new ,york ,state1 ,december1 #ahcj1 is admitted1 #aag and of this she seemingly remembers nothing4 ,she has no recollection of ,rigdon's coming to her father's or brother's house until after their removal to ,ohio4 ,may she not also1 either by design or otherwise1 have forgotten visits made by ,rigdon to her ,new ,york home prior to the admitted1 and1 by her1 forgotten one in ,december1 #ahcj8 ,footnote #aag3 ,supplement #ad ,millennial ,star1 #di4 ,in the same statement she avers that at the time of the publication of said ,book of ,mormon1 my brother ,joseph ,smith1 ,jr41 lived in the family of my father in the town of ,manchester1 ,ontario ,county1 ,n4,y41 and that he had all of his life to this time made his home with the family4 ,the manuscript of the ,book of ,mormon was finished and the book copyrighted by ,june #aa1 #ahbi4,millennial ,star1 #bd4 #aah ,rigdon's help would be most needed before this time1 and from ,june1 #ahbh1 until ,june1 #ahbi1 all and numerous revelations are dated ,harmony1 ,pennsylvania1 which1 together with ,smith's autobiography1 shows that he did not all of his lifetime make his home with his parents1 nor live at ,manchester during all of the most important period of ,mormon incubation4 ,the probabilities are that ,smith moved to ,pennsylvania at this time1 for the very purpose of making it easier for ,rigdon and ,pratt1 who lived in ,ohio1 to furnish him the much needed help4 ,the admitted errors in ,mrs4 ,salisbury's statement destroy its evidentiary value1 and leave it clearly demonstrated by the other evidence adduced1 that ,rigdon visited ,smith' several years before the appearance of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,,the ,,conversion ,,of ,,parley ,p4 ,,pratt4 ,in the summer of #ahcj the ,book of ,mormon came from the press1 and the time had come for ,pratt and ,rigdon to be astonished by its appearance4 ,now watch their maneuvers4 ,that year ,pratt left ,ohio for a visit to ,new ,york4 ,of this trip his autobiography records the following3 ,landing in ,buffalo1 we ,pratt and wife engaged our passage for ,albany in a canal boat1 distance three hundred and sixty miles4 ,this1 including board1 cost all our money and some articles of clothing4 ,would a mere desire to visit friends induce him to give up part of his clothing for passage money8 ,hardly2 he was after larger game4 ,but let us read on3 ,arriving at ,rochester1 ,i informed my wife that1 notwithstanding our passage being paid through the whole distance1 yet ,i must leave the boat and leave her to pursue her passage to our friends1 while ,i would stop a while in this region4 ,why1 ,i did not know2 but so it was plainly manifest by the ,spirit to me4 ,i said to her3 ',we part for a season2 go and visit our friends in our native place2 ,i will come soon1 but how soon ,i know not1 for ,i have a work to do in this region of country1 and what it is or how long it will take me to perform it1 ,i know not2 but ,i will come when it is performed4 ,my wife would have objected to this1 but she had seen the ,hand of ,god so plainly manifest in ,his dealings with me many times that she dare not oppose the things manifest to me by ,his ,spirit4 ,she therefore consented1 and ,i accompanied her as far as ,newark1 a small town upwards of a hundred miles from ,buffalo1 and then took leave of her and of the boat4 ,it was early in the morning1 just at the dawn of day4 ,i walked ten miles into the country remember now he doesn't know where he is going1 and stopped with a ,mr4 ,wells4 ,this was undoubtedly a member of the same ,wells family of ,macedon with whom ,joseph ,smith had long been on terms of intimacy4#aai ,pratt's autobiography continues3 ,footnote #aai3 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 by ,lucy ,smith1 #aja-ajc4 ,probably this refers to the home of ,daniel ,h4 ,wells1 afterward a prominent ,mormon in ,utah4 ,i proposed to preach in the evening4 ,mr4 ,wells readily accompanied me through the neighborhood to visit the people and circulate the appointment4 ,we visited an old ,baptist deacon by the name of ,hamblin4 ,after hearing of our appointment for the evening1 he began to tell of a book1 a strange book1 a very strange book in his possession1 which had just been published4 ,i inquired of him how and where the book was to be obtained4 ,he promised me the perusal of it at his house the next day1 if ,i would call4 ,i felt a strange interest in the book4 ,next morning ,i called at his house1 where1 for the first time1 my eyes beheld the ',book of ,mormon1' that book of books4 ,pratt says he opened it with eagerness and examined its contents4 ,as ,i read1 the spirit of the ,lord was upon me1 and ,i knew and comprehended that the book was true as plainly and as manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists4 #abj ,footnote #abj3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #cg-ch4 ,pratt soon determined to see ,smith1 and1 accordingly1 visited ,palmyra1 where ,hyrum ,smith welcomed him to their house1 and they spent the night together4 ,joseph had not returned from ,pennsylvania4 ,one is led to wonder if ,hyrum ,smith would take in every inquisitive stranger as his bedfellow4 ,in the morning ,pratt returned to fill his appointment to preach the doctrine of ,alexander ,campbell4 ,hyrum ,smith presented ,pratt with a copy of the book1 which the latter tells us he was glad to receive1 because he had not yet finished his reading of it4 #aba ,pratt preached the doctrines of the ,disciples that night and the following one1 then returned to the ,smith house1 and from there went to the ,whitmers in ,seneca ,county1 resting that night1 and taking his ,mormon baptism the next day4 ,on the next ,sabbath ,pratt attended a ,mormon meeting and preached a ,mormon sermon at the house of one ,burroughs4 ,my work was now completed1 for which ,i took leave of my wife and the canal boat some two or three weeks before4 #abb ,footnote #aba3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #ci-db4 ,footnote #abb3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #dc4 ,about the details and the order of events in such remarkable occurrences1 there could not possibly be doubt or errors of memory4 ,had they actually transpired1 these events would have been the most important in any eventful career1 and would have been indelibly impressed upon ,pratt's memory4 ,if1 however1 this marvelous tale is but a falsehood told to conceal ,pratt's real connection with a fraud1 then1 it is quite possible that he and those associated with him should forget how the falsehood had been told at other times1 and thus produce contradictory statements4 ,let us1 in the light of this comment1 examine the foregoing account more carefully4 ,evidently1 in this account ,pratt is desirous of conveying the impression that1 as he had elsewhere expressed it1 he was greatly prejudiced against the book4 #abc ,however1 in a sermon delivered in #ahef--thirty-two years before the publication of the autobiography--,pratt tells us he was converted before completing the reading of the ,book of ,mormon1 or meeting a single true ,saint4 ,here are his own words3 ,footnote #abc3 ,pratt's reply to ,sunderland1 copied in #de ,saints' ,herald1 #fa4 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #cb4 ,i knew it was true1 because it was light1 and had come in fulfillment of scripture2 and ,i bore testimony of its truth to the neighbors that came in during the first day that ,i sat reading it at the house of an old ,baptist deacon named ,hamblin4 #abd ,footnote #abd3 #e ,journal of ,discourses1 #aid4 ,this ,hamblin seems to have emigrated to ,wisconsin with ,pratt1 there became a ,mormon and later his son became implicated in the ,mountain ,meadow ,massacre4 ,see ,jacob ,hamblin1 p4 #i1 and books generally on ,mountain ,meadow ,massacre4 ,of course such a conversion was altogether too miraculous and sudden to preclude suspicion of ,pratt's complicity in the fraud2 hence it has usually been stated that the conversion did not1 in fact1 take place until much critical examination1 and sometimes1 it is said1 after much supplication to the ,lord4 ,in ,joseph ,smith's autobiography he puts the time of conversion as during ,pratt's visit to the ,whitmers in ,seneca ,county4 ,here are his words3 ,after listening to the testimony of the 'witnesses' at ,whitmers1 in ,seneca ,county and reading the ',book1' he became convinced that it was of ,god4 #abe ,footnote #abe3 ,supplement #ad ,millennial ,star1 #dg4 ,the prophet's mother1 who1 with the mother of the ,danite1 ,orrin ,porter ,rockwell1 was present at ,pratt's alleged first visit to the ,smith home1 #abf has a third account of this conversion4 ,pratt1 according to the account above quoted from his sermon1 had not yet seen the prophet1 and had not yet finished reading the ,book of ,mormon1 but was already converted and had borne testimony to its truth4 ,now read ,mother ,lucy's account as published by ,orson ,pratt 7,parley ,pratt's brother and his first miraculous convert7 #abg and written by the direction and under the inspection of the ,prophet4 #abh ,footnote #abf3 ,pratt's ,sermon1 #e ,journal of ,discourses1 #aid4 ,footnote #abg3 #g ,journal of ,discourses1 #agg4 ,here ,orson ,pratt says his conversion is due to certain information derived independent of what can be learned naturally by the natural man4 ,see also supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #di4 ,footnote #abh3 ,millennial ,star1 #afi1 #fhb4 ,just before my husband's return1 as ,joseph was about commencing a discourse one ,sunday morning1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt came in very much fatigued4 ,he had heard of us at some considerable distance1 and had traveled very fast in order to get there by meeting time1 as he wished to hear what we had to say1 that he might be prepared to show us our error4 ,but when ,joseph had finished his discourse1 ,mr4 ,pratt arose and expressed his hearty concurrence in every sentiment advanced4 ,the following day he was baptized and ordained4 #abi ,footnote #abi3 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 #aeg1 by ,lucy ,smith4 ,this conversion is quite as miraculous and sudden as the one ,pratt tells us about as having occurred at ,deacon ,hamblin's4 ,the prophet's mother1 ,lucy ,smith1 who wrote this account1 and the prophet himself1 under whose supervision it was written1 must have been both present1 and in this account related only what they pretended they themselves saw4 ,in contradiction of this1 ,pratt1 in two different places1 tells us that while at the ,whitmers in ,seneca ,county he was baptized and ordained an elder by ,oliver ,cowdery1 and that then he preached a ,mormon sermon1 after which he went to visit his friends in ,columbia ,county4 ,on his return from ,columbia ,county1 over a month after he had been baptized1 he for the first time saw ,joseph ,smith4 #acj ,these discrepancies can be best accounted for by the explanation that they are different accounts of an event that never happened1 and told to conceal one that did happen4 ,footnote #acj3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #dc and #df4 #de ,saints' ,herald1 #fa4 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 #cc4 ,i understand that the ,utah ,mormon sect1 after publishing ,mother ,lucy's book1 condemned it as containing errors1 but never pointed out any4 ,the ,josephite sect of ,mormons1 however1 republished it4 ,it still remains that in telling what she pretended to have seen1 she told the story as at some time it had been agreed upon4 ,further1 ,lucy ,smith could not have written the book1 bad as it was from a literary point of view4 ,the statement that it was written under the direct supervision of the prophet1 ,i1 therefore1 consider as literally true4 ,that it was published in #ahec by ,orson ,pratt and ,s4 ,w4 ,richards1 who had undoubtedly heard the stories corroborated many times and saw nothing erroneous in the book1 is also significant1 as is the further fact that it had been read by ,saints four years before any errors were discovered4 ,,rigdon',s ,,miraculous ,,conversion4 ,pratt having been converted1 the next act of importance must1 of course1 be the conversion of ,rigdon1 and1 so far as possible1 the congregation whose members he had so carefully prepared for the reception of ,mormonism4 ,pratt is still in ,new ,york ,state with ,smith1 it being ,october1 #ahcj4 ,he has already converted his relatives4 ,the ,lord1 by a revelation through ,joseph ,smith1 #aca directs ,pratt to go with ,oliver ,cowdery1 ,peter ,whitmer1 and ,ziba ,peterson unto the wilderness among the ,lamanites 7meaning the ,american ,indians74 ,pratt1 it will be remembered1 had sold part of his clothing for passage money with which to travel in his quest for the ,book of ,mormon4 ,he was1 therefore1 ill prepared for a winter trip to ,ohio and ,missouri4 ,as soon as the revelation was received1 ,emma ,smith and several other sisters began to make arrangements to furnish those who were set apart for the mission with the necessary clothing1 which was no easy task1 as the most of it had to be manufactured out of the raw material4 ,pratt's wife was taken to the ,whitmers1 #acc that she might not want while he was away ,converting ,indians and ,rigdon4 ,thus situated1 ,pratt took leave of his friends late in ,october and started on foot4 #acd ,according to his autobiography it was a hundred miles from ,buffalo to ,newark1 ten miles from ,newark to ,macedon1 where lived the ,wells family1 #ace and twenty-five miles from ,palmyra to the ,whitmers in ,seneca ,county4 #acf ,the distance from ,buffalo to ,cleveland is given as two hundred miles2 #acg from ,cleveland to ,kirtland as thirty miles4 #ach ,these distances were no doubt given as they were believed to be according to the roads as then traveled4 ,footnote #aca3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 section #cb4 ,supplement #ad1 ,millennial ,star1 #db4 ,the date of this revelation was probably ,october #ag1 #ahcj4 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bab4 ,footnote #acb3 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 by ,lucy ,smith1 #afi4 ,footnote #acc3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #di4 #a ,history of the ,church1 #aed4 ,footnote #acd3 #a ,history of the ,church1 #aed4 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #di4 ,footnote #ace3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #cg4 ,footnote #acf3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #db4 ,footnote #acg3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #cf4 ,footnote #ach3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #cf4 ,adding fifteen miles from the distance from ,macedon to ,palmyra1 we find the total distance to be traveled1 all on foot1 going from ,whitmer's home in ,seneca ,county1 ,n4,y41 to ,kirtland1 ,o41 is three hundred and seventy miles1 preaching by the way1 #aci even to ,indians4 #adj ,when we remember the time of year and the almost certainty of inclement weather and the unimproved condition of the roads in that then wild west1 it could hardly be expected that ,pratt1 traveling on foot and preaching by the way1 could reach ,kirtland before the middle of ,november4 ,rigdon must have been converted in great haste1 because1 by the end of ,november1 he is already a ,mormon visitor at ,smith's home in ,new ,york1 and on ,december #g is the recipient of a special revelation from ,god4 #ada ,these conclusions accord with the diary of ,lyman ,wight1 who1 being baptized on the same day as ,rigdon1 entered the fact as on ,november #ad1 #ahcj4 #adb ,these facts also confirm ,howe's statement that ,rigdon was baptized on the second day after ,pratt's arrival4 #adc ,another authority conversant with the occurrence1 and desiring to be very exact1 fixes the time as thirty-six hours after ,pratt's arrival4 #add ,footnote #aci3 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 #afi1 by ,lucy ,smith4 ,footnote #adj3 ,autobiography of ,p4,p4 ,pratt1 #di4 #a ,history of the ,church1 #aed4 ,footnote #ada3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #cag4 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #ajg4 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,section #cb4 ,footnote #adb3 #a ,history of the ,church1 #aed2 see also ,pratt's ,autobiography1 #ej4 ,footnote #adc3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #ajd4 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #cab4 ,footnote #add3 ,h4,h4 ,clapp in a letter to ,james ,t4 ,cobb4 ,the ,mormons are not all dull1 and their cunning leaders readily saw that it would be unwise to advertise the suddenness of this conversion1 since it might serve to identify the guilty conspirators4 ,therefore it is now represented that ,pratt and ,rigdon were at first in a state of great antagonism to ,mormonism1 which it took weeks to overcome4 #ade ,this cannot be1 unless ,pratt could walk three hundred and seventy miles in less than no time at all4 ,footnote #ade3 ,life of ,sidney ,rigdon in manuscript by his son1 ,john ,rigdon4 #a ,history of the ,church1 #ada4 ,supplement #ad ,millennial ,star1 #dg-dh4 #d ,times and ,seasons1 #bij4 #de ,saints' ,herald4 #fa4 ,the facts of this sudden conversion and the subsequent concealment of its precipitate character all reveal a guilt on the part of those who are conscious of having done some thing they wish to keep from the knowledge of others4 ,had this conversion been honestly miraculous1 there would have been no thought of concealment4 ,november #ad1 #ahcj1 the date of ,rigdon's baptism1 was ,sunday1 and of course the first ,sunday after the arrival of ,pratt4 ,at their first interview during this visit1 ,pratt requested and readily received permission to preach ,mormonism in ,rigdon's church4 ,the prophet's account says3 #adf ,footnote #adf3 ,supplement #ad ,millennial ,star1 #dg4 ,at the conclusion of ,pratt's sermon ,elder ,rigdon arose and stated to the congregation that the information that they had received was of an extraordinary character1 and certainly demanded their most serious consideration1 and as the ,apostle advised his brethren to 'prove all things1 and hold fast that which is good1' so he would exhort his brethren to do likewise1 and give the matter a careful investigation1 and not turn against it without being fully convinced of its being an imposition1 lest they should possibly resist the truth4 ,this was indeed generous on the part of ,elder ,rigdon1 and gave evidence of his entire freedom from any sectarian bias4 ,but according to ,elder ,lyman ,wight's diary and the other evidence here adduced1 ,rigdon was already a convert4 ,why1 then1 all this false suggestion and hypocritical cant about ,rigdon's generosity and freedom from prejudice8 ,there is but one answer1 and that is1 the authors of it are thereby attempting to conceal the real facts4 ,on ,december #g1 #ahcj1 and with due promptness1 be it observed1 ,rigdon1 through ,smith1 received a revelation making him 7,rigdon7 scribe to the prophet1 and informing ,rigdon how1 all unconsciously to himself1 he had been preparing the way for ,mormonism4 #adg ,this is speedily followed by another revelation1 #adh in which ,rigdon's ,ohio home1 where he so carefully prepared the people for the reception of his new faith1 is designated as the gathering place of the faithful1 the promised land of the ,saints4 ,footnote #adg3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #ajg4 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,sec4 #cb4 #g ,journal of ,discourses #cgb4 ,footnote #adh3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,sec4 #cg4 ,,the ,,plagiarism ,,clinched4 ,thus far we have established in a general way the existence and nature of ,solomon ,spaulding's rewritten ,manuscript ,found4 ,by undenied evidence we have shown its theft from ,patterson's printing office before ,spaulding's death and under circumstances which made the latter suspect ,sidney ,rigdon as the thief2 that ,rigdon1 prior to this time1 was so intimate with the employees of that printing office as to give rise to a general belief that he was himself employed there1 and beyond all question evidencing an intimacy such as afforded him opportunity to purloin the manuscript4 ,by like uncontradicted evidence1 we have shown ,rigdon to have been in possession of a similar manuscript1 the existence of which is not explained by any other literary work ever done by him1 and which1 on one of the several occasions when he exhibited it1 was said by him to have been written by ,spaulding4 ,we have established a perfectly plain and probable connection between ,smith and ,rigdon through ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 and such contradictory statements as to the sudden and miraculous conversions of the two latter as bring home with redoubled force the suspicion of a concealed motive1 such as a conspiracy in fraud would best explain4 ,it now remains only to make more certain the points of identity between ,spaulding's rewritten ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,when this is done we will have established the plagiarism and convicted ,smith1 ,rigdon1 and ,pratt as the conspirators who perpetrated the fraud4 ,with the identity of the distinguishing features in the ,manuscript ,found and ,book of ,mormon established1 we will have demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt the very low origin of the ,mormons' ,book4 ,some day will be done a work of supererogation in making a critical examination of the absurdities and contradictions upon which rest the claim of divinity4 ,present space will only allow the completion of that branch of the argument under consideration4 ,before proceeding to the examination of the direct evidence1 it will be well to give an account of the discovery of this identity1 the very spontaneity of which adds force to the evidence adduced4 ,spaulding1 like most authors1 had a great fondness for his productions1 and often read them to his friends4 ,in #ahcb or #ahcc1 when ,mormonism was fairly afloat1 a ,mormon preacher brought a copy of the ,book of ,mormon to ,conneaut or ,new ,salem1 as it was sometimes called1 the very place where ,spaulding wrote most of his ,manuscript ,found4 ,a public meeting was appointed1 in which the ,book of ,mormon was copiously read from and discussed by the elder4 ,the historical part and style were immediately recognized by many present1 among them ,john ,spaulding1 brother to ,solomon ,spaulding4 ,being eminently pious1 he was amazed and afflicted that his brother's manuscript should have been perverted to so wicked a purpose4 ,with tear-filled eyes he arose in the meeting and expressed sorrow and regret that the writings of his sainted brother should be used for a purpose so vile and shocking4 ,so much excitement was produced that a citizens' meeting appointed ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt to gather the evidence which afterwards was published in ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled4 #adi ,footnote #adi3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #beb-c4 ,mormons' ,own ,book1 #bi-cj4 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #dag4 et4 seq4 ,boston ,recorder1 ,may1 #ahci4 ,in the first publication of ,matilda ,spaulding ,davidson's letter1 from which the above is gleaned1 the words ,mormon preacher in the manuscript published over her name were1 by the typesetter1 converted into woman preacher4 ,mormons at once undertook to impeach the statement1 not by denying the main features of the story of its value as an argument1 but wholly upon the ground that ,mormons never had a woman preacher4 ,as the result of this criticism1 it was shown to have been due solely to typographical error1 #aej thus leaving the statement as corrected free from criticism upon this ground4 ,the very spontaneity of this outburst and its surrounding circumstances absolutely preclude every imputation of premeditation1 every suspicion of personal interest1 and every impeachment based upon an assumed hatred of ,mormonism4 ,further1 when we in addition remember that this occurrence was comparatively close to the time when ,spaulding read his manuscript to many of those present in this same audience1 then this circumstance will rightfully be accorded a very great evidentiary weight4 ,footnote #aej3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #bfd4 ,the evidence gathered by ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt pursuant to the citizens' meeting of ,conneaut was first published in ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 in #ahcd1 and is the most important single collection of original evidence ever made upon this subject4 ,we will first examine that evidence in so far as it relates to the identity of ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon1 afterwards introducing such corroborating evidence as may be at hand4 ,unless otherwise indicated1 the following evidence was taken before and published in #ahcd by ,e4 ,d4 ,howe in the nineteenth chapter of his ,mormonism ,unveiled4 ,the first witness introduced is ,john ,spaulding who lived with his brother ,solomon at ,conneaut1 ,o4 ,of a book his brother had been writing ,john ,spaulding says this3 ,the book he was writing was entitled ',manuscript ,found1' of which he read to me many passages4 ,it was an historical romance of the first settlers of ,america1 endeavoring to show that the ,american ,indians are the descendants of the ,jew1 or the lost tribes4 ,it gave a detailed account of their journey from ,jerusalem by land and sea till they arrived in ,america under the command of ,nephi and ,lehi4 ,they afterwards had quarrels and contentions and separated into two distinct nations1 one of which he denominated ,nephites and the other ,lamanites4 ,cruel and bloody wars ensued1 in which great multitudes were slain4 ,they buried their dead in large heaps1 which caused the mounds so common in this country4 ,the arts1 sciences and civilization were brought into view in order to account for all the curious antiquities found in various parts of ,north and ,south ,america4 ,i have recently read the ,book of ,mormon1 and1 to my great surprise1 ,i find nearly all the same historical matter1 names1 etc41 as they were in my brother's writings4 ,i well remember that he wrote in the old style and commenced about every sentence with ',and it came to pass1' or ',now it came to pass1' the same as in the ,book of ,mormon1 and1 according to my best recollection and belief1 it is the same as my brother ,solomon wrote1 with the exception of the religious matter4 ,by what means it has fallen into the hands of ,joseph ,smith1 ,jr41 ,i am unable to determine4 ,,john ,,spaulding4 ,our next witness is ,martha ,spaulding1 wife of ,john ,spaulding4 ,she says3 ,i was personally acquainted with ,solomon ,spaulding about twenty years ago4 ,i was at his house a short time before he left ,conneaut2 he was then writing a historical novel1 founded upon the first settlers of ,america4 ,he represented them as an enlightened and warlike people4 ,he had for many years contended that the aborigines of ,america were the descendants of some of the lost tribes of ,israel1 and this idea he carried out in the book in question4 ,the lapse of time which has intervened prevents my recollecting but few of the leading incidents of his writings2 but the names of ,nephi and ,lehi are yet fresh in my memory as being the principal heroes of his tale4 ,they were officers of the company which first came off from ,jerusalem4 ,he gave a particular account of their journey by land and sea till they arrived in ,america1 after which disputes arose between the chiefs which caused them to separate into different bands1 one of which was called ,lamanites and the other ,nephites4 ,between these were recounted tremendous battles1 which frequently covered the ground with the slain2 and their being buried in large heaps was the cause of the numerous mounds in the country4 ,some of these people he represented as being very large4 ,i have read the ,book of ,mormon1 which has brought fresh to my recollection the writings of ,solomon ,spaulding1 and ,i have no manner of doubt that the historical part of it is the same that ,i read and heard more than twenty years ago4 ,the old1 obsolete style and the phrases of 'and it came to pass1' etc41 are the same4 ,,martha ,,spaulding ,our third witness is ,henry ,lake1 ,spaulding's business partner at ,conneaut4 ,he says3 ,he ,spaulding very frequently read to me from a manuscript which he was writing1 which he entitled the ',manuscript ,found1' and which he represented as being found in this town4 ,i spent many hours in hearing him read said writings1 and became well acquainted with its contents4 ,he wished me to assist him in getting his production printed1 alleging that a book of that kind would meet with a rapid sale4 ,i designed doing so1 but the forge not meeting our anticipations1 we failed in business1 when ,i declined having anything to do with the publication of the book4 ,this book represented the ,american ,indians as the descendants of the lost tribes1 gave an account of their leaving ,jerusalem1 their contentions and wars1 which were many and great4 ,one time1 when he was reading to me the tragic account of ,laban1 ,i pointed out to him what ,i considered an inconsistency1 which he promised to correct1 but by referring to the ,book of ,mormon ,i find1 to my surprise1 that it stands there just as he read it to me then4 ,some months ago ,i borrowed the ,golden ,bible1 put it into my pocket1 carried it home1 and thought no more about it4 ,about a week after my wife found the book in my coat pocket as it hung up1 and commenced reading it aloud as ,i lay upon the bed4 ,she had not read twenty minutes when ,i was astonished to find the same passages in it that ,spaulding had read to me more than twenty years before from his ',manuscript ,found4' ,since that ,i have more carefully examined the said ,golden ,bible1 and have no hesitation in saying that the historical part of it principally1 if not wholly1 taken from the ',manuscript ,found4' ,i well recollect telling ,mr4 ,spaulding that the so frequent use of the words1 ',and it came to pass1' ',now it came to pass1' rendered it ridiculous4 ,,iv4 ,our fourth witness is ,john ,n4 ,miller1 who was employed by ,spaulding and ,lake at ,conneaut and boarded at the former's home4 ,miller says3 ,he ,spaulding had written two or three books or pamphlets on different subjects1 but that which more particularly drew my attention was the one which he called the ',manuscript ,found4' ,from this he would frequently read some humorous passages to the company present4 ,it purported to be the history of the first settlement of ,america before discovered by ,columbus4 ,he brought them off from ,jerusalem under their leaders1 detailing their travels by land and water1 their manners1 customs1 laws1 wars1 etc4 ,he said that he designed it as a historical novel1 and that in after years it would be believed by many people as much as the history of ,england4 ,he soon after failed in business1 and told me he should retire from the din of his creditors1 finish his book1 and have it published1 which would enable him to pay his debts and support his family4 ,he soon after removed to ,pittsburg1 as ,i understood4 ,i have recently examined the ,book of ,mormon1 and find in it the writings of ,solomon ,spaulding from beginning to end1 but mixed up with ,scripture and other religious matters which ,i did not meet with in the ',manuscript ,found4' ,many of the passages in the ,mormon book are verbatim from ,spaulding1 and others in part4 ,the names of ,nephi1 ,lehi1 ,moroni1 and1 in fact2 all the principal names are brought fresh to my recollection by the ,golden ,bible4 ,when ,spaulding divested his history of its fabulous names by a verbal explanation1 he landed his people near the ,straits of ,darien1 which ,i am very confident he called ,zarahemla2 they were marched about that country for a length of time in which wars and great bloodshed ensued4 ,he brought them across ,north ,america in a northeast direction4 ,,john ,n4 ,,miller4 ,our fifth witness is ,aaron ,wright1 who says3 ,i first became acquainted with ,solomon ,spaulding in #ahjh or #ahji1 when he commenced building a forge on ,conneaut ,creek4 ,when at his house one day1 he showed and read to me a history he was writing of the lost tribes of ,israel1 purporting that they were the first settlers of ,america1 and that the ,indians were their descendants4 ,upon this subject we had frequent conversations4 ,he traced their journey from ,jerusalem to ,america as it is given in the ,book of ,mormon1 excepting the religious matter4 ,the historical part of the ,book of ,mormon ,i know to be the same as ,i read and heard read from the writings of ,spaulding more than twenty years ago2 the names are especially the same without any alteration4 ,he told me his object was to account for all the fortifications1 etc41 to be found in this country1 and said that in time it would be fully believed by all except learned men and historians4 ,i once anticipated reading his writings in print1 but little expected to see them in a new ,bible4 ,spaulding had many other manuscripts which ,i expect to see when ,smith translates his other plates4 ,in conclusion ,i will observe that the names of1 and most of the historical part of the ,book of ,mormon1 were as familiar to me before ,i read it as most modern history4 ,if it is not ,spaulding's writing1 it is the same as he wrote2 and if ,smith was inspired1 ,i think it was by the same spirit that ,spaulding was1 which he confessed to be the love of money4 ,,aaron ,,wright4 ,our sixth witness is ,oliver ,smith1 who testifies3 ,when ,solomon ,spaulding first came to this place ,conneaut1 he purchased a tract of land1 surveyed it out1 and commenced selling it4 ,while engaged in this business he boarded at my house1 in all nearly six months4 ,all his leisure hours were occupied in writing a historical novel founded upon the first settlers of this country4 ,he said he intended to trace their journey from ,jerusalem1 by land and sea1 till their arrival in ,america1 and give an account of their arts1 sciences1 civilization1 wars and contentions4 ,in this way he would give a satisfactory account of all the old mounds so ,common to this country4 ,during the time he was at my house ,i read and heard read one hundred pages or more4 ,nephi and ,lehi were by him represented as leading characters when they first started for ,america4 ,their main object was to escape the judgments which they supposed were coming upon the old world4 ,but no religious matter was introduced1 as ,i now recollect4 99 99 99 ,when ,i heard the historical part of it related1 ,i at once said it was the writings of ,solomon ,spaulding4 ,soon after ,i obtained the book1 and on reading it1 found much of it the same as ,spaulding had written more than twenty years before4 ,,oliver ,,smith4 ,our seventh witness1 ,nahum ,howard1 avers this3 ,i first became acquainted with ,solomon ,spaulding in ,december1 #ahaj4 ,after that time ,i frequently saw him at his house1 and also at my house4 ,i once1 in conversation with him1 expressed a surprise at not having any account of the inhabitants once in this country1 who erected the old forts1 mounds1 etc4 ,he then told me that he was writing a history of that race of people and afterwards frequently showed me his writings which ,i read4 ,i have lately read the ,book of ,mormon and believe it to be the same as ,spaulding wrote1 except the religious part4 ,he told me that he intended to get his writings published in ,pittsburg1 and he thought that in one century from that time it would be believed as much as any other history4 ,,nahum ,,howard4 ,our eighth witness is ,artemas ,cunningham1 whose evidence reads thus3 ,in the month of ,october1 #ahaa1 ,i went from the township of ,madison to ,conneaut1 for the purpose of securing a debt due me from ,solomon ,spaulding4 ,i tarried with him nearly two days for the purpose of accomplishing my object1 which ,i was finally unable to do4 ,i found him destitute of the means of paying his debts4 ,his only hope of ever paying his debts appeared to be upon the sale of a book which he had been writing4 ,he endeavored to convince me from the nature and character of the work that it would meet with a ready sale4 ,before showing me his manuscripts1 he went into a verbal relation of its outlines1 saying that it was a fabulous or romantic history of the first settlement of this country1 and as it purported to have been a record found buried in the earth1 or in a cave1 he had adopted the ancient or scripture style of writing4 ,he then presented his manuscripts1 when we sat down and spent a good share of the night in reading them and conversing upon them4 ,i well remember the name of ,nephi1 which appeared to be the principal hero of the story4 ,the frequent repetition of the phrase ',i1 ,nephi4' ,i recollect as distinctly as though it was but yesterday1 although the general features of the story have passed from my memory through the lapse of twenty-two years4 ,he attempted to account for the numerous antiquities which are found upon this continent1 and remarked that after this generation had passed away1 his account of the first inhabitants of ,america would be considered as authentic as any other history4 ,the ,mormon ,bible ,i have partially examined and am fully of the opinion that ,solomon ,spaulding had written its outlines before he left ,conneaut4 #aea ,footnote #aea3 ,this ends the evidence taken from ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 ,chapter #ai4 ,after the publication of the foregoing evidence 7#ahcd7 ,apostle ,orson ,hyde went to ,conneaut1 evidently to secure impeaching or contradicting testimony4 ,he received so little comfort that not even a public mention of the trip was made by him until #ahda1 while he was in ,london4 #aeb ,footnote #aeb3 ,the ,spaulding ,story ,examined and ,exposed1 by ,page1 #aj4 ,our ninth witness upon the facts showing the plagiarism of the ,book of ,mormon from the ,spaulding manuscript is ,mr4 ,joseph ,miller4 ,he was intimately acquainted with ,solomon ,spaulding during all of the time while the latter resided at ,amity1 ,pa4 7#ahad-af74aec ,mr4 ,miller's testimony is preserved in the ,pittsburg ,telegraph of ,february #f1 #ahgi1 from which the following is pertinent3 ,footnote #aec3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #f4 ,on hearing read the account from the book of ,mormon of the battle between the ,amlicites and the ,nephites ,book of ,alma1 ,chapter #a--;,chapter #c1 ,edition of '#hh--1 in which the soldiers of one army had placed a red mark on their foreheads to distinguish them from their enemies1 it seems to reproduce in my mind1 not only the narration1 but the very words1 as they had been impressed upon my mind by the reading of ,spaulding's manuscript4 ,our tenth witness is ,redick ,mc,kee1 ,whose evidence upon another point we have already used4 ,under date of ,washington1 ,d4,c41 ,april #ad1 #ahfi1 published in the ,washington 7,pa47 ,reporter for ,april #ba1 #ahfi1 he says3 ,in the fall of #ahad ,i arrived in the village of ',good ,will1' and for eighteen or twenty months sold goods in the store previously occupied by ,mr4 ,thos4 ,brice4 ,it was on ,main ,street1 a few doors west of ,spaulding's ,tavern1 where ,i was a boarder4 ,with both ,mr4 ,solomon ,spaulding and his wife ,i was quite intimately acquainted4 ,i recollect quite well ,mr4 ,spaulding spending much time in writing on sheets of paper torn out of an old book what purported to be a veritable history of the nations or tribes who inhabited ,canaan4 ,he called it ',lost ,history ,found1' ',lost ,manuscript1' or some such name1 not disguising that it was wholly a work of the imagination1 written to amuse himself and without any immediate view to publication4 ,i was struck with the minuteness of his details and the apparent truthfulness and sincerity of the author4 ,i have an indistinct recollection of the passage referred to by ,mr4 ,miller about the ,amlicites making a cross with red paint on their foreheads to distinguish them from enemies in the confusion of battle4 ,the eleventh witness is the ,rev4 ,abner ,jackson1 who1 when but a boy and confined with a lame knee1 heard ,solomon ,spaulding read to his father much of the former's story1 and also heard him give an outline of the whole4 ,mr4 ,jackson1 under date of ,december #bj1 #ahhj1 made the following statement to the ,washington ,county 7,pa47 ,reporter of ,january #g1 #ahha3 #aed ,footnote #aed3 ,see also ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 #f-g4 ,spaulding frequently read his manuscript to the neighbors and amused them as he progressed with the work4 ,he wrote it in ,bible style4 ',and it came to pass' occurred so often that some called him ',old ,come-to-pass4' ,the ,book of ,mormon follows the romance too closely to be a stranger4 ,in both1 many persons appear having the same name1 as ,moroni1 ,mormon1 ,nephites1 ,laman1 ,lamanites1 ,nephi1 and others4 ,here we are presented with romance second called the ,book of ,mormon1 telling the same story of the same people1 traveling from the same plain1 in the same way1 having the same difficulties and destination1 with the same wars1 same battles and same results1 with thousands upon thousands slain4 ,then see the ,mormon account of the last battle at ,cumorah1 where all the righteous were slain4 ,how much this resembles the closing scene in the ',manuscript ,found4' ,the most singular part of the whole matter is that it follows the romance so closely1 with this difference3 ,the first claims to be a romance1 the second claims to be a revelation of ,god1 a new ,bible4 ,when it was brought to ,conneaut and read there in public1 old ,squire ,wright heard it and exclaimed1 ',old-,come-to-pass has come to life again4' ,here was the place where ,spaulding wrote and read his manuscript to the neighbors for their amusement1 and ,squire ,wright had often heard him read from his romance4 ,this was in #ahcb1 sixteen years after ,spaulding's death4 ,this ,squire ,wright lived on a little farm just outside of the little village4 ,i was acquainted with him for twenty-five years4 ,i lived on his farm when ,i was a boy and attended school in his village4 ,i am particular to notice these things to show that ,i had an opportunity of knowing what ,i am writing about4 ,squire ,wright1 referred to in ,mr4 ,jackson's statement1 is the same ,aaron ,wright who was our fifth witness upon the question of identity4 ,last1 but not least1 we1 introduce ,john ,c4 ,bennett4 ,he says he joined the ,mormons in order to enable himself to expose their iniquity4 ,he was quartermaster-general of ,illinois1 the mayor of ,nauvoo1 a master in chancery for ,hancock ,county1 ,,iii41 appointed by then ,judge ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas1 a trustee for the ,university of the ,city of ,nauvoo1 the recipient of special mention in revelation purporting to come direct from ,god1 as well as innumerable encomiums from church leaders and the church organ4 ,the ,mormon people have called ,bennett more kinds of a liar1 it seems to me1 than any man was ever called before4 ,when ,mormons are asked just what statement of ,bennett's warrants the charge1 they usually confess they never read his book4 ,in the light of subsequent history and later church admissions1 there is not one of ,bennett's innumerable charges of almost unbelievable iniquity which ,i cannot demonstrate to be substantially true as to the character of the iniquity1 if not the special manifestation of it1 and do so wholly from the evidence of ,mormon church publications4 ,i1 therefore1 believe what ,bennett says1 and here quote so much of his testimony as relates to the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,he says3 ,i will remark here in confirmation of the above he having quoted a small part of the statements herein last above quoted that the ,book of ,mormon was originally written by the ,rev4 ,solomon ,spaulding1 ,a4 ,m41 as a romance and entitled the ',manuscript ,found1' and placed by him in the printing office of ,patterson and ,lambdin1 in the city of ,pittsburg1 from whence it was taken by a conspicuous ,mormon divine and remodeled by adding the religious portion1 placed by him in ,smith's possession1 and then published to the world as the testimony exemplifies4 ,this ,i have from the confederation1 and of its perfect correctness there is not the shadow of a doubt4 ,there never were any plates of the ,book of ,mormon excepting what were seen by the spiritual and not the natural eyes of the witnesses4 ,the story of the plates is all chimerical4 #aee ,footnote #aee3 ,bennett's ,mormonism ,exposed1 #abc-d--ahdb4 ,it will be observed ,bennett does not name ,rigdon or ,pratt in his statement4 ,the reason is apparent from reading certain correspondence published in the book from which it appears that at the same time of writing he entertained a reasonable hope that ,sidney ,rigdon and the ,pratts would leave the church and join him in his anti-,mormon crusade1 and he probably did not wish to unduly embarrass his supposed confederates1 who were still apparently within the fold4 ,,for ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,gold1 ,,not ,,god4 ,with the exception of establishing the motive1 our case is now complete4 ,the natural inference1 of course1 is that the greed for gain furnished the dynamics of the scheme1 but we must not leave even this fact without direct evidence4 ,mormons point to the violent death of ,smith as a martyrdom1 and assume this sufficient answer to the charge of selfishness4 ,a man who1 as was the case with ,smith1 dies with a six-shooter in his own hand1 firing it at his assailants1 #aef is in a novel pose for a martyr1 and yet we may admit that ,smith would not from selfish ends have chosen a career of imposture had he in the beginning been able to foresee his ignominious end4 ,footnote #aef3 ,rise and ,fall of ,nauvoo1 #ddc4 ,bancroft's ,history of ,utah1 #agj4 ,soon after ,rigdon's visit to ,smith and the reception of the revelation making ,kirtland the gathering place of the ,saints1 ,smith's family1 together with their followers1 moved to ,ohio4 ,revelations now came thick and fast1 and of such a character as to demonstrate that the love of gold1 and not ,god1 was the inducing cause of their existence4 ,i quote a few pertinent samples3 ,whoso receiveth you receiveth me1 and the same will feed you and clothe you and give you money-and he who doeth not these things is not my disciple1 #aeg ,footnote #aeg3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #hd1 #hi4 ,it is wisdom in me that my servant ,martin ,harris should be an example unto the church in laying his money before the bishop of the church4 ,and also this is a law unto every man that cometh unto this land to receive an inheritance1 and he shall do with this money according as the law directs4 #aeh ,footnote #aeh3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #eh3ce1 #cf4 ,and let all the monies which can be spared1 it mattereth not unto me whether it be little or much1 be sent up unto the land of ,zion unto those ,i have appointed to receive it4 #aei ,footnote #aei3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #fc3dj4 ,and let all those who have not families1 who receive monies1 send it up unto the ,bishop of ,zion4 #afj ,footnote #afj3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #hd3ajd4 ,behold1 this is my will obtaining moneys even as ,i have directed4 #afa ,footnote #afa3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #ff3de4 ,supplement #ad ,millennial ,star1 #hj4 ,impart a portion of thy property2 yea1 even part of thy lands1 and all save the support of thy family4 #afb ,footnote #afb3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #aj3cd4 ,verily thus saith the ,lord1 ,i require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of ,zion4 #afc ,footnote #afc3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #aai3a4 ,and in temporal labor thou ,smith1 the athlete1 shalt not give strength1 for this is not thy calling4 #afd ,footnote #afd3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #bd3i4 ,they shall support thee and ,i will bless them both spiritually and temporally4 #afe ,footnote #afe3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #bd3c4 ,if ye desire the mysteries of the kingdom1 provide for ,him ,smith food and raiment and whatsoever he needeth to accomplish the work4 #aff ,footnote #aff3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #dc3ac4 ,he who feeds you1 or clothes you1 or gives you money shall in no wise lose his reward4 #afg ,footnote #afg3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #hd3ij4 ,he that sendeth up treasures unto the land of ,zion shall receive an inheritance in this world4 #afh ,footnote #afh3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #fd3dh4 ,i command that thou shall not covet thine own property4 #afi ,footnote #afi3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #ai3bf4 ,your money or your damnation has about as much ethical sanction as the less pretentious demand of the highwayman who says1 ,your money or your life4 ,but we have not yet reached the end4 ,the ,prophet's father1 who1 prior to the discovery of the alleged divine mission of his son1 eked out only a scanty living as a dispenser of cake and root beer1 #agj now became the dispenser of patriarchal blessings at ten dollars per week and expenses1 #aga and later at three dollars per bless4 #agb ,footnote #agj3 ,origin1 ,rise and ,progress of ,mormonism1 #ab4 ,footnote #aga3 #ae ,millennial ,star1 #cjh4 ,footnote #agb3 ,mormon ,portraits1 #af4 ,the ,prophet's brothers and friends received a gift of real estate by revelation1 #agc and another brother of the ,prophet was retained in a holy office1 though confessedly concealing his property to cheat his creditors4 #agd ,footnote #agc3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,sec4 #id4 ,footnote #agd3 #ae ,millennial ,star1 #ebj4 ,these are a part and by no means all of the evidence tending to establish that a desire for money was the inspiring cause of every act of the ,mormon ,prophet1 the very divinity that moulded his thoughts and revelations1 and brought into being ,mormon's books4 ,before becoming a ,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith's earning capacity as a peep-stone money digger was #ad per month4 #age ,soon after becoming a ,prophet he became president of a bank4 #agf ,in #ahdb the ,prophet 7together with his brother ,hyrum and ,sidney ,rigdon7 took advantage of the bankruptcy law to avoid creditors1 whose claims amounted to one hundred thousand dollars4 #agg ,a few years later the ,prophet was killed1 he being at the time the richest man in ,nauvoo4 ,footnote #age3 #af ,millennial ,star1 #aea4 ,footnote #agf3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #ccd4 ,sometimes ,smith was cashier and ,rigdon ,president4 ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #ace4 ,footnote #agg3 #ai ,millennial ,star1 #cdc4 #bj ,millennial ,star1 #ajf-baf-bdf4 ,mormonism and ,mormons1 #cch4 ,through the whole story of their lives1 if we may believe their alleged revelations to come from on high1 ,god manifests in the conspirators' behalf a greed for earthly prosperity which would disgrace any decent man who should attempt to gratify it at the expense of a like number of poverty-stricken1 ignorant unfortunates4 ,it is perhaps a work of supererogation1 yet ,i cannot readily resist calling attention to the human side of the conspirators1 when they came to fall out1 over the division of the spoils4 ,many1 even ,brigham ,young included1 suspected ,joseph ,smith of misappropriating church money4 #agh ,brigham1 however1 had his suspicions allayed1 for the ,lord actually put money into his trunk4 #agi ,this would1 of course1 be very convincing evidence that a man might have much money without misappropriating anything1 even months later fail with #aej1jjj of liabilities and practically though a bank established by revelation1 #ahj should a few no assets1 and after only eight months of business4 #aha ,footnote #agh3 ,deseret ,news1 ,april #h1 #aheg1 p4 #cf4 ,footnote #agi3 #b ,journal of ,discourses1 #abh4 #g ,deseret ,news1 #aae4 ,footnote #ahj3 ,statement of ,warren ,parrish1 copied in ,an ,exposure of ,mormonism1 #aj4 ,messenger and ,advocate1 ,january #ahcg1 copied in ,prophet of ,palmyra1 #acd4 ,deseret ,news1 ,december #ba1 #ahfd1 ,vol4 #ad1 p4 #id1 says under the direction of the ,prophet4 ,footnote #aha3 ,statement of ,warren ,parrish1 copied in ,an ,exposure of ,mormonism1 #aa4 ,the above sentence lacks clearness1 but it is verbatim from ,mr4 ,schroeder's article1 and ,i do not feel at liberty to suggest the meaning4--,r4 ,at one time ,cowdery1 a witness to the divinity of the ,book of ,mormon1 invited suspicion that he was converting more than his share of the spoils1 and the following revelation was the result3 ,it is not wisdom in me that he ,cowdery should be entrusted with the commandments1 and the moneys which he shall carry unto the land of ,zion1 except one go with him who will be true and faithful4 #ahb ,footnote #ahb3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #f3ia4 ,the most forceful incident of this sort1 however1 occurred as the result of jealousy between ,rigdon and ,smith1 which manifests itself in scores of ways all through their lives4 ,when ,rigdon on his visit to the ,prophet in ,new ,york desires to be proclaimed a translator of remaining plates given by the angel to ,smith1 and as having the same power as ,joseph ,smith1 the former's ambitions are quietly squelched by a revelation from ,god to ,rigdon1 saying3 ,it is not expedient in me that ye should translate any more until ye shall go to ,ohio1 #ahc but the rest of the plates never were translated4 #ahd ,footnote #ahc3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,sec4 #cg4 ,footnote #ahd3 #ai ,journal of ,discourses1 #ah-baf-bah4 ,reminiscences of ,joseph the ,prophet1 #ad4 ,when ,cowdery and perhaps ,rigdon importune their partner in fraud to be elevated to the prophetic office1 ,smith resists with a revelation in which ,god is made to say3 ,no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church1 excepting my servant ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun4 #ahe ,similar revelations seem to have been necessary more than once4 #ahf ,footnote #ahe3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #bh3b4 ,footnote #ahf3 ,doctrine and ,covenants #dc3h4 ,finally the pressure became too hard to bear1 and a revelation was procured in which ,god1 in contradiction of his former declarations1 one of which is above quoted1 appoints ,sidney ,rigdon to receive the oracles for the whole church4 #ahg ,and not neglecting the equal rights of the ,prophet's brother1 ,god declares3 ,i appoint unto him 7,hyrum ,smith7 that he may be a prophet1 and a seer1 and a revelator unto my church1 as well as my servant ,joseph4 #ahh ,both men were accordingly ordained each a prophet1 seer1 and revelator4 #ahi ,thus are even the ,gods made to eat their own words at the behest of the conspirators1 who quarrel in their division of the glory and the gold4 ,footnote #ahg3 ,doctrine and ,covenants #abd3abf4 ,footnote #ahh3 ,doctrine and ,covenants #abd3id4 #ah ,millennial ,star1 #cfj4 ,footnote #ahi3 #bj ,millenial ,star1 #eej as to ,rigdon1 and p4 #cgc as to ,hyrum ,smith4 ,it is now claimed that ,smith had conferred upon all the ,apostles all the ,power1 ,priesthood1 and ,authority ever conferred upon1 himself4 #a ,journal of ,discourses1 #bjf4 #ai ,journal of ,discourses1 #abd4 ,see also ,melchizedek and ,aaronic ,herald1 ,february1 #ahej4 #e ,millennial ,star1 #ajd1 #fh ,semi-,annual ,conference1 #gj4 ,one more incident of this sort will suffice4 ,in ,february1 #ahca1 ,smith received the first of several revelations directing the brethren to provide him a home4 ,in part it reads as follows3 ,it is mete that my servant ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun41 should have a house built in which to live and translate4 ,and again1 it is mete that my servant ,sidney ,rigdon shall live as seemeth him good1 inasmuch as he keepeth my commandments4 #aij ,footnote #aij3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #da1 #g and #h4 ,of course1 living as seemeth him good was to ,sidney ,rigdon hardly a fair equivalent for a house and lot4 ,had he not made ,smith a prophet1 seer1 and revelator1 and could he not also unmake him8 ,why1 then1 should ,sidney ,rigdon submit to any unfair division of the spoils of the prophetic office8 ,he didn't4 ,the above revelation was received while ,rigdon was absent from ,kirtland4 ,upon his return he went to the meeting house where an expectant throng awaited him in anticipation of one of his entrancing sermons1 but ,rigdon failed to go to the speaker's stand1 and instead paced back and forth through the house4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph being absent from ,kirtland1 ,father ,smith requested ,rigdon to speak4 ,in a tone of excitement ,rigdon replied 7and who will say it was not spoken as by one having authority873 ,the keys of the ,kingdom are rent from the church1 and there shall be no prayer put up in this house this day4 ,oh1 no2 ,i hope not1 gasped ,father ,smith4 ,i tell you they are1 rejoined ,elder ,rigdon4 ,the brethren stared and turned pale1 and the sisters in anguish cried aloud for relief4 ,i tell you again1 said ,sidney1 with much feeling1 the keys of the ,kingdom are taken from you1 and you never will have them again until you build me a new house4 ,amid tumultuous excitement on the part of the sisters1 ,brother ,hyrum left the meeting to bring ,joseph the ,prophet1 who was in a neighboring settlement4 ,on their return next day the brethren and sisters were gathered in anticipation of important happenings4 ,joseph mounted the rostrum and informed the assembly that they were laboring under a great mistake2 that the church had not transgressed4 ,speaking of the lost keys1 he said3 ,i myself hold the keys of this last dispensation1 and will forever hold them1 both in time and in eternity2 so set your hearts at rest upon that point2 all is right4 ,i continue to quote from an account written by the ,prophet's mother1 relating just what they desire the world to believe happened immediately after3 ,he 7,joseph ,smith7 then went on and preached a comforting discourse1 after which he appointed a council to sit the next day1 by which ,sidney ,rigdon was tried for having lied in the name of the ,lord4 ,in this council ,joseph told him he must suffer for what he had done2 that he would be delivered over to the buffetings of ,satan1 who would handle him as one man handleth another2 that the less priesthood he had the better it would be for him1 and that it would be well for him to give up his license4 ,this counsel ,sidney complied with1 yet he had to suffer for his folly1 for1 according to his own account1 he was dragged out of bed by the devil three times in one night1 by the heels4 ,mother ,lucy ,smith doubtingly adds3 ,whether this be true or not1 one thing is certain4 ,his contrition of soul was as great as a man could well live through4 #aia ,the last sentence shows beyond dispute that ,mother ,lucy had her doubts about this silly story she has just narrated1 and1 of course1 we are entitled to similar doubts4 ,footnote #aia3 ,mother ,lucy's life of ,joseph ,smith the ,prophet1 #aie and #aif4 ,as to ,rigdon's declaration that the keys were gone1 see also #ad ,deseret ,news1 #ia1 ,december #ba1 #ahfd4 ,as to ,rigdon's being dragged out of bed1 see also ,history of the ,mormons1 #ec4 ,what really did happen is made very plain by subsequent occurrences4 ,smith and ,rigdon got together1 patched up their differences by an agreement that ,rigdon should have a house if he would restore the keys to the last dispensation1 and desist from executing his threats to smash the ,kingdom1 and for the sake of its wholesome influence upon others he must play penitent and humble4 ,as evidence of this conclusion we point to the story of this transaction as quoted above from ,mother ,lucy's life of the ,prophet1 and the two following sections of a revelation announced by ,smith under date of ,august1 #ahca3 ,behold1 verily ,i say unto you1 ,i the ,lord am not pleased with my servant ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,he exalted himself in his heart and received not my counsel1 but grieved the ,spirit4 ,let my servants ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun41 and ,sidney ,rigdon seek them a house as they are taught through prayer by the ,spirit4 #aib ,footnote #aib3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 #fc3ee and #fe4 ,it is needless to add they each received a house1 and both stood for many years1 and perhaps even to this day1 side by side1 and both built according to the same plans4 #aic ,footnote #aic3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 #ccb4 ,,concluding ,,comment4 ,the case1 so far as the production of evidence is concerned1 must now be considered closed4 ,the actors in this fraud are all dead1 and upon the precise question here discussed no new evidence is likely to be discovered4 ,all the evidence directly affecting either side of the question has been introduced and reviewed4 ,when1 as here1 we are investigating a case dependent upon circumstantial evidence1 we must judge the evidence as a whole4 ,no one circumstance out of many connected ones ever established the ultimate fact4 ,the converse of this proposition is equally true4 ,you cannot show the insufficiency of the evidence by demonstrating that any one circumstance1 if it stood alone1 would be equally consistent with some other theory than the one in support of which it is cited4 ,the evidentiary circumstances must be viewed as a whole1 each in the light of its relation to all the rest4 ,thus viewed1 the circumstantial evidence is strong just in proportion as the circumstances related to1 and consistent with1 the theory advocated are numerous4 ,in the argument under consideration the circumstantial facts are so numerous1 and gathered from so many disconnected sources1 corroborated by so many admissions from the accused conspirators and their defenders1 that it is utterly impossible to believe them all to have come into being as a mere matter of accidental concomitance4 ,let us put the defenders of the divinity of ,mormonism to a test on this matter by inviting them to make an equally good case of circumstantial evidence based upon established fact1 all tending to show some other human origin for the ,book of ,mormon than that here advocated4 ,inability to do so means that such an array of concurring facts cannot be duplicated in support of any other theory than the one here advocated4 ,if1 as must now be admitted1 the concurrence of so very many facts can best be explained by the conclusions here contended for1 then that is a more believable1 a more rational conviction than one which of necessity requires belief in an assumed and unprovable miracle4 ,that explanation which takes the least for granted is always the one adopted by the sanest person4 ,bearing in mind these truths1 let us briefly review a portion of the most salient features of the argument4 ,from the uncontradicted evidence of witnesses1 practically all of whom are disinterested and who in most circumstances of great evidentiary weight are corroborated by authorized church publications1 we have established beyond cavil1 and ,i am sure to the satisfaction of all thinking minds untainted by mysticism1 and whose vision is unobscured1 that the following are thoroughly established facts3 ,solomon ,spaulding1 between #ahab and #ahaf1 outlined and then re-wrote a novel1 attempting therein to account for the ,american ,indian by ,israelitish origin4 ,the first outline of this story1 now at ,oberlin ,college1 had no direct connection with the ,book of ,mormon1 and was never claimed to be connected with it1 and such connection was expressly disclaimed as early as #ahcd4 ,the rewritten story1 entitled ,manuscript ,found1 was by ,spaulding twice left with a publisher1 whence it was stolen under circumstances which then led ,spaulding to suspect ,sidney ,rigdon1 who long after was the first conspicuous convert of ,mormonism2 that ,rigdon1 through his great intimacy with the publishers' employees1 had opportunity to steal it1 and that after ,spaulding's death1 and years before the advent of ,mormonism1 ,rigdon had in his possession such a manuscript and exhibited it1 with the statement that it was ,spaulding's4 ,through ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,rigdon and ,smith were brought into relation1 and the latter made the ,prophet of the ,dispensation of the ,fullness of ,times1 the discoverer1 translator1 and1 according to his own designation1 the ,author and ,proprietor #aid of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,this connection is established by the most convincing circumstantial evidence1 taken wholly from authorized ,mormon publications2 it is shown that ,rigdon foreknew the coming and in a general way the contents of the ,book of ,mormon2 that both ,rigdon and ,pratt were1 according to some of their contradictory accounts1 converted to ,mormonism with such miraculous suddenness and without substantial investigation that when this1 coupled with the contradictory accounts of these important events and their attempts at concealing the suddenness of their conversion1 all compel a conviction of their participation in a scheme of religious fraud4 ,footnote #aid3 ,smith designates himself as the ,author and ,proprietor of ,god's word1 in the ,title ,page of the ,book of ,mormon1 also in the testimony of the witnesses as it appears in the first edition1 since which time both have been altered4 ,see also ,evening and ,morning ,star1 #aag4 ,upon the question of plagiarism1 we may profitably add a brief summary of the points of identity between the peculiar features shown to be common to ,spaulding's novel and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,in ,spaulding's first outline of the story it pretended to be ancient ,american history1 attempting to explain the origin of part of the aborigines of this continent1 all translated from ancient writings found in a stone box4 ,it recounts the wars of extermination of two factions1 tells of the collecting of armies and of slaughters which were a physical impossibility to those uncivilized people who were without any modern methods of transporting troops or army supplies4 ,after two revisions1 one by ,spaulding and a second by ,smith1 ,rigdon ,co41 the above general outline still describes equally well the ,book of ,mormon4 ,leaving the first blocking-out of his novel unfinished1 ,spaulding resolved to change his plot by dating the story farther back and by attempting to imitate the ,old ,scripture style1 so as to make it seem more ancient4 ,spaulding's determination to date his novel farther back probably suggested changing the roll of parchment which1 according to the ,oberlin manuscript1 was found in a stone box1 to golden plates4 ,some time before #ahbj some one pretended to have found a ,golden ,bible in ,canada4 #aie ,if ,spaulding1 in rewriting the story1 did not make the change1 this incident may have suggested such a change to ,smith and his fellow-frauds4 ,footnote #aie3 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 #ee4 ,spaulding1 in his attempt at imitating ,bible phraseology1 had repeated so ridiculously often the words it came to pass1 that both in ,ohio and ,pennsylvania the neighbors to whom he read his manuscript nicknamed him ,old ,come-to-pass4 ,in the ,book of ,mormon1 though professedly an abridgment1 the same phrase is uselessly repeated several thousand times1 and a bungling effort at imitating the style of ,bible writers is apparent all through it4 ,spaulding's existence was contemporaneous with ,anti-,masonic riots1 and he harbored a sentiment against all secret societies1 #aif which has also been carried through into the ,book of ,mormon4 ,footnote #aif3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #bhh4 ,the uncontradicted and unimpeached evidence of many witnesses is explicit that the historical portions of both the ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon are the same1 and much of the religious matter interpolated is in the exact phraseology of ,king ,james's translation of the ,bible4 ,we find also many names of places1 persons1 and tribes to be identical in the ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,some of the names were taken from the ,bible1 others would be known only to the students of ,american antiquities1 among whom was ,spaulding1 and still others were unheard of until coined by ,spaulding4 ,the names proven to be common to both are ,nephi1 ,lehi1 ,mormon1 ,nephites1 ,lamanites1 ,laban1 ,zarahemla and ,amlicites4 ,add to this the very novel circumstance that in both accounts one of two contending armies placed upon the forehead of its soldiers a red mark that they might distinguish friends from enemies1 and the new and characteristic features common to both are too numerous to admit of any explanation except that herein contended for1 viz3 ,that the ,book of ,mormon is a plagiarism from ,spaulding's novel1 the ,manuscript ,found1 and is the product of conscious fraud on the part of ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,parley ,parker ,pratt1 ,joseph ,smith1 and others1 which fraud was prompted wholly by a love of notoriety and money4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,,by ,,brigham ,h4 ,,roberts 7,a ,reply to ,mr4 ,theodore ,schroeder7 #a4 ,when one undertakes at this late day a serious discussion of the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 he instinctively feels inclined to begin with an apology to his readers4 ,when ,pococke inquired of ,grotius1 where the proof was of that story of the pigeon1 trained to pick peas from ,mahomet's ear1 and pass for an angel dictating the ,koran to him1 ,grotius answered that there was no proof4 ,the statement here is ,carlyle's2 and the gruff old ,scotch philosopher adds in his sour fashion1 ,it is really time to dismiss all that4 #a ,so indeed we think of this ,spaulding myth in reference to its being the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,footnote #a3 ,heroes and ,hero ,worship1 by ,thomas ,carlyle1 lecture ,,ii4 ,when the ,church of which the ,book of ,mormon may be said1 in a way1 to have been the origin has survived the most cruel religious persecution of modern times1 first in the expulsion of from twelve to fifteen thousand of its members from the state of ,missouri2 and1 second1 in the murder of its first prophet in ,illinois1 followed by the expatriation of between twenty and thirty thousand of its members from the territory of the ,united ,states2 when that religious movement to which the ,book of ,mormon may be said to have given the first impulse1 and is now a continuous1 sustaining factor1 has resulted in the founding of a number of ,american commonwealths in the inter-mountain country of the ,united ,states2 #b when that people who accept the ,book of ,mormon as a divine revelation have established1 for an extent of well nigh three thousand miles through the plateau valleys of the ,rocky ,mountains--from the province of ,alberta1 ,canada1 to the states of ,chihuahua and ,sonora in the republic of ,mexico--no less than between seven and nine hundred settlements1 many of them prosperous towns of large manufacturing as well as of large agriculture and trade interests2 when that same people have won world-wide renown as superior colonizers1 and are eagerly sought for in such enterprises because of their well known sobriety1 honesty1 frugality and industry2 when that same people are quietly building up an educational system including as it does the rounding of universities in its principal centers1 and academies elsewhere as feeders to the central educational institutions2 #c when those who accept the ,book of ,mormon as a divine revelation continuously sustain a corps of missionaries1 numbering from fifteen to eighteen hundred1 to carry their message to the world1 and these missionaries are at work in nearly all civilized nations1 and in the islands of the ,pacific1 meeting their own expenses and manifesting the unselfishness of their faith by their works--their service for ,god and fellowman2 when the ,book of ,mormon itself has been accepted in the first three-quarters of a century of its existence by hundreds of thousands of earnest people of average intelligence and certainly of independent character2 when the ,book of ,mormon itself has been translated into and published in at least eleven languages1 in a number of which it has run through many editions and the copies published run into the hundreds of thousands1 and with no abatement of interest yet manifested2 when the ,book of ,mormon is creating not only a people but also a literature1 embracing history1 poetry and philosophy2 when it is inspiring music1 painting and sculpture--when all this has come of the ,book of ,mormon1 is it not really about time to dismiss all that silly talk of the ,spaulding manuscript being stolen by ,rigdon1 revamped by him and palmed off upon the world by a backwoods boy as a revelation1 and this practiced fraud and deception being the origin of all this that is here enumerated8 ,footnote #b3 ,it must not be supposed that the migration of the ,mormon people to the ,salt ,lake and adjacent valleys when that region was ,mexican territory1 resulted only in the founding of the state of ,utah4 ,indirectly and directly1 too1 that movement contributed to the settlement of the entire inter-mountain region1 and the founding of the ,states created out of that territory4 ,footnote #c3 ,this refers to the ,brigham ,young ,university at ,provo1 ,utah1 the ,latter-day ,saints' ,university in ,salt ,lake ,city1 and fifteen ,colleges and ,academies in other parts of the territory occupied by the ,saints in the inter-mountain west4 ,see ,defense of the ,faith and the ,saints1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #bbf4 ,what faith men must have in fraud and dishonesty to think it can start and sustain all this6 ,what a lasting victory is accorded to a thing conceived in fraud1 brought forth in iniquity1 and perpetuated by continuous falsehood6 ,what credulity is required to believe all this6 ,let no one hereafter1 standing in such ranks1 dare say that cheat is a horse good only for a short race4 ,they must know better than that from the stand they take in this ,book of ,mormon matter4 ,,justifications ,,for ,,replying ,,to ,,mr4 ,,schroeder ,two things1 yea1 three1 justify a reply to ,mr4 ,theodore ,schroeder's series of articles on ,the ,origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 published in the ,september and ,november numbers of the ,american ,historical ,magazine1 for #aijf1 and the ,january and ,may numbers for #aijg4 ,the first justification is the fact of the high standing of the magazine in which his articles appeared4 ,published in a periodical of such rank1 if unchallenged1 they might lead many to believe undeniable the theory there advanced for the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 and the argument by which said theory is sustained1 unanswerable4 ,it has been from just such circumstances as these with reference to articles that appeared in standard works1 in histories and encyclopedias1 that ,mormonism suffered so much defamation in the earlier year of its existence4 ,it now stands recorded in the earlier editions of the ,american ,cyclopedia and in the ,encyclopedia ,britannica that ,david ,whitmer denied his testimony as one of the witnesses to the divinity of the ,book of ,mormon2 and that his two associate witnesses1 ,oliver ,cowdery and ,martin ,harris1 had denied their testimony to that book4 ,being misinformed from these high sources of information1 doubtless tens of thousands have been impressed with those untrue statements4 ,david ,whitmer never denied his testimony4 ,in a brochure issued by himself1 in #ahhg1 and referring directly to these false statements1 he said3 ,it is recorded in the ,american ,cyclopedia and the ,encyclopedia ,britannica1 that ,i1 ,david ,whitmer1 have denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the divinity of the ,book of ,mormon2 and that the other two witnesses1 ,oliver ,cowdery and ,martin ,harris1 denied their testimony to that ,book4 ,i will say once more to all mankind1 that ,i have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof4 ,i also testify to the world1 that neither ,oliver ,cowdery nor ,martin ,harris ever at any time denied their testimony4 ,they both died reaffirming the truth of the divine authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon4 #d ,footnote #d3 ,address to all ,believers in ,christ1 p4 #h4 ,the high character and reputation for truthfulness of ,david ,whitmer is attested in this brochure by all the leading officials and citizens of ,richmond1 ,mo41 7not ,mormons7 where he lived for fifty years1 pp4 #h-aj4 ,people1 however1 can still quote the above named standard works to prove that these men denied their testimony and were false witnesses4 ,it is to prevent as far as possible the creation of such conditions respecting ,mr4 ,schroeder's articles in the ,american ,historical ,magazine that ,i think it important that they should be answered4 ,the second thing that justifies an answer to ,mr4 ,schroeder1 is the form in which his treatment of the subject is cast4 ,much in the form would lead one to believe1 at first glance1 that here we had a really exhaustive treatise of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon2 that every item of obtainable information had been collected1 the mass of facts sifted and net results given1 instead of a specious plea made for a special theory4 ,this is evidenced in the constant appeal to sources of information in the notes appended to the articles1 of which notes there are one hundred and ninety-six4 ,then there is an occasional halting in the movement of the argument1 as if to weigh the evidence1 to balance one statement against another as if to get down to bed-rock facts1 instead of a mere effort to remove some obstruction in the way of the special theory being worked out4 ,all of which is but so much juggling with forms of treatment1--an effort to win the reader with the shows of honest argument1 to betray him in deeper consequences4 ,shimmering under all these forms may be seen the arts of the special pleader bent on making out a case4 ,it is the false appearance of exhaustive and fair treatment of the subject that makes it desirable to answer ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,the third justification for answering ,mr4 ,schroeder's articles arises out of a suggestion of the gentleman himself1 near the close of his article1 namely1 that the actors who participated in the origin of the ,book of ,mormon are all dead1 and that upon the precise question here discussed1 no new evidence is likely to be discovered4 ,all the evidence directly affecting either side of the question has been introduced and reviewed4 ,one may pardon the conscious or unconscious self-complacency contained in this suggestion1 and even encourage it by saying to the gentleman that we think he is right2 that after him there will come no other who will so diligently search for evidence on the precise question here discussed4 ,for who but himself will ever dare to venture to walk by such light as that by which his foot-steps have been guided8 #e ,but with reference to all the evidence directly affecting either side of the question having been introduced and reviewed1 ,i must hold a different opinion4 ,believing1 however1 that ,mr4 ,schroeder has collected1 presented and1 with as much art as it will be found possible to enlist in such a cause1 sustained his special view of the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 one can but feel that having reached the climax of evidence and argument the case should be considered by those holding an opposite belief4 ,footnote #e3 ,mr4 ,schroeder while living in ,utah some years ago was proprietor1 editor and publisher of ,lucifer's ,lantern1 a ribald infidel periodical as would be inferred from the title as well as from its contents4 ,it is this to which allusion is made in the text4 ,,preliminary ,,considerations4 ,one other preliminary word should be said before coming directly to ,mr4 ,schroeder's theory and argument1 and that in relation to the authorities on which the gentleman relies for the support of his views4 ,of course ,i am not unacquainted with the old controversy concerning the degree of credibility to be allowed to interested witnesses1 and also the suspicion that attaches to witnesses for the miraculous4 ,i have too long sustained in public debate an unpopular cause not to have heard the cry that the witnesses for the truth for which ,i contended were interested witnesses2 notwithstanding those who were my opponents1 at the same time accepted ,christianity on the testimony of interested witnesses1 and discarded entirely the testimony of unfriendly witnesses1 or interested witnesses on the opposite side of the case4 ,i trust that the suggestion in this paragraph will indicate the unfairness of discrediting and discarding entirely the testimony of the witnesses for ,joseph ,smith's account of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 on the ground that they are interested witnesses1 and taking for truth the statements of the interested witnesses on the other side of the controversy4 ,i have some acquaintance also with that school of thought which discredits witnesses of the miraculous4 ,i am familiar with the laborious exposition of that theory by the late ,professor ,huxley in his article on ,the ,value of ,witnesses to the ,miraculous2 #f and also with his controversy on the same subject with ,dr4 ,henry ,wace1 prebendary of ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 and other ,church of ,england ministers4 #g ,one could scarcely live in this critical age of ours and be unaware of the existence of the school of thought which undertakes to bar from the court of public debate the testimony of those who are witnesses of things held to transcend human experience4 ,such testimony1 it is said1 suggests credulity on the one hand and fraud on the other4 #h ,footnote #f3 ,the ,nineteenth ,century ,review1 ,march1 #ahhi4 ,footnote #g3 ,the ,nineteenth ,century ,review1 ,february1 #ahhi2 also ,march1 ,april1 ,may and ,june of the same magazine4 ,footnote #h3 ,a supernatural relation cannot be accepted as such1 99 99 it always implies credulity or imposture1 ,renan's ,life of ,jesus1 introduction1 p4 #de4 ,and still1 both in the history of the past and now1 witnesses of the so-called miraculous are factors to be reckoned with in our world's controversies4 ,it may be true that the future will disclose the fact that very much which in the past has been regarded as miraculous1 as transcending all sane1 human experience1 to use a phrase of ,mr4 ,schroeder's1 is only such because of human ignorance at the time of a witnessed event1 and that miracles only exist for the ignorant4 ,still ,i concede that one needs to be upon his guard respecting this class of evidence1 for man's love for the marvelous leads him into strange self-deceptions1 as also the practice of deception upon others4 ,but while conceding this on the one hand1 on the other ,i desire to call attention to a matter entirely neglected by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 namely1 the general untrustworthiness of testimony in religious controversies1 where those considering themselves orthodox feel called upon to resist what are supposed to be religious innovations4 ,the truth of this is supported by all ecclesiastical history4 ,even pious men1 where the innovations especially contravene particular doctrines or theories of established institutions in which they are interested1 often become utterly unreliable as witnesses in matters where their opponents are concerned4 ,so universally is the fact here pointed out accepted that citations of particular instances are scarcely necessary as proof4 ,but lest others forget the fact1 as ,mr4 ,schroeder apparently has forgotten it1 let me ask3 ,is ,roman ,catholic historical testimony regarded as reliable where facts relating to ,protestants and the ,protestant movement are concerned8 ,where does ,martin ,luther stand if the testimony of ,catholic contemporaries or the representations of ,catholic historians are to determine his place in history8 ,a treatise upon the ,protestant ,reformers and the value of the sixteenth century ,reformation1 based wholly upon ,bossuet's ,variations1 and other writers of his kind1 would not be regarded as of any special value among intelligent people4 ,and ,catholics have fared but little better at the hands of ,protestants4 ,the testimony of either party against the other is quite generally regarded with suspicion by those who stand aloof from their controversies1 while the respective parties to the discussions mutually denounce each other as false witnesses1 until ,catholic lie and ,protestant misrepresentation are cries and counter-cries that echo and re-echo through all the pages of ,catholic and1 ,protestant controversial and historical literature4 ,but let us look further up the historic stream of sectarian animosity4 ,what of ,jesus1 the ,son of ,god himself8 ,if the sectarian ,jews1 his contemporaries1 are alone to be the accepted witnesses of his words and actions and character1 what would be the effect of their testimony upon the historic ,christ8 ,it would make him base born1 a wine bibber1 an associate of harlots1 publicans and sinners2 it would make him an innovator of sacred customs1 a desecrator of the temple1 a seditious person1 a blasphemer4 ,and so well did the sectaries of his day succeed in making themselves believe that the populace of ,jerusalem surged through the streets crying crucify him1 crucify him6 and he was condemned by the ,sanhedrin to death1 from which fate not even a friendly disposed ,roman procurator could save him4 ,the sectarian ,jews suborned witnesses1 who either swore falsely against the ,christ1 or wrongly interpreted his words and actions2 and all this in a holy zeal for the preservation of the established order of things among the ,jews4 ,after his resurrection the same characters bribed the ,roman guard set to watch the sepulchre1 put a lie into their mouths1 and pledged their influence as a guarantee against punishment from their superior officers for the neglect of duty involved in the falsehood they were bribed to tell4 #i ,what was ,paul's experience with the same sectarian ,jews after he became a proselyte to the ,christian faith8 ,briefly told1 the same in character as his master's4 #aj ,so well known is the fact of sectarian bitterness2 such the zeal of the orthodox for the established faith1 that the ,emperor ,julian1 usually called the ,apostate1 who both understood and derided the theological disputes of the hostile ,christian sects1 invited to the palace the leaders of the hostile sects1 that he might enjoy the agreeable spectacle of their furious encounters4 ,footnote #i3 ,matthew xxvi1 #ei-gj2 see also xxvi1 xxvii4 ,footnote #aj3 ,see ,acts of the ,apostles from ,chapters viii to xxvii1 inclusive4 ,the clamor of controversy sometimes provoked the emperor to exclaim1 ',hear me6 ,the ,franks have heard me1 and the ,alemanni2' but he soon discovered that he was now engaged with more obstinate and implacable enemies2 and though he exerted the powers of oratory to persuade them to live in concord1 or at least in peace1 he was perfectly satisfied1 before he dismissed them from his presence1 that he had nothing to dread from the union of the ,christians4 #aa ,footnote #aa3 ,history of the ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire1 by ,edward ,gibbon1 chap4 xxiii4 ,such the bitterness of sectarian strife1 in which the orthodox party has ever been as harsh1 as untruthful1 as unscrupulous1 as resourceful at invention of evil things1 as savage and cruel as the heretics have been4 ,nay1 in the sum of such things the preponderance is on their side4 ,,various ,,classes ,,of ,,witnesses4 ,in the application of this melancholy fact to the controversy between ,christendom and the ,mormon ,church respecting the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 let no one charge me with a begging of the question because ,i am going to insist that the witnesses quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder are largely unreliable1 because of their zeal against an innovation of orthodox ,christianity4 ,not so4 ,it is not my purpose to beg the question by use of the historic fact here brought to view4 ,i only ask that it shall be given its proper value in weighing the evidence to be considered4 ,and ,i lay stress upon it only because it is an element in the evidence adduced by ,mr4 ,schroeder which is taken no account of at all by him4 ,he gives no weight at all1 considers not at all1 the evidence of those who have accepted ,joseph ,smith's account of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 but he gives unbounded credence to every statement from the interested witnesses on the other side of the question1 except1 of course1 where they are mutually destructive of each other1 and then he seeks to explain away the inconsistencies and contradictions4 ,a casual remark1 a reported saying1 or a confused recollection of some obscure person1 of whose character we have no knowledge1 nor any means of testing it1 find their way into some one or other of the hundred anti-,mormon books published1 and then are published by such controversialists as ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,citations are made of them in marginal notes1 and in time they come to be regarded1 by the ordinary reader1 as of equal authority with any other witness2 and thus the unworthy1 unreliable and1 in some cases1 a positively vicious and false witness is given equal--and sometimes even more than equal--credence with witnesses of unimpeachable probity1 and high character1 and who have back of their testimony perhaps a life time of toil1 suffering1 sacrifice1 and sometimes martyrdom4 ,of this class of witnesses let me here add one further remark4 ,i know that ,arch-deacon ,paley and his ,view of the ,evidences of ,christianity are scoffed at by a certain school of latter-day critics1 as being somewhat out of date and insipid2 but there is one statement he makes that ,i cannot help but believe has great force in it4 ,he holds in his argument that because the early ,christians in support of the ,christian miracles of which they were eye witnesses1 and which so called miracles could not be resolved into delusion or mistake1 passed their lives in labors1 dangers1 and sufferings1 voluntarily undertaken1 in attestation of the accounts which they delivered1--therefore1 they are worthy of credence4 ,to illustrate the point forcefully1 he says3 ,if the reformers in the time of ,wickliffe1 or of ,luther2 or those of ,england1 in the time of ,henry the ,eighth1 or of ,queen ,mary2 or the founders of our religious sects since1 such as were ,mr4 ,whitfield and ,mr4 ,wesley in our own times2 had undergone the life of toil and exertion1 of danger and suffering1 which we know that many of them did undergo1 for a miraculous story2 that is to say1 if they had founded their public ministry upon the allegation of miracles wrought within their own knowledge1 and upon narratives which could not be resolved into delusion or mistake2 and if it had appeared1 that their conduct really had its origin in these accounts1 ,i should have believed them4 #ab ,footnote #ab3 ,paley's ,evidences1 proposition ,,ii1 chap4 ,i4 ,i mention this matter here for two reasons2 first because many of those witnesses who accepted the ,book of ,mormon as true1 are of the class of witnesses here spoken of by ,dr4 ,paley4 ,they were men who voluntarily passed their lives in labors1 dangers1 and sufferings1 voluntarily undertaken1 in attestation of the accounts they delivered to the world of the ,book of ,mormon's origin2 and second1 because having conceded that men should cautiously receive the testimony to the so-called miraculous1 ,i desire to say that when the events to which the testimony relates are of such character that they may not be resolved into delusion or mistake1 and the testimony is backed up by a life of toil1 danger and suffering1 not only voluntarily undertaken but persisted in--then1 ,i say1 their testimony is such that it commands respect and acceptance2 and at the very lowest valuation possible to be put upon it1 should out-rank in credibility whole hecatombs of such witnesses to the contrary as are quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder--witnesses imbued1 in many cases1 with personal hatred of ,joseph ,smith and the ,mormon system1 and all influenced by sectarian zeal to uphold the orthodox view of such ,christianity as existed at the time and place in which they lived4 ,but returning now to the point at which the foregoing digression began1 let me say it is the promiscuous mingling and equalizing of witnesses2 and the failure to take into account the unreliability of witnesses of the orthodox party when resisting and seeking to overthrow what they regard as an innovation upon their most cherished ideas and institutions1 that ,i charge against ,mr4 ,schroeder's treatment of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the witnesses must be weighed as well as counted in this controversy2 and the liability recognized of the anti-,mormon witnesses1 in the supposed interests of orthodoxy1 resorting to the invention and promulgation of falsehood4 ,,conflicting ,,theories ,,of ,,origin4 ,it must not be supposed by the reader of ,mr4 ,schroeder's articles that his theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon is the only anti-,mormon theory of its origin advanced4 ,of course ,mr4 ,schroeder does not claim that it is1 but points out quite the contrary in his first article4 ,why the matter is referred to in these preliminary remarks1 is because ,i want to assure my readers that we ,mormons get considerable amusement out of the conflicting theories advanced to account for the origin of our ,book of ,mormon4 ,the necessity for a counter-theory for the origin of the book1 other than that advanced by ,joseph ,smith1 was early recognized4 ,christendom felt that ,joseph ,smith's story of the book's origin must be overthrown1 else what would come of this new revelation1 this new dispensation of ,god's work8 ,joseph ,smith's account of the origin of the book was a direct challenge to the teachings of modern ,christendom that revelation had ceased2 that the awful voice of prophecy would no more be heard2 that the volume of scripture was completed and forever closed1 and that the ,bible was the only volume of scripture4 ,hence ,christendom must find some other origin for this book than that given by ,joseph ,smith4 ,the first to respond to this immediately felt want of ,christendom was ,alexander ,campbell1 founder of the sect of the ,disciples4 ,he assigned the book's origin to ,joseph ,smith1 point blank1 and charged ignorance and conscious fraud upon its author4 #ac ,footnote #ac3 ,campbell's critique on the ,book of ,mormon1 appeared in the ,millennial ,harbinger1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 #ahca1 under the title ,mormonites4 ,the criticism is exhaustive and bitter4 ,it is1 in fact1 a fine example of the bitterness of religious controversialists1 in defense of orthodox views4 ,next came the ,spaulding ,theory of origin1 which ,campbell accepted in place of his own1 and of which more later4 ,then came ,miss ,dougall's theory of the prophet's self-delusion1 by the automatic freaks of a vigorous but undisciplined brain1 and yielding to these1 he became confirmed in the hysterical temperament which always adds to delusion self-deception1 and to self-deception half-conscious fraud4 #ad ,next came ,mr4 ,i ,woodbridge ,riley's theory 7#aijb7 of pure hallucination honestly mistaken for inspired visions with partly conscious and partly unconscious hypnotic powers over others4 ,mr4 ,schroeder1 however1 will have none of these theories1 but turns back to the theory of the ,spaulding manuscript origin4 ,to him the conclusions of ,mr4 ,riley1 because so many material considerations were overlooked by that author1 are very unsatisfactory1 though admittedly ,mr4 ,riley's effort is the best along this line4 #ae ,on his part1 ,mr4 ,riley1 speaking of previous theories1 especially including the ,spaulding theory1 says3 ,footnote #ae3 ,see ,mr4 ,schroeder's note1 #b4 ,in spite of a continuous stream of conjectural literature1 it is as yet impossible to pick out any special document as an original source of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,in particular the commonly accepted ,spaulding theory is insoluble from external evidence and disproved by internal evidence4 ,joseph ,smith's record of the ,indians 'is a product indigenous to the ,new ,york wilderness1' and the authentic work of its author and proprietor4 ,outwardly1 it reflects the local color of ,palmyra and ,manchester1 inwardly1 its complex of thought is a replica of ,smith's muddled brain4 ,this monument of misplaced energy was possible to the impressionable youth constituted and circumstanced as he was4 #af ,footnote #af3 ,the ,founder of ,mormonism1 #aijb4 ,this is a psychological study of ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet4 ,the aim of this work is to examine ,joseph ,smith's character and achievements from the standpoint of recent psychology4 ,sectarians and phrenologists1 spiritualists and mesmerists have variously interpreted his more or less abnormal performance--it remains for the psychologist to have a try at them4 ,the quotation of the text is from the ,preface4 ,a review of ,mr4 ,riley's book by the present writer is found in ,defense of the ,faith and the ,saints1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #da-ee4 ,mr4 ,riley's phrase conjectural literature is good4 ,it admirably describes the ,spaulding theory literature at which it is particularly aimed4 ,that theory being insoluble from external evidence1 is also good2 but disproved by internal evidence1 is better4 ,i shall not forget that either1 later on4 ,but if these variant theorizers can't convert each other1 how can they hope to convert us ,mormons8 ,when rogues fall out1 honest men--but there1 the proverb is somewhat trite and ,i do not wish to be offensive4 ,but let the merry disagreement of anti-,mormon theorizers go on6 ,meanwhile new translations of the ,book of ,mormon multiply1 new editions are struck off1 and more people are made acquainted with its contents2 the ,church to which it may be said to have given existence1 enlarges her borders and strengthens her stakes4 ,she is gaining a victory over her traducers1 and winning her place in the world's history and in the world's religious thought4 ,,mr4 ,,schroeder',s ,,statement ,,of ,,his ,,case4 ,these preliminary remarks ended1 ,i proceed now with the consideration of ,mr4 ,schroeder's evidence and argument4 ,mr4 ,schroeder states the case he proposes to prove1 item by item1 as follows3 ,it will be shown that ,solomon ,spaulding was much interested in ,american antiquities1 that he wrote a novel entitled the ',manuscript ,found1' in which he attempted to account for the existence of the ,american ,indian by giving him an ,israelitish origin2 ,that the first incomplete outline of this story1 with many features peculiar to itself and the ,book of ,mormon1 is now in the library of ,oberlin college1 and that while the story as rewritten was in the hands of a prospective publisher1 it was stolen from the office under circumstances which caused ,sidney ,rigdon1 of early ,mormon fame1 to be suspected as the thief2 ,that later ,rigdon1 on two occasions1 exhibited a similar manuscript which in one instance he declared had been written by ,spaulding and left with a printer for publication4 ,it will be shown further that ,rigdon had opportunity to steal the manuscript and that he foreknew the forthcoming and the contents of the ,book of ,mormon2 ,that through ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 later one of the first ,mormon apostles1 a plain and certain connection is traced between ,sidney ,rigdon and ,joseph ,smith and that they were friends between #ahbg and #ahcj4 ,to all this will be added very conclusive evidence of the identity of the distinguished features of ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found1 and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,these facts1 coupled with ,smith's admitted intellectual incapacity for producing the book unaided1 will close the argument upon this branch of the question1 and it is hoped will convince all not in the meshes of ,mormonism that the ,book of ,mormon is a plagiarism4 #ag ,footnote #ag3 ,i have taken the liberty of throwing the several propositions into separate paragraphs4 ,,the ,,facts ,,of ,,the ,,spaulding ,,manuscript4 ,the facts which may be conceded in ,mr4 ,schroeder's recital of evidences1 and the claims generally made in relation to ,solomon ,spaulding and his precious manuscript1 are3 that ,spaulding was born #agfa1 in ,connecticut2 that he graduated from ,portsmouth in #aghe2 that he graduated in theology in #aghg1 and became an obscure preacher2 that he made his residence in ,new ,salem1 ,ashtabula ,co41 ,ohio1 now called ,conneaut1 about #ahjh or #ahji2 that in the region about ,salem were certain mounds and ruins of forts and other fortifications1 relics of a supposedly pre-historic civilization2 that during ,spaulding's residence at ,conneaut he wrote a story in some way connected with the ancient inhabitants of ,america2 that this story reigned to be a translation from a ,latin manuscript which ,spaulding pretended to have found in a cave in the vicinity of ,conneaut1 hence the title that came to attach to it1 ,manuscript ,found2 that about #ahab ,spaulding moved to ,pittsburg where he resided some two years2 that while at ,pittsburg there may have been something said about publishing this story1 but just what is uncertain1 and the story was never published2 that in #ahad ,spaulding removed to ,amity1 ,washington county1 ,penn42 that in #ahaf ,spaulding died2-- ,that after the death of ,spaulding his wife and daughter at once removed to the home of ,mrs4 ,spaulding's brother1 a ,mr4 ,william ,sabine1 in ,onondaga ,valley1 ,onondaga ,co41 ,n4,y41 taking with them the ,manuscript ,found with other ,spaulding papers in an old trunk2 #ah that ,mrs4 ,spaulding next moved to the home of her parents in ,pomfret1 ,conn41 but leaving her daughter with the old trunk and its papers1 including ,manuscript ,found1 at ,sabine's2 #ai that in #ahbj ,mrs4 ,spaulding married a ,mr4 ,davidson of ,hartwicks1 a village near ,cooperstown1 ,n4,y41 and sent for the things she had left at the home of her brother in ,onondaga2 that said things were sent to her1 including the old trunk and its papers which reached her at ,hartwicks in safety2 #bj that ,mr4 ,spaulding's daughter1 named ,matilda1 married ,dr4 ,a4 ,mc,kinstry of ,monson1 ,hampden ,co41 ,mass41 in #ahbh1 and went to ,monson1 ,mass41 to reside2 that soon afterwards ,mrs4 ,davidson 7formerly the wife of ,spaulding7 came to live with her daughter in ,monson1 leaving the old trunk and its papers in ,hartwicks in care of ,mr4 ,jerome ,clark2 that ,mrs4 ,davidson continued to live with her daughter up to the time of her death1 in #ahdd2--ba ,footnote #ah3 ,sworn statement of ,mrs4 ,matilda ,mc,kinstry1 the daughter of ,solomon ,spaulding1 ,scribner's ,magazine1 ,august1 #ahhj4 ,footnote #ai3 ,ibid4 ,footnote #bj3 ,ibid4 ,the language of ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry is1 ,i remember that the old trunk with its contents reached her ,mrs4 ,davidson in safety4 ,footnote #ba3 ,ibid4 ,that while these former ,spauldings were living in ,monson1 in #ahcd1 one ,hurlburt came to them representing that he had been sent by a committee to procure the ,manuscript ,found written by ,solomon ,spaulding for the purpose of comparing it with the ,mormon ,bible2 #bb that he represented that he had been a convert to the ,mormon faith but had given it up and through the ,spaulding manuscript wished to expose its wickedness2 #bc that he presented a letter from ,william ,h4 ,sabine1 brother of the former ,mrs4 ,spaulding1 requesting her to loan the ,manuscript ,found1 written by her former husband1 to ,hurlburt1 representing that he 7,sabine7 was desirous to up-root this ,mormon fraud2 #bd that ,mrs4 ,davidson reluctantly consented to the solicitations of her brother and ,hurlburt and gave the latter a note to ,jerome ,clark1 instructing ,mr4 ,clark to open the trunk and deliver the manuscript to ,hurlburt2 that ,hurlburt went to ,hartwicks1 presented his order to ,mr4 ,clark and got the ,manuscript2 that ,hurlburt got but one manuscript2 #be that this manuscript ,hurlburt delivered to ,e4 ,d4 ,howe1 then having in course of preparation his anti-,mormon book ,mormonism ,unveiled2 #bf that ,howe kept said manuscript until after ,mormonism ,unveiled was published1 then it passed out of sight and he supposed it to have been burned2 #bg that really1 however1 it was unwittingly conveyed by ,howe to one ,l4 ,l4 ,rice who purchased ,howe's ,painsville ,telegraph and business in #ahcd1 or #ahdj2 the transfer of the printing department being accompanied with a collection of books and manuscripts1 ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found going with the rest2--#bh ,footnote #bb3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #b1 #c1 #dg1 #di and note4 ,also ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's affidavit4 ,footnote #bc3 ,ibid4 ,footnote #bd3 ,ibid4 ,footnote #be3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #bfj-;,hurlburt's letter4 ,footnote #bf3 ,statement of ,d4,p4 ,hurlburt in a letter1 dated at ,gibsonburg1 ,ohio1 ,august #ai1 #ahgj1 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #bfj4 ,footnote #bg3 ,statement of ,hurlburt1 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #bfj2 also statement ,e4,d4 ,howe1 in a letter to ,hurlburt1 ,august #g1 #ahhj1 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #bei4 ,footnote #bh3 ,see ,the ,manuscript ,found1 ,rice's verbatim et literatim copy1 printed by the ,deseret ,news1 #ahhf1 preface4 ,that some years afterwards ,mr4 ,rice closed up his business affairs in ,painsville1 ,ohio1 and made his home in ,honolulu1 taking with him his books1 papers1 etc42 #bi that in #ahhd he was visited by ,james ,h4 ,fairchild1 president of ,oberlin ,college1 ,ohio2 that ,president ,fairchild1 while at the residence of ,rice suggested that a look through his 7,mr4 ,rice's7 papers might discover some anti-slavery documents of importance1 7,mr4 ,rice while editor and proprietor of the ,painesville ,telegraph having been especially interested in the question of slavery72 that in his search ,mr4 ,rice found a package marked in pencil on the outside1 ,manuscript ,story--,conneaut ,creek2 that on the manuscript was endorsed the following3 ,footnote #bi3 ,ibid4 ,the ,writings of ,solomon ,spaulding ,proved by ,aaron ,wright ,oliver ,smith ,john ,miller and others ,the testimonies of the above gentlemen are now in my possession ,d4 ,p4 ,hurlburt #cj ,footnote #cj3 ,for the above ,bibliotheca ,sacra1 published in ,oberlin1 ,ohio1 ,january ,number4 #ahhe4 ,also ,the ,manuscript ,found1 ,deseret ,news print1 p4 #aac4 ,that this manuscript1 unquestionably ,spaulding's1 and the one known as ,manuscript ,found1 was deposited by ,mr4 ,rice with ,oberlin ,college1 ,ohio1 where it now is preserved2 that ,mr4 ,l4 ,l4 ,rice himself made a verbatim et literatim manuscript copy of this paper1 including all erasures1 alterations1 errors1 etc41 and from this copy the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints published ,manuscript ,found in #ahhf2 #ca that it makes a pamphlet of one hundred and twelve pages of printed matter1 of about three hundred and fifty words to the page2 that in nothing does it resemble the ,book of ,mormon--there seems to be no name or incident common to the two1 says ,president ,fairchild1 the solemn style of the ,book of ,mormon1 in imitation of the ,english ,scriptures1 does not appear in the ,manuscript4 #cb ,footnote #ca3 ,the ,manuscript ,found1 ,deseret ,news print1 ,preface4 ,footnote #cb3 ,letter of ,president ,fairchild1 ,bibliotheca ,sacra1 ,january1 #ahhe4 ,mr4 ,schroeder1 by the way1 seems much disturbed over the very frank statement of ,president ,fairchild1 published in #ahhe1 to the effect that the theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon in the traditional manuscript of ,solomon ,spaulding will probably have to be relinquished4 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,rice1 myself1 and others compared it with the ,book of ,mormon1 and could detect no resemblance between the two in general or detail4 ,some other explanation of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon must be found1 if an explanation is required4 ,this is said1 of course1 of the manuscript now at ,oberlin4 ,it is said of the only manuscript of ,solomon ,spauldng's treating on ancient ,america1 that any one knows anything about4 ,the foregoing recital represents the facts concerning ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found4 ,the claim that the manuscript as above traced1 was but a first rough sketch of a story which ,spaulding abandoned1 and that he wrote a second story dealing with matters of more ancient date2 that it was written in imitation of scriptural style1 and assigned an ,israelitish origin for his colony that came from ,jerusalem to ,america2 that in this second story many names were used that are also found in the ,book of ,mormon1 such as ,lehi1 ,nephi1 ,laman1 ,zarahemla1 etc42 that there is a close structural resemblance between the reigned historical incidents in ,spaulding's second story and the ,book of ,mormon2 that this second ,spaulding story was deposited with printers at ,pittsburg for publication2 that while there ,sidney ,rigdon either stole it and never returned it 7,mr4 ,schroeder's theory71 or else that ,rigdon borrowed it1 copied it and returned the original to the printer2 that there were several ,spaulding manuscripts1 and that ,sidney ,rigdon stole the one that was finally prepared for the press by ,spaulding1 and perhaps ,joseph ,smith stole one of the unfinished ,spaulding manuscripts1 7,mr4 ,clark ,branden's theory72 #cc that this manuscript1 plus the religious matter of the ,book of ,mormon1 added by ,sidney ,rigdon1 became the foundation of the ,book of ,mormon2 that ,sidney ,rigdon either directly or else indirectly through ,parley ,p4 ,pratt acted as intermediary1 and collaborated with ,joseph ,smith in the production of the ,book of ,mormon--all this1 upon which the conclusions of ,mr4 ,schroeder and others who attempted to sustain the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon depends1 is but a conglomerate of wicked invention by embittered sectaries fighting against innovation of their orthodoxy2 a bitter personal fight against ,joseph ,smith and his work2 a mere assumption and inference bottomed on flimsiest premises1 under which lies a mass of contradictions and conflicting suppositions which discredit the whole theory1 and make any serious support of it1 however learned in form and exhaustive in appearance it may be1 absolutely contemptible2 nay1 the more learned and exhaustive the treatment appears to be1 the more absolute must become the contempt4 ,footnote #cc3 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 pp4 #gc1 #gg4 ,,the ,,task ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,writer4 ,to prove the things here alleged becomes now the task of the present writer4 ,first then as to the matter of ,spaulding's having re-written his story1 ,manuscript ,found2 in which1 it is said1 he changed the character of it by going further back with his dates1 and writing in the old scripture style1 in order that it might appear more1 ancient4 ,also he must have further changed the character of his story1 giving the colony he brought to ,america an ,israelite instead of a ,roman origin1 giving his characters the names of ,lehi1 ,nephi1 ,laman1 ,moroni1 etc41 instead of ,sambol1 ,hambock1 ,labanko1 ,moon-rod1 ,ulipoon1 etc42 and the names of the people from ,sciotans and ,kentucks1 to ,nephites and ,lamanites6 ,this second manuscript and these changes are necessary both to the evidence and the argument of ,mr4 ,schroeder--necessary to his whole theory2 without the existence of this second manuscript and these changes that differentiate it from the manuscript at ,oberlin1 his case collapses4 ,it is conceded by ,mr4 ,schroeder and all through whose hands it has passed1 including ,mr4 ,fairchild1 president of the ,oberlin ,college1 ,ohio1 and ,mr4 ,rice1 among whose papers the manuscript now at ,oberlin was found1 that this ,oberlin manuscript1 which beyond any doubt ,spaulding wrote1 could not have been the original manuscript of the ,book of ,mormon2 #cd therefore a second ,spaulding manuscript altogether different from this half ribald1 silly ,manuscript ,found story must be had2 and its mythical existence was brought about in the following manner3 ,footnote #cd3 ,president ,fairchild ,i have already quoted 7,see ,note #cb74 ,mr4 ,rice says3 ,i should as soon think the ,book of ,revelation was written by the author of ,don ,quixote1 as that the writer of this manuscript the ,spaulding ,oberlin manuscript was the author of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,from a letter of ,mr4 ,l4 ,l4 ,rice to ,mr4 ,joseph ,smith1 ,president of the ,reorganized ,church--,history ,church of ,jesus ,christ1 ,vol4 ,,iv1 pp4 #dga-c4 ,,the ,,enemies ,,of ,,the ,,prophet4 ,living in ,kirtland and vicinity1 and throughout northeastern ,ohio1 where the headquarters of the ,church were established in #ahca-g1 there were many and very bitter enemies of the prophet ,joseph ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon2 and also strong antagonism towards the whole ,mormon ,church1 since its doctrines were regarded as a menace to orthodox opinions4 ,among these enemies of the prophet and the ,church none perhaps were more bitter than ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt1 ,e4 ,d4 ,howe1 ,adamson ,bentley1 ,onis ,clapp 7usually called ,deacon ,clapp7 and his two sons1 ,thomas ,j4 and ,mathew ,s4 ,clapp1 both of whom were ,campbellite preachers2 ,alexander ,campbell1 ,walter ,scott1 both prominent in founding the sect ,of the ,disciples2 ,thomas ,campbell1 ,dr4 ,john ,storrs1 of ,holliston1 ,mass41 ,dr4 ,austin1 also of ,massachusetts1 all sectarian ministers1 and many others4 ,less than fifty miles away from ,kirtland1 then the centre of ,mormon propaganda1 was ,conneaut1 the former home of ,solomon ,spaulding1 and on the direct line of travel between the branches of the ,church in ,ohio and those in the state of ,new ,york and ,canada4 ,it is said1--but ,i shall develop a somewhat different account of the origin of the ,spaulding theory near the close of these articles than is here set down--that a woman preacher #ce of the ,mormon ,church1 holding a public meeting at ,conneaut1 read some passages from the ,book of ,mormon which the old settlers of the vicinity1 and former neighbors of ,solomon ,spaulding1 recognized as very nearly identical with a manuscript story he had read to them some twenty-two or three years before2 and as he had feigned to derive this story from a certain manuscript which he pretended to have found in a stone box in a cave1 which he afterwards translated into ,english1 there was thought to be sufficient similarity between these circumstances and the ,book of ,mormon to warrant the charge that the latter was a plagiarism of ,spaulding's manuscript4 ,this conclusion led to the sending of ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt to the widow of ,spaulding to obtain his manuscript and incidentally to visit the former home of the ,smiths for the purpose of obtaining affidavits respecting their character1 and more especially respecting the character of ,joseph ,smith the ,prophet4 #cf ,indeed1 the whole purpose of the conspirators was to overthrow ,mormonism1 to up-root this ,mormon fraud4 #cg ,hurlburt presented himself at the home of the former wife and the daughter of ,spaulding1 who were then living in ,monson1 ,mass4 ,he obtained an order from the former ,mrs4 ,spaulding upon those with whom she had left the trunk containing the papers of her late husband1 directing them to deliver to ,hurlburt the ,manuscript ,found4 ,hurlburt obtained the manuscript and returned to those who sent him upon this mission1 chief among whom was ,e4 ,d4 ,howe of ,painesville1 ,ohio1 the editor of the ,painesville ,telegraph4 ,to ,mr4 ,howe ,hurlburt delivered the ,manuscript ,found1 obtained by him from the ,spaulding papers2 but lo6 when it came to be examined by the conspirators1 it was a very disappointing document4 #ch ,howe himself describes it as follows3 ,footnote #ce3 ,see ,mrs4 ,davidson's statement11 first published in the ,boston ,recorder1 ,may1 #ahci2 also ,smucker's ,history of the ,mormons1 p4 #da et seq4 ,it is claimed that woman preacher1 was merely a typographical error1 of which more in a later note1 and should read ,mormon preacher4 ,footnote #cf3 ,these are the affidavits collected by ,hurlburt and delivered to ,howe for his book ,mormonism ,unveiled1 chapter xvii2 see also ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story1 by ,b4 ,winchester1 7#ahdj7 p4 #aj4 ,footnote #cg3 ,statement of ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry1 daughter of ,solomon ,spaulding1 ,scribner's ,magazine1 ,august1 #ahhj4 ,footnote #ch3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1--statement of ,hurlburt1 pp4 #bde1 #bfj4 ,this is a romance1 purporting to have been translated from the ,latin1 found in #bd rolls of parchment in a cave1 on the banks of ,conneaut ,creek1 but written in modern style1 and giving a fabulous account of a ship's being driven upon the ,american coast1 while proceeding from ,rome to ,britain1 a short time previous to the ,christian era1 this country then being inhabited by ,indians4 #ci ,footnote #ci3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 p4 #bhh4 ,this description completely identifies this manuscript delivered by ,hurlburt to ,howe with the one afterwards found in the papers of ,mr4 ,l4 ,l4 ,rice1 and now at ,oberlin ,college4 ,this old manuscript1 says ,mr4 ,howe1 has been shown to several of the foregoing witnesses1 who recognize it as ,spaulding's4 ,the witnesses here alluded to are the old neighbors of ,spaulding who testify as to the existence of ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found1 and of its similarity to the ,book of ,mormon2 and they are eight of ,mr4 ,schroeder's twelve witnesses on whom he relies to prove the same allegement4 ,right here we reach the crucial point in the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon2 and now let us present it in one view4 ,a number of people living at ,conneaut on hearing the ,book of ,mormon read in a public meeting1 and some of them afterwards reading it for themselves1 claim a similarity to exist between it and a manuscript which ,solomon ,spaulding read to them some twenty-two or twenty-three years before4 ,spaulding's manuscript is unearthed--,manuscript ,found--but it bears no resemblance to the ,book of ,mormon6 ,there is no resemblance between the two1 to use the language of ,president ,fairchild1 of ,oberlin ,college4 ,there seems to be no name or incident1 he continues1 common to the two4 #dj ,now what will the conspirators do8 ,search further in the hope of finding another manuscript that may have been the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 if this one is not8 ,it must be admitted that having gone so far in an effort to up-root this ,mormon fraud it was worth their while to go still further4 ,the fraud was making converts throughout the very region where the conspirators lived2 some of their loved ones1 members of the family of the conspirators1 were victims of the delusion4 ,they will not rest the case here1 then4 ,they will look further4 ,the emissary just returned1 ,hurlburt1 or some other will be sent back to make further inquiry and research4 ,the fate of millions may depend upon it4 ,but did the conspirators against ,mormonism take this course8 ,no4 ,instead of that they resort to subterfuge4 ,listen3 ,howe1 referring to the manuscript delivered to him by ,hurlburt1 writes3 ,footnote #dj3 ,letter of ,president ,fairchild1 ,bibliotheca ,sacra1 ,january1 #ahhe4 ,this old manuscript has been shown to several of the foregoing witnesses1 who recognize it as ,spaulding's1 he having told them that he had altered his first plan of writing by going farther back with dates1 and writing in the old scripture style1 in order that it might appear more ancient4 ,they say that it bears no resemblance to the ',manuscript ,found4' #da ,footnote #da3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 p4 #bhh4 ,that statement bears all the earmarks of an afterthought1 a silly invention4 ,there is not a single scrap of evidence in all that has been written upon the subject1 that goes beyond the date of ,hurlburt's delivery of ,manuscript ,found1 to ,e4 ,d4 ,howe1 to the effect that ,spaulding had written more than one paper that purported to deal with a found manuscript1 or the ancient inhabitants of ,america4 ,the ,frogs of ,wyndham and infidel disquisitions were more in his line4 #db ,why was it that the neighbors of ,spaulding about ,conneaut did not say before this manuscript was brought to light by ,howe1 ,hurlburt et al41 that ,spaulding had written several manuscripts on the subject of the ancient inhabitants of ,america2 one that told of a ,roman colony came to ,america and settled in the ,ohio valley1 the story of their adventures being written in modern style2 but that this story he abandoned and wrote another1 going farther back with his dates and assigning to the people an ,israelitish origin and writing in the old scripture style8 ,how valuable such evidence1 ante-dating ,hurlburt's coming to ,conneaut with ,spaulding's manuscript1 would be6 ,but it does not exist4 ,footnote #db3 ,see ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's statement1 ,scribner's ,magazine1 ,august1 #ahhj4 ,also ,deseret ,news print of ,manuscript ,found1 pp4 #aad1 #aae1 where the infidel opinions of ,mr4 ,spaulding are expressed4 ,there was enough in the fact that ,solomon ,spaulding had written a story connected in some way with a manuscript which he feigned to have found in a stone box in a cave2 which he further feigned to have translated into ,english2 and which story had something to do with a colony coming in ancient times from the ,old ,world to the ,new2 and that there were great and sanguinary wars in the story--to suggest a similarity with the ,book of ,mormon4 ,with so much as a basis it will go hard with human invention1 under the circumstances1 if out of the dim recollections1 of some twenty-two or twenty-three years ago1 it cannot remember that there was a similarity and even identity of names between those of ,spaulding's ,manuscript and those of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,especially since the ,book of ,mormon is now in their hands1 and they have either read it1 or heard it read and have the names of ,lehi1 ,nephi1 ,moroni1 ,zarahemla1 and some phrases such as and it came to pass1 etc41 with which to refresh their memories6 ,and when they have ,spaulding's found manuscript1 or ,manuscript ,found placed in their hands by ,hurlburt1 and have identified it as ,spaulding's and none of these things are true respecting it1 that is1 there is no resemblance between the two1 in general or in detail2 99 99 99 no name or incident common to the two1 then it will again go hard with human invention if it cannot1 under the circumstances1 remember that this manuscript so thrust into their hands is merely but the rough draft of the real ,manuscript ,found2 that this story1 in fact was abandoned and ,mr4 ,spaulding informed them that he had recast his whole scheme2 #dc and that he wrote into this second story the names and historical incidents now found in the ,book of ,mormon2 that no one ever believed that this first effort of ,spaulding's1 the ,manuscript now at ,oberlin ,college1 was the foundation of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,mr4 ,schroeder himself says that from the beginning it was asserted that this manuscript1 now at ,oberlin1 was not the one from which the ,book of ,mormon was alleged to have been plagiarized4 #dd ,but from what beginning was it so asserted8 ,well1 not previous to the bringing to light of the ,oberlin manuscript by ,hurlburt2 but from the time that this manuscript1--the only one we have any real knowledge of ,spaulding ever having written on the subject of the ancient inhabitants of ,america--disappointed the hopes of the conspirators against ,mormonism4 ,that is the only beginning from which it has been asserted that the manuscript now at ,oberlin was not the one from which the ,book of ,mormon was alleged to have been plagiarized4 ,footnote #dc3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 p4 #bhh4 ,footnote #dd3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,no4 #e1 p4 #che--;ante p4 #ah4 ,the foregoing boldly charges dishonesty1 fraudulent invention1 and conscious deception upon those who originated this ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon2 and ,i realize that it is incumbent upon me to set forth substantial reasons for such allegations1 or else ,i must bear the odium of making false1 or at the very least1 unproved charges4 ,let us then consider1 if not all1 at least the leading characters of this conspiracy against the ,mormon ,church1 for it will be worth our while4 ,,dr4 ,,philastus ,,hurlburt4 ,we start with ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt4 ,he was not a ,doctor by profession1 but being a seventh son1 his parents1 following the old folklore custom1 called him ,doctor4 ,he was formerly a member of the ,methodist ,church from which he was excluded for immoralities4 ,he appeared in ,kirtland in #ahcc and began an investigation of ,mormonism1 and finally claimed to be satisfied of its truth4 ,joseph ,e4 ,johnson1 residing at ,kirtland at the time1 and at whose mother's home ,hurlburt boarded for about one year1 describes him as a man of fine physique1 very pompous1 good looking1 very ambitious1 with some energy1 though of poor education4 #de ,some time after he joined the ,church he was brought before a conference of high priests in ,kirtland and charged with un-,christianlike conduct with women1 while on a mission to the eastern states4 ,his commission as an elder was taken from him and he was excommunicated4 ,being dissatisfied with the result of this trial he appealed his case to the high council at ,kirtland1 and a hearing was granted him4 ,he confessed his sin before this council and was forgiven2 but a few days after this action1 he boasted that he had deceived the council in his confession1 and ,joseph ,smith's ,god1 and this led to his final excommunication4 #df ,footnote #de3 ,deseret ,evenings ,news1 ,december #bh1 #ahhj2 also ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #cee1 note4 ,also ,gregg's ,prophet of ,palmyra1 pp4 #dbg-dcj4 ,footnote #df3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #ced-e and note4 ,after his excommunication ,dr4 ,hurlburt became very bitter against the ,church1 and threatened the prophet's life4 ,he was finally arraigned before the court at ,chardon1 for this offense and placed under bonds to the amount of two hundred dollars to keep the peace1 and1 be of good behavior to the citizens of the state of ,ohio generally1 and to ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun41 in particular1 for the period of six months4 ,he was also required to pay the costs of the prosecution which amounted to one hundred and twelve dollars4 #dg ,when it is remembered how great the excitement was at this time in northeastern ,ohio1 respecting ,mormonism1 how numerous and how bitter were ,joseph ,smith's enemies1 this decision of ,judge ,m4 ,birchard is important in showing how violent and vicious must have been the character of ,dr4 ,hurlburt4 ,yet he becomes the special emissary of the conspirators of north-eastern ,ohio1 against ,mormonism4 ,he is commissioned to secure ,spaulding's manuscript and gather information in ,new ,york concerning the character of ,joseph ,smith1 #dh the man whom he so bitterly hates1 and whose life he had threatened4 ,and the world is asked to form its opinion of ,joseph ,smith from the alleged information procured in ,new ,york by this man1 and published in ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 in the form of affidavits6 ,footnote #dg3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #dg-di and notes4 ,footnote #dh3 ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story1 by ,b4 ,winchester1 ,philadelphia1 7#ahdj7 p4 #aj1 ,mormonism ,unveiled1 chapter xvii4 ,these affidavits gathered up by ,hurlburt are quoted by nearly every anti-,mormon writer since #ahcd1 until now1 the year of grace1 #aijh and #aiaa2 all forgetful of the fact that no matter how many mirrors are brought into a room where a farthing rush light is burning1 they do not increase the light burning there1 but merely reflect it4 ,it is safe to say that since ,howe's publication of ,mormonism ,unveiled1 in #ahcd1 little or nothing has been added to the stock of information1 from the anti-,mormon side of the controversy on this particular point4 ,even some who are parties to the ,spaulding theory distrusted ,hurlburt4 ,mrs4 ,davidson1 formerly ,spaulding's wife1 did not like his appearance1 and mistrusted his motives1 and it was only because he presented a letter from her brother1 ,william ,h4 ,sabine1 urging her to loan her former husbands' manuscript story to ,hurlburt1 that she finally1 but reluctantly1 consented for him to have the paper4 #di ,mrs4 ,ellen ,dickinson1 grand-niece of ,solomon ,spaulding1 and author of ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 charges him with having betrayed his fellow conspirators in ,ohio1 by securing the real ,manuscript ,found and turning it over to the ,mormons for a price1 and that they destroyed it4 #ej ,clark ,braden in his debate on the ,book of ,mormon with ,e4 ,l4 ,kelly1 makes the same charge1 and says that ,hurlburt got #djj4jj for his treachery and boasted of it4 #ea ,footnote #di3 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's statement ,scribner's ,magazine1 ,august1 #ahhj4 ,footnote #ej3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism4 p4 #fb-ga4 ,footnote #ea3 ,braden-,kelly ,debate4 p4 #if4 ,braden relies upon the statement of ,rev4 ,john ,a4 ,clark1 ,d4 ,d41 in ,gleanings by the ,way1 p4 #bfe4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,d4 ,howe1 author of the first anti-,mormon book of any very great pretensions or general interest--and of which ,mr4 ,schroeder is so eulogistic1 speaking of it as the most important single collection of original evidence ever made upon the subject--was the editor of the ,painsville ,telegraph1 and especially bitter towards the ,mormons and ,mormonism1 because his own wife and sister had joined the ,mormon ,church1 at which he was greatly incensed4 #eb ,footnote #eb3 ,braden-,kelly ,debate4 pp4 #fi1 #ha4 ,see also the ,advertisement of ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1--which precedes the ,introduction4 ,also the ,introduction of the same work1 for manifestation of bitterness4 ,,rev4 ,,adamson ,,bentley ,,et ,,al4 ,adamson ,bentley was a ,campbellite preacher1 also1 a brother-in-law to ,sidney ,rigdon1 having married ,rigdon's wife's sister4 ,it appears that the parents of ,mrs4 ,rigdon had settled upon her1 or expressed intention of doing so1 some considerable property2 but the ,rev4 ,bentley1 by his influence with the ,brooke family1 diverted the inheritance designed for ,mrs4 ,rigdon to his own wife2 #ec so that in addition to the bitterness which ever attends on sectarian controversies1 there must be added in the case of ,mr4 ,bentley the bitterness of family feud2 and if the claim of ,sidney ,rigdon be true1 viz41 that he was the injured party1 in this controversy1 there would be intensity of bitterness on the part of ,bentley1 since it is strangely true that men may forgive those who injure them1 but they never forgive the innocence of those whom they wilfully injure4 ,the ,reverend ,bentley was one of the bitterest of anti-,mormons and a warm supporter and advocate of the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 #ed ,of ,mr4 ,alexander ,campbell1 ,dr4 ,storrs and ,dr4 ,austin we shall have occasion to speak later1 when considering certain evidence ,mr4 ,schroeder introduces from them4 ,the point now contended for respecting these men who stand as sponsors for the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 is simply this3 that being ardent sectarian priests zealous for their particular brand of orthodoxy1 which ,mormonism opposed as false doctrine2 #ee and adding to this cause of bitterness the further fact that in some instances these men felt the sense of personal grievance against ,joseph ,smith and the ,mormon ,church--renders them incompetent to be reliable witnesses on the questions at issue4 ,all history1 and the well known facts respecting human nature1 warrant the conclusion that under such circumstances sectaries in support of their orthodoxy1 and by way of reprisal for wrongs1 real or imaginary1 will stoop to invention of adverse testimony2 to misrepresentation2 to the creation of a case1 or a hurtful theory2 will distort facts2 in a word will bear false witness4 ,such false or incompetent witnesses ,i declare1 those parties to be on whom ,mr4 ,schroeder relies for the support of his case4 ,footnote #ec3 ,messenger and ,advocate1 p4 #ccd-e4 ,also ,evening and ,morning ,star1 p4 #cja4 ,footnote #ed3 ,see ,millennial ,harbinger1 for #ahdd1 p4 #ch1 et seq4 ,also ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 pp4 #abd-e4 ,footnote #ee3 ,pearl of ,great ,price1 ,writings of ,joseph ,smith1 p4 #he1 7edition of #aijb72 also ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #e1 #f4 ,for an exposition and defense of this position see the present writer's ,defense of the ,faith and the ,saints1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #bf-bg and note4 ,let us take first this group of ,conneaut witnesses1 eight of them1 used by ,hurlburt1 ,howe1 ,bentley et al41 and chiefly relied upon by ,mr4 ,schroeder as supplying the clinching #ef evidence for the plagiarism of ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found by the author or authors of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,they are the most important witnesses on the side of the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon2 yet1 by the application of the principle that recognizes the untrustworthiness of witnesses interested in opposing religious innovation2 that recognizes the zeal of witnesses interested in supporting orthodoxy2 that recognizes the bitterness which characterizes sectarian strife2 as also the necessary vagueness of the state of mind of these witnesses in respect of those things of which they testify2 as also by the consideration of many other things that will bear upon their statements--for the evidence and argument is to be cumulative--,i hope to prove quite conclusively that these witnesses are incompetent1 and their statements untrue4 ,footnote #ef3 ,see sub-heading in ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 ,no4 #a1 p4 #gj et seq4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,second ,,spaulding ,,manuscript4 ,let it constantly be borne in mind that the existence of a second ,spaulding manuscript1 on the subject of ancient ,america and its inhabitants1 and entirely different from the one at ,oberlin1 is not heard of until after the unearthing of the manuscript1 7now at ,oberlin7 by ,hurlburt1 and the consequent disappointment of the conspirators on finding it so utterly lacking in the features necessary to make it appear probable that it was the basis of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,howe's book was not published until after the return of ,hurlburt from ,massachusetts with this disappointing manuscript4 ,not one of this group of eight witnesses whose testimony ,howe publishes says one word about a second manuscript on the subject of ancient ,america4 ,the only witnesses of the group who say anything at all about any other manuscripts by ,spaulding are ,john ,m4 ,miller1 ,aaron ,wright1 and ,artemas ,cunningham4 ,the first says1 in speaking of ,spaulding1 ,he had written two or three books or pamphlets on different subjects2 but that which more particularly drew my attention was one which he called the ,manuscript ,found4 #ef;a ,the second says1 ,spaulding had many other manuscripts1 which ,i expect to see when ,smith translates his other plate4 #eg ,the third simply uses the word manuscript in the plural when referring to the writings of ,spaulding1 thus2 ,before showing me his manuscripts1 he went into a verbal relation of its outlines1 saying that it was a fabulous or romantic history of the first settlement of the country1 and as it purported to have been a record buried in the earth or a cave1 he had adopted the ancient style of writing4 ,he then presented his manuscript1 when we sat down and spent a good share of the night in reading them4 #eh ,it is quite clear that this witness really refers to but one manuscript1 though he uses the plural form of the word2 leaving only two of this group who refer to more than one manuscript of ,spaulding's1 and neither of these claims that the other manuscript dealt with subjects relating to ancient ,america1 unless the sneering remark of ,aaron ,wright to the effect that he expected to see more of ,spaulding's manuscripts when ,smith translates his other plate1 can be tortured into such a reference4 ,footnote #ef;a3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 p4 #bhc4 ,footnote #eg3 ,ibid4 p4 #bhd4 ,footnote #eh3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 p4 #bhf-g4 ,there is no word then in the signed statement of these witnesses making reference either to a second manuscript on the subject of the ancient people of ,america1 nor any reference made to ,spaulding rewriting1 or recasting his story ,manuscript ,found4 ,mr4 ,howe1 however1 says that the manuscript brought to him by ,hurlburt1 7and now at ,oberlin7 was shown to these ,conneaut witnesses and that they recognized it as ,spaulding's2 he having told them that he had altered his first plan of writing1 by going farther back with dates1 and writing in the old scripture style in order that it might appear more ancient4 ,they say that it bears no resemblance to the ,manuscript ,found4 #ei ,this1 however1 is only what ,mr4 ,howe says these witnesses said1 and is not their testimony at all1 as ,mr4 ,schroeder must know since he makes some pretense to a professional knowledge of he law2 it is the assertion only of ,mr4 ,howe1 it must be remembered2 and from his relationship to this controversy1 being the author of a book that was a vicious attack upon the ,mormon ,church2 from his association with such men as ,hurlburt1 ,bently et al4 whose purpose it was to uproot this ,mormon fraud2 from the fact of his bitterness1 because of the membership of his wife and sister in the ,mormon ,church--he is not a reliable witness in the case4 ,on the contrary he is a very unreliable witness1 as will be shown more completely later1 and one marvels that in a case so important1 ,mr4 ,howe did not get a statement direct and over the signatures of these ,conneaut witnesses1 instead of contenting himself by reporting what he alleges they had said to him4 ,footnote #ei3 ,ibid4 p4 #bhh4 ,since these ,conneaut witnesses1 then1 do not testify as to the existence of any second manuscript of ,spaulding's dealing with the ancient inhabitants of ,america1 of what exact value is their testimony8 ,the whole eight claim to have heard ,solomon ,spaulding read his manuscript story2 they have all read or heard read parts or all of the ,book of ,mormon2 four of them say that the colony of ,spaulding's story came from ,jerusalem2 four of them say that ,spaulding represented the ,indians as the lost tribes of ,israel2 seven recognized in the ,book of ,mormon a number of names and phrases as identical with the names and phrases of ,spaulding's manuscript story2 two say that the colony of ,israelites of ,spaulding's story separated into two distinct peoples or nations1 as the colony of ,lehi1 according to the ,book of ,mormon1 did2 and in a general way the whole eight may be said to claim that the historical parts of the ,book of ,mormon and those of the ,spaulding story agree2 five of them declare the absence of religious matter in the ,spaulding manuscript1 and two of them1 say it was written in the old style4 ,such is the substance of the testimony of this group of witnesses4 #fj ,footnote #fj3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 chapter xix4 ,now let it be remembered that ,spaulding resided in this ,conneaut neighborhood something less than three years2 #fa these witnesses1 his neighbors1 heard occasional reading of his manuscript story1 which from twenty-one to twenty-four years later they assume to identify with another literary production1 the ,book of ,mormon2 and identify it1 too1 in respect of several very minute and particular things4 ,are we not asked here to accord to human recollection a vividness and power which1 to say the least of it1 is very exceptional8 ,who were these people--these witnesses whose testimony ,mr4 ,schroeder relies upon to clinch the charge of plagiarism upon those responsible for the existence of the ,english translation of the ,book of ,mormon8 ,who vouches for the extraordinary intelligence with which they must have been endowed to accomplish the feat of memory ascribed to them1 if their testimony is credited8 ,who knows them and vouches for their honesty1 another consideration to be taken into account before their testimony may be wholly satisfactory8 ,mr4 ,howe vouches for them 7we might say1 of course674 ,he says they are all most respectable men1 and highly esteemed for their moral worth1 and their characters for truth and veracity are unimpeachable4 ,in fact the word of any one of them would have more weight in any respectable community than the whole family of ,smiths and ,whitmers1 who have told about hearing the voice of an angel4 #fb ,footnote #fa3 ,see statement of ,john ,spaulding1 brother to ,solomon ,spaulding1 who fixes date of arrival of the latter at ,conneaut in #ahji 7,howe's ,mormonism1 p4 #bgi72 and all witnesses agree that he left for ,pittsburg in #ahab4 ,footnote #fb3 ,mormonism ,unveiled1 p4 #bha4 ,,the ,,failure ,,of ,,howe',s ,,book4 ,but we have already seen from the nature of things ,howe cannot be regarded as a reliable witness in this controversy4 ,and as for putting these witnesses in contrast with the ,smiths and the ,whitmers1 it must be remembered that the latter have back of their testimony a life of danger1 toil1 poverty1 suffering1 and in some cases martyrdom itself1 all endured in support of1 and on account of the testimony they bore as to the origin of the ,book of ,mormon2 #fc while no such good earnest of veracity stands back of this ,conneaut group of ,mr4 ,schroeder's witnesses2 and the mere word of ,mr4 ,howe does not give sufficient guarantee of their character for truth and veracity4 ,certainly what they stated about the ,book of ,mormon could not have been regarded as of any great weight1 since in spite of the publication of their testimony right in the section of the state of ,ohio where most of these witnesses lived1 people went on believing the testimony of the ,smiths and the ,whitmers as against that of the ,conneaut witnesses1 by becoming members of the ,church of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the years between #ahcc1 and #ahcg1 years in which this ,hurlburt--,howe--,bently-- ,campbell--,clapp--,spaulding agitation was going on1 the growth of the ,church was most rapid1 and northeastern ,ohio was the most fruitful of its proselyting fields4 ,it took six years to sell the first edition of ,howe's book1 as the second edition was not published until #ahdj4 ,relative to the influence of ,howe's book1 and two other anti-,mormon productions published in northeastern ,ohio1 just before ,howe's book1 ,elder ,orson ,hyde1 writing from ,kirtland after a missionary tour through a number of surrounding towns and country districts1 wrote the ,messenger and ,advocate1 under date of ,may #dth1 #ahcf1 of which the following passage is an excerpt3 ,footnote #fc3 ,the force and value of the testimony of these witnesses is considered at length in the ,young ,men's ,manual 7,mormon71 for #aijd1 chapters xv to xxi1 inclusive4 ,see also ,new ,witnesses for ,god1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 chapters xv to xxiii1 inclusive4 ,for the value of this kind of testimony see ,paley's ,evidences1 ,proposition ,,ii1 ,chapter #a1 also the present writer's ,new ,witness for ,god1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,chapter #ag4 ,the first weapon raised against the spread of truth1 of any consideration in this country1 was the wicked and scurrilous pamphlet published by ,a4 ,campbell4 ,next1 perhaps1 were the letters of ,ezra ,booth2 and thirdly1 ',mormonism ,unveiled1' written by ,mr4 ,e4 ,d4 ,howe1 alias ',dr4' ,p4 ,hurlburt4 ,these were designed severally in their turn for the exposure and overthrow of ,mormonism1 as they termed it2 but it appears that heaven has not blessed the means which they employed to effect their object4 ,no weapon raised against it shall prosper4 ,the writings of the above named persons1 ,i find1 have no influence in the world at all2 for they are not even quoted by opposers1 and ,i believe for no other reason than that they are ashamed of them4 #fd ,footnote #fd3 ,messenger and ,advocate1 p4 #bif4 ,elder ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 about #ahci-dj1 in answering an attack on the ,book of ,mormon in ,zion's ,watchman1 said3 ,in the west1 whole neighborhoods embraced ,mormonism1 after this fable of the ,spaulding story had been circulated among them4 ,indeed1 we never conceived it worthy of an answer1 until it was converted by the ignorant and impudent dupes or knaves1 in this city1 who stand at the head of certain religious papers1 into something said to be positive1 certain1 and not to be disputed6 #fe ,footnote #fe3 ,thompson's ,evidences 7#ahda7 pp4 #ahb-c2 also ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story1 7,winchester7 p4 #ac4 ,,the ,,conneaut ,,witnesses4 ,there remains yet to be considered how much these obscure ,conneaut witnesses were flattered by the prospect of coming to be regarded as persons of importance by their connection with this movement against ,mormonism1 a consideration by no means of slight importance if they were1 as is most likely the case1 ignorant men and religious fanatics4 ,also it must be asked to what extent they were under the influence of the conspirators1 ,hurlburt1 ,howe1 et al41 and to what extent they shared the sectarian bitterness of these men against ,mormonism4 ,it should be remembered that it is beyond all human probability that they could remember the things about ,spaulding's manuscript story that they say they recollect after an elapse of from twenty-one to twenty-four years4 ,think what the recollection of these ,conneaut witnesses respecting the old ,spaulding manuscript would have been had one gone into the community to make inquiries about it after an elapse of more than twenty years1 and before anything had been heard of the existence of the ,book of ,mormon6 ,but it will be said that this is not altogether a fair test on which to build a contrast between what could be recalled without the aid of associated ideas and incidents1 and what could be remembered when associated ideas and really similar or identical incidents1 names1 and phrases1 though long forgotten1 were repeated4 ,one must necessarily concede something to such a contention4 ,but on the other hand1 let it be conceded what a fertilizing effect the recent reading of the ,book of ,mormon would have on the minds of these witnesses anxious to testify against it6 ,what an awakening effect it would have on the minds of witnesses full of fanatical zeal against what they considered a religious innovation2 on the minds of witnesses tempted by the prospect of being lifted from obscurity to a position of importance in their little world2 on the minds of witnesses doubtless leagued with crafty conspirators full of bitterness1 and confessedly determined to uproot this ,mormon fraud4 ,with the ,book of ,mormon in their hands from which to refresh their minds as to names and incidents1 of course they will remember that ,spaulding's colony came from ,jerusalem2 that he represented the ,american ,indians as descendants of the lost tribes 7ignorantly supposing that such was the representation of the ,book of ,mormon in the matter72 #ff that the names of the chief characters in the ,spaulding story were ,lehi and ,nephi1 and one remembers that the place where ,spaulding landed his colony was near the straights of ,darien1 which he is confident was called ,zarahemla2 while another1 that the colonists separated and became two nations and had many great and cruel wars2 that the phrases ,i1 ,nephi2 and1 ,it came to pass1 were frequently used in the ,spaulding story1 just as they were used in the ,book of ,mormon6 ,all this they very well remember--after reading the ,book of ,mormon6 ,one very striking thing that was remembered in #ahcd at ,conneaut1 in this connection1 is not mentioned by any one of the group of eight witnesses2 it is a thing ,mr4 ,howe missed entirely1 and that ,mr4 ,schroeder has not used1 though the minuteness of his researches into all things ,mormon must forbid us thinking that he has not come in contact with it4 ,mrs4 ,ellen ,e4 ,dickinson brought the matter into view as late as #ahhe1 in her book so frequently quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 ,new ,light on ,mormonism4 ,this lady1 a grand-niece of ,solomon ,spaulding's wife1 says3 ,footnote #ff3 ,nearly all anti-,mormon writers make this blunder1 and thereby exhibit their shallow knowledge of the subject4 ,in the colony of ,lehi were descendants of the tribe of ,manasseh and ,ephraim1 descendants of the patriarch ,joseph1 but no where does it claim that the inhabitants of ,america are descendants of the lost tribes4 ,for an exhaustive treatise of the subject1 see the ,young ,men's ,manual1 #aije-f1 ,chapter #ce4 ,new ,witnesses for ,god1 ,vol4 #b1 chs4 xxxii1 and xxxv4 ,of the odd stories told at ,conneaut1 in #ahcd1 in connection with ,solomon ,spaulding1 was one to the effect that he told his neighbors at the time he entertained them with his romance1 that his ',manuscript ,found' was a translation of the ',book of ,mormon1' and he intended to publish a fictitious account of its having been discovered in a 'cave1 in ,ohio1' as an advertisement1 to advance its sale1 when his book was printed4 #fg ,footnote #fg3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #hj4 ,why did not ,mr4 ,howe publish this precious item--this odd story told at ,conneaut in #ahcd8 ,why does not ,mr4 ,schroeder at least make use of it as among his clinching evidences of the plagiarism of the main part of the ,book of ,mormon by ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,joseph ,smith et al8 ,is it possible that this was even too raw for ,mr4 ,schroeder's stout stomach1 which is capable of digesting everything anti-,mormon1 from pap to steel8 ,or is it so that this bald statement is an outgrowth of the recollection process operating at ,conneaut after ,howe's record was closed8 ,and that here we see the process of recollection at work in these ,conneaut witnesses1 which expands the dim consciousness that an old1 eccentric minister1 from twenty-one to twenty-four years ago lived among them two or three years--read to them some kind of a story about the ancient people of ,america1 the manuscript of which he feigned to have found in a stone box in a cave--into that remarkable recollection of similarity of names1 phrases and historical incidents to be found in their signed statements in ,howe's book1 until finally1 if advocates of the ,spaulding theory of origin for the ,book of ,mormon would but admit into their collection this odd story unearthed by ,mrs4 ,dickinson1 they might prove that ,mr4 ,spaulding's story ,manuscript ,found1 was a translation of the ,book of ,mormon1--and what a victory that would be1 ,o1 my countrymen6 ,e4 ,d4 ,,howe ,,discredited ,,as ,a ,,witness4 ,the reader who will follow me through this review of ,mr4 ,schroeder's evidence and argument1 will find by the time the review closes that these ,conneaut witnesses--incompetent and weak as they are as witnesses--and ,mr4 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 are the very heart of this whole ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,we have seen1 in part1 how flimsy and incompetent are the eight ,conneaut witnesses1 on whom ,mr4 ,schroeder relies to clinch his evidence of the plagiarism of the ,book of ,mormon2 let us now see how unworthy of belief is ,mr4 ,e4 ,d4 ,howe4 ,mr4 ,howe at the time he was preparing his book1 ,mormonism ,unveiled1 #ahcc-d1 represents the position of the church to be as follows1 in respect of the several matters stated3 ,about this time an opinion was propagated among them1 that they should never taste death1 if they had sufficient faith4 ,they were commanded to have little or no connexion with those who had not embraced their faith1 and everything must be done within themselves4 ,even the wine which they used at their communion1 they were ordered to make from cider and other materials4 ,all diseases and sickness among them were to be cured by the ,elders1 and by the use of herbs--denouncing the physicians of the world1 and their medicines1 as enemies to the human race4 #fh ,footnote #fh3 ,howe's ,mormonism ,unveiled1 p4 #abd4 ,and then he makes this sneering remark1 and emphasizes it with an index hand pointing to it3 ,they had one or two root doctors among them1 for whose benefit it is presumed the ,lord made known his will1 if at all4 ,in refutation of these slanders1 ,i quote the revelation by which the ,saints were governed in the particulars here named by ,howe2 a revelation which to the ,saints of course was the law of ,god1 and which revelation ,mr4 ,howe garbled into the statement above quoted3 ,and whosoever among you that are sick1 and have not faith to be healed1 but believeth1 shall be nourished in all tenderness with herbs and mild food1 and that not of the world4 ,and the elders of the church1 two or more1 shall be called1 and shall pray for and lay hands upon them in my name1 and if they die they shall die unto me1 and if they live they shall live unto me4 ,thou shalt live together in love1 insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die1 and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection4 ,and it shall come to pass1 that those that die in me1 shall not taste of death1 for it shall be sweet unto them2 and they that die not in me1 woe unto them1 for their death is bitter6 ,and again1 it shall come to pass1 that he that has faith in me to be healed1 and is not appointed unto death1 shall be healed2 he who has faith to see shall see2 he who has faith to hear shall hear3 the lame who have faith to leap shall leap2 and they who have not faith to do these things1 but believe in me1 have power to become my sons2 and in as much as they break not my laws1 thou shalt bear their infirmities4 #fi ,footnote #fi3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 section xxvii4 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ajf4 ,this was given to the church as a law1 ,february #ith1 #ahca4 ,the revelation was published in the ,evening and ,morning ,star1 ,missouri1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,number #b1 ,july1 #ahcb1 more than two years before ,mr4 ,howe's book was published4 7,i quote from the original ,star of #ahcb1 not the ,kirtland reprint74 ,i challenge ,mr4 ,schroeder and the religious literature of the world for a passage more beautifully sympathetic concerning the sick and those who die1 than this passage4 ,and it completely convicts the star witness for this ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon of vile misrepresentation of the ,saints and the church in several important particulars4 ,so far is the revelation from creating the impression that the saints should never taste of death1 in the sense that they should never die1 that it expressly directs what course shall be taken in respect of those who die1 both in the case of those who have1 and those who have not the hope of a glorious resurrection4 ,as to wine used at communion being made from cider and other materials1 the law of the church is found in a revelation given in ,september1 #ahcj1 as follows3 ,wherefore1 a commandment ,i give unto you1 that you shall not purchase wine1 neither strong drink of your enemies3 wherefore1 you shall partake of none1 except it is made new among you2 yea1 in this my ,father's kingdom1 which shall be built up on the earth4 #gj ,footnote #gj3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 section #bg4 ,one looks in vain for the cider and other materials in this commandment as to the ,sacrament2 just as he looks in vain for the denunciations of ,the physicians of the world and their medicines as enemies of the human race4 ,the effort of ,mr4 ,howe in these several particulars was to make the saints ridiculous2 he succeeds only in making himself contemptible4 ,and let no one say that ,mr4 ,howe does not allude to the revelations here quoted in refutation of his false accusation1 but to opinions propagated outside of these authoritative utterances of the ,church4 ,the phraseology employed by ,mr4 ,howe and the allusions to death1 sickness1 healing1 the use of herbs1 etc41 follows too closely the revelation1 as also his allusion to the ,lord making known his will1 to admit of such an excuse or defense4 ,,the ,,davidson ,,statement4 ,the next testimony to be examined as to the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon is an alleged statement of ,mrs4 ,matilda ,davidson1 formerly the wife of ,solomon ,spaulding4 ,spaulding died in #ahaf1 and four years later ,mrs4 ,spaulding married ,mr4 ,davidson1 of ,hartwicks1 ,new ,york4 ,the alleged statement of ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson first appeared in the ,boston ,recorder1 in ,april1 #ahci1 and was widely copied by the religious press of the eastern states4 ,it was intended by its authors to help out the ,spaulding theory in several particulars2 first1 in that the ,spaulding manuscript was written in ancient style2 and as the ,old ,testament is the most ancient book in the world he 7,spaulding7 imitated its style as nearly as possible2 second1 that the manuscript that ,spaulding feigned to have found was written by one of the lost nation2 third1 that it was recovered from the earth2 fourth1 that a connection is established between ,spaulding and ,patterson1 and that the latter told ,spaulding to write a title page and preface to his story1 and he 7,patterson7 would publish it2 fifth1 that a relationship is established by it between ,rigdon and ,patterson2 and sixth1 that there was spontaneity in affirming the identity between the ,book of ,mormon and ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found at ,conneaut1 when the ,book of ,mormon was publicly read there4 #ga ,on account of the peculiar attitude of ,mr4 ,schroeder towards this ,davison statement2 as also on account of the methods of creating the materials for the ,spaulding theory disclosed by the history of this document1 it is important that it should be published in extenso3 ,footnote #ga3 ,the ,davidson statement is published in the ,boston ,recorder ,april1 #ahci2 ,smucker's ,mormonism1 p4 #da et seq4 ,gleanings by the ,way1 p4 #bej1 et seq42 and many other anti-,mormon books4 ,,alleged ,,statement ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,davidson1 ,,formerly ,,the ,,wife ,,of ,,solomon ,,spaulding4 ,as the ,book of ,mormon1 or ,golden ,bible 7as it was originally called7 has excited much attention1 and is deemed by a certain new sect of equal authority with the ,sacred ,scriptures1 ,i think it a duty which ,i owe to the public to state what ,i know touching its origin4 ,that its claims to a divine origin are wholly unfounded needs no proof to a mind unperverted by the grossest delusions4 ,that any sane person should rank it higher than any other merely human composition is a matter of the greatest astonishment2 yet it is received as divine by some who dwell in enlightened ,new ,england1 and even by those who have sustained the character of devoted ,christians4 ,learning recently that ,mormonism had found its way into a church in ,massachusetts1 and has impregnated some with its gross delusions1 so that excommunication has been necessary1 ,i am determined to delay no longer in doing what ,i can to strip the mask from this mother of sin1 and to lay open this pit of abominations4 ,solomon ,spaulding1 to whom ,i was united in marriage in early life1 was a graduate of ,dartmouth ,college1 and was distinguished for a lively imagination1 and a great fondness for history4 ,at the time of our marriage he resided in ,cherry ,valley1 ,new ,york4 ,from this place1 we removed to ,new ,salem1 ,ashtabula county1 ,ohio1 sometimes called ,conneaut1 as it is situated on ,conneaut ,creek4 ,shortly after our removal to this place1 his health sunk1 and he was laid aside from active labors4 ,in the town of ,new ,salem there are numerous mounds and forts supposed by many to be the dilapidated dwellings and fortifications of a race now extinct4 ,these ancient relics arrest the attention of the new settlers1 and become objects of research for the curious4 ,numerous implements were found1 and other articles evincing great skill in the arts4 ,mr4 ,spaulding being an educated man1 and passionately fond of history1 took a lively interest in these developments of antiquity2 and in order to beguile the hours of retirement and furnish employment for his lively imagination1 he conceived the idea of giving an historical sketch of this long lost race4 ,their extreme antiquity led him to write in the most ancient style1 and as the ,old ,testament is the most ancient book in the world1 he imitated its style as nearly as possible4 ,his sole object in writing this imaginary history was to amuse himself and his neighbors4 ,this was about the year #ahab4 ,hull's surrender at ,detroit occurred near the same time1 and ,i recollect the date well from that circumstance4 ,as he progressed to his narrative the neighbors would come in from time to time to hear portions read1 and a great interest in the work was excited among them4 ,it claimed to have been written by one of the lost nation1 and to have been recovered from the earth1 and assumed the title of ',manuscript ,found4' ,the neighbors would often inquire how ,mr4 ,spaulding progressed in deciphering the manuscript2 and when he had a sufficient portion prepared1 he would inform them1 and they would assemble to hear it read4 ,he was enabled1 from his acquaintance with the classics and ancient history to introduce many singular names1 which were particularly noticed by the people1 and could be easily recognized by them4 ,mr4 ,solomon ,spaulding had a brother1 ,mr4 ,john ,spaulding residing in the place at the time1 who was perfectly familiar with the work1 and repeatedly heard the whole of it read4 ,from ,new ,salem we removed to ,pittsburg1 in ,pennsylvania4 ,here ,mr4 ,spaulding found a friend and acquaintance1 in the person of ,mr4 ,patterson1 an editor of a newspaper4 ,he exhibited his manuscript to ,mr4 ,patterson1 who was very much pleased with it1 and borrowed it for perusal4 ,he retained it for a long time1 and informed ,mr4 ,spaulding that if he would make out a title page and preface1 he would publish it1 and it might be a source of profit4 ,this ,mr4 ,spaulding refused to do4 ,sidney ,rigdon1 who has figured so largely in the history of the ,mormons1 was at that time connected with the printing office of ,mr4 ,patterson1 as is well known in that region1 and as ,rigdon himself has frequently stated1 became acquainted with ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 and copied it4 ,it was a matter of notoriety and interest to all connected with the printing establishment4 ,at length the manuscript was returned to its author1 and soon after we removed to ,amity1 ,washington county1 etc41 where ,mr4 ,spaulding deceased in #ahaf4 ,the manuscript then fell into my hands1 and was carefully preserved4 ,it has frequently been examined by my daughter1 ,mrs4 ,m',kinstry1 of ,monson1 ,mass41 with whom ,i now reside1 and by other friends4 ,after the ,book of ,mormon came out1 a copy of it was taken to ,new ,salem1 the place of ,mr4 ,spaulding's former residence1 and the very place where the manuscript found was written4 ,a woman preacher appointed a meeting there2 and in the meeting read and repeated copious extracts from the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the historical part was immediately recognized by all the older inhabitants1 as the identical work of ,mr4 ,spaulding1 in which they had all been so deeply interested years before4 ,mr4 ,john ,spaulding was present and recognized perfectly the work of his brother4 ,he was amazed and afflicted that it should have been perverted to so wicked a purpose4 ,his grief found vent in a flood of tears1 and he arose on the spot1 and expressed to the meeting his sorrow and regret that the writings of his deceased brother should be used for a purpose so vile and shocking4 ,the excitement in ,new ,salem became so great1 that the inhabitants had a meeting1 and deputed ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt1 one of their numbers1 to repair to this place and to obtain from me the original manuscript of ,mr4 ,spaulding1 for the purpose of comparing it with the ,mormon ,bible1 to satisfy their own minds1 and to prevent their friends from embracing an error so delusive4 ,this was in the year #ahcd4 ,dr4 ,hurlburt brought with him an introduction and request for the manuscript1 which was signed by ,messrs4 ,henry ,lake1 ,aaron ,wright1 and others1 with all of whom ,i was acquainted1 as they were my neighbors when ,i resided at ,new ,salem4 ,i am sure that nothing would grieve my husband more1 were he living1 than the use which has been made of his work4 ,the air of antiquity which was thrown about the composition1 doubtless suggested the idea of converting it to the purpose of delusion4 ,thus an historical romance1 with the addition of a few pious expressions1 and extracts from the sacred ,scriptures1 has been construed into a new ,bible1 and palmed off upon a company of poor deluded fanatics as divine4 ,i have given the previous brief narration1 that this work of deep deception and wickedness may be searched to the foundation and the authors exposed to the contempt and execration they so justly deserve4 7,signed7 ,,matilda ,,davidson4 ,briefly stated the history of the above document is this3 ,mormon missionaries make their appearance in ,holliston1 ,massachusetts1 and are successful in making some converts to their faith1 among them several members and a deacon of the ,presbyterian ,church of that place4 ,whereupon the ,reverend ,john ,storrs1 the pastor of this church1 becoming concerned for his flock1 and having learned of the ,spaulding theory1 he writes to his friend1 the ,reverend ,d4 ,r4 ,austin1 residing near ,monson1 where ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson was making her home with her daughter1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry1 and urges him to secure a statement from her as to the connection between the writings of her late husband and the ,book of ,mormon4 ,mr4 ,austin made some inquiries of the old lady1 wrote down notes as to her answers1 then through the ,reverend ,dr4 ,storrs publishes this product as a signed statement of ,mrs4 ,davidson6 ,the facts came out respecting this document in a letter of ,mr4 ,john ,haven1 of ,holliston1 ,middlesex ,co41 ,mass41 to his daughter1 ,elizabeth ,haven1 of ,quincy1 ,adams1 ,co41 7,illinois7 which was published in the ,quincy ,whig4 ,it represents that ,jesse ,haven1 the brother of ,elizabeth ,haven1 to whom the letter is addressed1 called upon ,mrs4 ,davidson and ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry at their home in ,monson1 ,mass41 and spent several hours with them1 a ,dr4 ,ely also being present4 ,during this interview ,mr4 ,haven asked the following questions of ,mrs4 ,davidson4 ,,the ,,haven-,,davidson ,,interview4 ,did you1 ,mrs4 ,davidson1 write a letter to ,john ,storrs1 giving an account of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon8 ,ans3 ,i did not4 ,did you sign your name to it8 ,ans3 ,i did not1 neither did ,i ever see the letter until ,i saw it in the ,boston ,recorder1 the letter was never brought to me to sign4 ,ques3 ,what agency had you in having this letter sent to ,mr4 ,storrs8 ,ans3 ,d4 ,r4 ,austin came to my house and asked me some questions1 took some minutes on paper1 and from these minutes wrote that letter4 ,ques3 ,is what is written in the letter true8 ,ans3 ,in the main it is4 ,ques3 ,have you read the book of ,mormon8 ,ans3 ,i have read some of it4 ,ques3 ,does ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 and the ,book of ,mormon agree8 ,i think some few of the names are alike4 ,ques3 ,does the manuscript describe an idolatrous or a religious people8 ,ans3 ,an idolatrous people4 ,ques3 ,where is the manuscript8 ,ans3 ,dr4 ,p4 ,hurlburt came here and took it1 said he would get it printed and let me have one-half the profits4 ,ques3 ,has ,dr4 ,p4 ,hurlburt got the manuscript printed8 ,ans3 ,i received a letter stating it did not read as they expected and they should not print it4 ,ques3 ,how large is ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript8 ,ans3 ,about one third as large as the ,book of ,mormon4 #gb ,footnote #gb3 ,times and ,seasons1 ,vol4 ,i1 7#ahci7 p4 #dg4 ,not having access to the ,quincy ,whig1 ,i quote this passage from the ,times and ,seasons as being most reliable1 because published shortly after the letter appeared in the ,quincy paper1 and practically in the same neighborhood4 ,this to insure the accuracy of the passage over which there is some controversy as will appear later4 ,in addition to fixing the character of the ,davidson statement1 it is quite remarkable how well the answers of ,mrs4 ,davidson describe the character of the ,spaulding ,manuscript now at ,oberlin1 and not at all the manuscript described by the ,conneaut witnesses1 or the manuscript generally contended for by the upholders of the ,spaulding theory of the ,book of ,mormon origin4 ,mr4 ,schroeder1 however1 insists that the dishonesty of the original publication of the ,haven interview is pointed out in ',gleanings by the way6' #gc ,but is it8 ,the ,rev4 ,john ,a4 ,clark1 ,d4 ,d41 author of ,gleanings by the ,way1 published the alleged ,davidson statement in the ,episcopal ,recorder after which he came in contact with the ,haven contradiction quoted above4 ,whereupon he wrote to the ,reverend ,john ,storrs who was responsible for the publication of the ,davidson statement4 ,in the course of his reply to ,mr4 ,clark's inquiries1 ,mr4 ,storrs said3 ,footnote #gc3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 p4 #cif1 note #dd4 ,it is very true ,mrs4 ,davidson did not write a letter to me1 and what is more1 of course1 she did not sign it4 ,but this she did do1 and just what ,i wrote you in my former letter ,i supposed she did3 she did sign her name to the original copy as prepared from her statement by ,mr4 ,austin4 ,this original copy is now in the hands of ,mr4 ,austin4 ,this he told me last week4 #gd ,footnote #gd3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 p4 #bfb4 ,the last sentence gives the exact value of this testimony1 ,mr4 ,austin told ,mr4 ,storrs that ,mrs4 ,davidson had signed the statement4 ,mr4 ,storrs himself knew nothing about it beyond what ,mr4 ,austin told him4 ,this ,mr4 ,schroeder1 as a professional lawyer1 knows is not testimony4 ,but the ,reverend ,clark wrote ,reverend ,austin also1 and the ,reverend ,austin replied1 in which the following occurs3 ,the circumstances which called forth the letter published in the ,boston ,recorder in ,april1 #ahci1 were stated by ,mr4 ,storrs in the introduction to that article4 ,at his request ,i obtained from ,mrs4 ,davidson a statement of the facts contained in that letter1 and wrote them out precisely as she related them to me4 ,she then signed the paper with her own hand1 which ,i have now in my possession4 ,every fact as stated in that letter was related to me by her in the order they are set down4 #ge ,footnote #ge3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 p4 #bfd4 ,the statement of the ,reverend ,mr4 ,austin of course flatly contradicts that of ,mrs4 ,davidson2 and when the contradiction is between a reverend gentleman on the one hand1 and a venerable lady1 the wife of a former but retired minister1 7,reverend ,mr4 ,spaulding7 on the other1 one may be justified in declining the delicate task of determining on whose side the truth lies2 unless it may be found1 as ,i think it may1 otherwise than by directly passing judgment upon the veracity of either of these worthy parties4 ,,mrs4 ,,ellen ,e4 ,,dickinson',s ,,repudiation ,,of ,,the ,,davidson ,,statement4 ,not only have we the denial of ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson as to this document not being signed by her1 but we have the manifest contempt shown for it by ,mrs4 ,ellen ,e4 ,dickinson1 grand-niece of ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson4 ,mrs4 ,dickinson was the grand-daughter of ,wm4 ,h4 ,sabine1 already mentioned in these pages1 the brother of ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson4 ,mrs4 ,dickinson wrote her ,new ,light on ,mormonism as the representative of the ,spaulding family1 to set forth the family traditions in relation to the subject1 and represents her work as being the only attempt of the ,rev4 ,s4 ,spaulding's relatives to set this matter in its proper light1 a duty long delayed to the memory of an upright man6 #gf ,footnote #gf3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 preface1 p4 #e4 ,mrs4 ,dickinson devotes a number of her chapters to the elaboration of the ,spaulding theory1 and in an appendix publishes twenty-seven documents bearing either remotely or immediately upon the subject of the ,spaulding manuscript2 but the ,davidson statement is not admitted into the number1 though indirectly1 but without naming it1 she makes a slight quotation from it respecting ,john ,spaulding1 brother of ,solomon1 who by the ,davidson statement is represented as being amazed and afflicted that his brother's writings should have been perverted for such a wicked purpose4 7i4e41 as forming the basis for the ,book of ,mormon47 ,these words occur in the ,davidson statement and no where else4 ,mrs4 ,dickinson quotes them at page #gi of her book4 ,as the source of her authority for the statement she gives reference to the appendix of her book1 note #ac4 ,we turn to note #ac only to find that we are directed to ,john ,spaulding's statement--see ,no4 #d4 ,we turn to ,no4 #d1 only to find the statement of ,john ,spaulding as given in ,howe's book in #ahcd1 with not a word about his being amazed and afflicted1 or that his grief found vent in a flood of tears1 etc41 also quoted by ,mrs4 ,dickinson from the ,davidson statement1 and found no where else1 and of which there is nothing in the note in the appendix of her book1 which she cites as the authority for her statement4 #gg ,this smacks of juggling with the ,davidson statement4 ,footnote #gg3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #gi2 also appendix ,no4 #ac1 ,no4 #d1 ,no4 #ad4 ,the ,new ,light appears a bit unsteady at this point4 ,mrs4 ,dickinson would not admit the ,davidson document into her collection of such papers1 knowing doubtless its history2 nor is she willing to deny to her narrative the rich dramatic effects infused into it1 by the ,reverend forger of it4 ,we shall see further on how ,mr4 ,schroeder manifests the same disposition towards it4 ,that is1 he repudiates its being a statement made by ,mrs4 ,davidson1 but still he would retain this precious piece of hysteria on the part of ,john ,spaulding--the amazement1 the affliction1 and above all1 the flood of tears2 not to adorn a tale1 as in the case of ,mrs4 ,dickinson1 but to show the spontaneity with which the people of ,conneaut detected the identity between ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found and the ,book of ,mormon4 #gh ,footnote #gh3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,january1 #aijg1 pp4 #ga1 #gb1 ante p4 #fg4 ,but to return to ,mrs4 ,dickinson4 ,if she had done her full duty in the premises as an author1 she would have made reference to this forged statement credited to her grandaunt and repudiated it in her name2 but such a course is scarcely to be looked for in an anti-,mormon author1 of especial bitterness4 ,however1 her silence respecting it1 and her refusal to admit it into the collection of her documents in the appendix to her book1 amounts to the same thing1 the repudiation of it by the ,spauldings4 ,,reverend ,,john ,a4 ,,clark ,,and ,,the ,,davidson ,,statement4 ,before proceeding further as to this ,davidson statement in a direct line1 just a word in relation to the ,reverend ,john ,a4 ,clark1 author of ,gleanings by the ,way1 and the spirit he is of4 ,he prefaces his investigation of this ,davidson statement by saying that he does not think that the truth or falsehood of ,mormonism1 in any degree turns upon the correctness or incorrectness of the foregoing statement of ,mrs4 ,davidson4 ,then continues--for deceit and imposture are enstamped upon every feature of this monster1 evoked by a money digger and a juggler1 from the shades of darkness6 ,this man is evidently in fine temper to act the impartial judge--to point out the dishonesty of the original publication of the ,haven-,davidson interview1 quoted in the foregoing pages4 ,but this is only a partial exhibition of the ,reverend gentleman's state of mind in the matter1 and we would not do him an injustice4 ,following the above ebullition of bitterness he immediately adds this pious thought1 in the hope1 perhaps1 that his piety may balance in the scale his outburst of wrath3 ,still if her ,mrs4 ,davidson's statement be correct1 and it to be relied upon1 the facts brought out by ,mrs4 ,davidson would seem to be one of those singular developments of divine1 ,providence by which impostors are confounded1 and their devices brought to naught4 #gi ,of this it is sufficient to say1 that if the gentleman were living today he would be confronted with a very perplexing dilemma4 ,in the event of his taking his stand on the correctness of ,mrs4 ,davidson's statement1 he would have to lament the failure of one of those singular developments of divine ,providence1 by which imposters are confounded and their devices brought to naught2 for the ,book of ,mormon1 notwithstanding the efforts of the ,reverend gentleman against it1 in his ,gleanings by the ,way1 has been translated into ten other languages1 since his day2 has passed through many editions in a number of them1 and sold by hundreds of thousands4 ,it has resulted in gathering a people2 in founding a church that has more of history behind it1 and more of prospect before it1 than any other modern religious movement in ,christendom4 ,on the other hand1 if the ,reverend gentleman should take his stand on the infallibility of divine ,providence1 singular or otherwise1 from the striking failure of the ,davidson statement to confound an impostor and bring his devices to naught1 he would be under the necessity of reversing his former decisions2 he would have to conclude that the ,davidson statement was not true2 and if he could not be brought to the point of acknowledging that he had been fighting against the truth1 he would have the humiliation of discovering that he had1 at least1 sought to maintain a falsehood4 ,fortunately the gentleman is dead1 and1 let us hope1 at peace4 ,footnote #gi3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 p4 #bei-fj4 ,but it is time to return from this digression4 ,in addition to showing what the attitude of the ,spauldings was to this document1 through ,mrs4 ,dickinson1 ,i appeal from the conflicting testimony of the ,reverend ,d4 ,r4 ,austin and the venerable ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson1 to the ,davidson statement itself as evidence that it is not the product of an aged woman1 and very infirm4 #hj ,i ask any person capable of forming any kind of a literary judgment1 to take the statement signed with ,mrs4 ,davidson's name1 and then say1 honor bright1 if that is the statement of a woman in private life1 much less of one aged and infirm4 ,its introduction1 almost ideal from a literary standpoint1 when the purpose of the document is considered2 the movement thence to the introduction of the evidence and its discussion2 thence to the conclusion--so potent1 and so desirable to a minister whose church had been invaded by successful ,mormon missionaries1 but so unlike a woman in private life1 viz3 ,i have given the previous narration1 that this work of deep deception and wickedness may be searched to the foundation and the authors exposed to the contempt and execration they so richly deserve4 ,all this too plainly proclaims the professional hand to leave anyone in doubt as to where the truth lies as between the ,haven-,davidson statement and the ,clark-,storrs-,austin story and argument in ,gleanings by the ,way1 which ,mr4 ,schroeder so warmly commends to us as settling the dishonesty of the original publication of the ,haven interview4 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt was right when in an article published in the ,new ,era 7,new ,york1 ,nov41 #ahci71 he said3 ,footnote #hj3 ,gleanings by the ,way1 p4 #bfe4 ,the statement is the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,austin's4 ,the ,new ,haven statement represents her as about seventy years of age and somewhat broke4 ,times and ,seasons1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #dg4 ,a judge of literary production1 who can swallow that piece of writing as the production of a woman in private life1 can be made to believe that the ,book of ,mormon is a romance4 ,for the one is as much like a romance as the other is like a woman's composition4 ,the production1 signed ',matilda ,davidson' is evidently the work of a man accustomed to public address4 #ha ,footnote #ha3 ,new ,era1 impression of ,november #be1 #ahci4 ,same is copied into the ,times and ,seasons1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #dg4 ,mr4 ,schroeder reaches the same conclusion1 and that largely too from the literary style of the article4 ,listen to this comment3 ,the argumentative style and the failure to distinguish between personal knowledge and argumentative inferences is all readily understood when the history of this statement is made known4 ,it seems that two preachers1 named ,d4 ,r4 ,austin and ,john ,storrs1 are responsible for this letter4 ,mrs4 ,davidson never wrote it1 but afterwards stated that 'in the main' it was true4 ,even with her reaffirmance of the story as published1 we cannot give it evidentiary weight except in those matters where it is plain from the nature of things that she must have been speaking from personal knowledge4 #hb ,footnote #hb3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 pp4 #cic-d4 ,ante pp4 #bh1 #bi4 ,there is but one conclusion possible on the point at issue4 ,mrs4 ,davidson never made the statement1 nor signed it4 ,it was the work of the ,reverends ,john ,storrs and ,d4 ,r4 ,austin--a forgery4 ,,mutilation ,,of ,,the ,,haven-,,davidson ,,interview4 ,at this point ,i take note of what ,mr4 ,schroeder says in relation to an omission of a question and answer in the ,haven-,davidson interview in ,elder ,george ,reynolds' ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found2 and also of what ,mr4 ,schroeder characterizes as ,john ,taylor's lying perversion of this alleged interview as reported in his ',three ,nights ,public ,discussion4' ,the question and answer referred to are held1 in effect1 to re-instate the ,davidson document as evidence1 after denying it to be ,mrs4 ,davidson's statement1 or that she signed it4 ,the question and answer are as follows3 ,ques4 ,is what is written in the letter true8 ,ans4 ,in the main it is4 ,this is omitted in ,elder ,reynolds' ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found 7#ahhc72 and copying the ,haven interview from his work into my own treatise of the ,book of ,mormon in the ,young ,men's ,manual for #aije-f1 the same omission1 of course1 is made2 but of which omission this writer was ignorant until ,mr4 ,schroeder's article called attention to it4 ,why the omission occurs in ,mr4 ,reynolds' book1 ,i do not know2 and although ,mr4 ,reynolds is still alive1 his health is so shattered at this time it would be as useless as it is impossible to question him upon the subject4 #hb ,footnote #hb3 ,this in ,november1 #aijh4 ,mr4 ,reynolds died in ,august1 #aiji4 ,certainly there was no occasion for purposely making the omission since the ,book of ,mormon is equally defensible with the ,davidson statement in the record as evidence1 or excluded4 ,and as evidence that the omission was not intentional1 on the part of ,mormon writers1 attention is called to the fact that in the ,times and ,seasons copy of the article from the ,quincy ,whig1 7#ahdj7 both the above question and answer are published1 7,vol4 ,i1 #dg74 ,it is also published accurately in ,thompson's ,evidence of the ,book of ,mormon1 7#ahda72 also in ,the ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story1 by ,b4 ,winchester 7#ahdj7 p4 #ag4 ,in ,mr4 ,taylor's work--so severely criticised by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 the question and answer stand as follows3 ,ques4 ,is what that letter contains true8 ,ans4 ,there are some things that ,i told him4 ,mr4 ,schroeder calls this a lying perversion4 ,if this were the only variation in the document1 as quoted by ,elder ,taylor1 there might be justifiable suspicion that the change was purposely made and was intended to lessen the force of the answer2 but1 as throughout the version of the ,whig article published in the ,three ,nights' ,discussion--held in ,france--there are quite a number of variations--and none of them contribute advantage to the pro-,mormon side of the controversy--there can be no other conclusion1 than either that some inaccurate version of the ,quincy1 ,whig article had fallen into the hands of ,president ,taylor while in ,france1 and he printed from that imperfect version2 or1 it may be1 that the ,quincy ,whig article had been published in ,french1 and ,elder ,taylor's published account of it in his discussion was a translation of the ,french version back into the ,english4 ,while ,i am aware that this view is based on conjecture merely1 yet if the ,whig article as published in the ,times and ,seasons be compared with ,elder ,taylor's version in the ,three ,night's ,discussion1 the difference that exists between the two versions would not be greater than in two versions so produced4 ,and the character of the variations warrant the conjecture4 ,for example1 take these passages3 ,quincy ,whig4 ,ques4 ,have you read the ,book of ,mormon8 ,ans4 ,i have read some of it4 ,taylor's version4 ,ques4 ,have you read the ,book of ,mormon8 ,ans4 ,i have read a little of it4 ,quincy ,whig4 ,ques4 ,is what is written in the letter true8 ,ans4 ,in the main it is4 ,taylor's version4 ,ques4 ,is what that letter contains true8 ,ans4 ,there are some things that ,i told him4 ,quincy ,whig4 ,ques4 ,does the manuscript and the ,book of ,mormon agree8 ,ans4 ,i think some of the names agree4 ,ques4 ,are you certain that some of the names agree8 ,ans4 ,i am not4 ,taylor's version4 ,ques4 ,is there any similarity between ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript and the ,book of ,mormon8 ,ans4 ,not any1 with the exception of some names1 something similar the one to the other4 ,and so the variations run from beginning to end4 ,they are just such variations1 too1 as would exist if the ,taylor version was produced as conjectured4 ,i trust ,i may be pardoned for being insistent at this point4 ,i was personally acquainted with the late ,president ,john ,taylor1 and am also his biographer4 ,his letters1 official and personal1 as also his journals1 passed through my hands2 his most private life was laid open to me1 and ,i know him to have been a highly honorable gentleman1 far above such low subterfuge as that charged against him in the coarse vulgarisms employed by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 and which1 from no standpoint whatever1 are justifiable4 #hc ,footnote #hc3 ,see ,the ,life of ,john ,taylor1 by ,b4,h4 ,roberts1 7#ahib74 ,lest in some rejoinder to this reply ,mr4 ,schroeder should return to this subject of the ,taylor variations1 in the ,haven-,davidson interview1 and should seek further to establish his point of view by referring to what is sometimes alleged to be ,elder ,taylor's denial of the existence of the plural marriage system of the ,church when he was in ,france1 7#ahej7 ,i wish to say that in the above ,life of ,john ,taylor the alleged denial is dealt with at length1 pp4 #bbb-e4 ,,mr4 ,,schroeder ,,and ,,the ,,davidson ,,statement4 ,there is something amusing in the attitude of ,mr4 ,schroeder towards this ,davidson statement4 ,although ,mr4 ,schroeder declares in so many words that ,mrs4 ,davidson never wrote it1 and hence must admit it to be a forgery by ,reverend gentlemen2 yet1 since the ,haven interview represents ,mrs4 ,davidson as saying that it was true in the main1 ,mr4 ,schroeder dogmatizes thus in regard to this piece of evidence3--,even with her re-affirmance of the story as published1 we cannot give it evidentiary weight1 except in those matters where it is plain from the nature of things that she must have been speaking from personal knowledge4 #hd ,why1 in the name of all that is reasonable8 ,if her re-affirmance is to re-instate any part of the story as worthy of belief1 why not all of it1 and all the parts equally8 ,is ,mr4 ,schroeder to pick and choose from his own witnesses as he will1 allowing this1 but discarding that1 as suits his personal view of the ,spaulding theory8 ,footnote #hd3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 p4 #cid1 ante p4 #bi4 ,what is behind all this proposed jugglery8 ,simply this3 ,i have already pointed out how vital to ,mr4 ,schroeder's case it is to establish the existence of a second ,spaulding manuscript1 dealing with ,american antiquities1 a re-written story different from this manuscript story now safely lodged in ,oberlin college4 ,there is nothing of all this in the ,davidson statement4 ,this in the eyes of ,mr4 ,schroeder is its first sin1 one of omission4 ,another thing essential to ,mr4 ,schroeder's contention is a second submission of the ,spaulding manuscript to the ,patterson-,lambdin publishers1 after the ,spauldings had made their home in ,amity1 ,washington county1 ,pa4 ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson says1 observes ,mr4 ,schroeder1 that before leaving ,pittsburg for ,amity1 her husband's manuscript was returned by the publishers4 99 99 99 ,she seemingly remembers nothing of its second submission while her husband resided at ,amity1 or else those who wrote and signed her statement didn't see fit to mention it4 #he ,this is the second sin of omission in the ,davidson statement4 ,and right here it may be as well to notice another singular thing in reference to these ,spaulding documents1 the alleged ,davidson statement and ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's affidavit1 the former published in #ahci1 the latter in #ahhj--while both are very explicit as to affairs over at ,conneaut1 there is nothing said in the statement of either about the readings of the manuscript alleged to have taken place before the ,amity neighbors1 whence come the ,amity witnesses1 ,joseph ,miller and ,redic ,mc,kee4 ,this silence is all the more inexplicable because it was here that the final polishing and preparing for the press of the ,schroeder-assumed rewritten manuscript was going on2 and ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry was more competent to remember such things than when at ,conneaut1 because then of less tender years4 ,indeed if the ,davidson statement is insisted upon as evidence1 then ,mr4 ,spaulding refused to have his manuscript published1 even though ,mr4 ,patterson suggested it1 as he had only written it for his own amusement6 ,footnote #he3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 p4 #cib-c4 7,how careless of him67 ,ante p4 #bh4 ,the next sin of the ,davidson statement is one of commission4 ,the success of ,mr4 ,schroeder's case against the ,book of ,mormon depends upon establishing his contention that ,sidney ,rigdon stole the ,spaulding manuscript from the printing office of ,patterson and ,lambdin2 and that1 after ,october1 #ahaf1 7the time of ,spaulding's death71 the ,schroeder-assumed rewritten manuscript was never in the hands of anybody but ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,but if the re-affirmance of the ,davidson statement is to be admitted at all1 in evidence1 then1 according to ,mrs4 ,davidson1 before the family removed from ,pittsburg to ,amity1 the ,spaulding manuscript was returned to its author1 and soon after1 says the ,davidson statement1 we removed to ,amity1 ,washington county1 etc41 where ,mr4 ,spaulding deceased in #ahaf4 ,the manuscript then fell into my hands1 and was carefully preserved4 ,it has frequently been examined by my daughter1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry1 of ,monson1 ,mass41 with whom ,i now reside1 and by other friends4 #hf ,footnote #hf3 ,see ,davidson statement in the text above4 ,this statement1 let it be observed1 would not fall within the items which even ,mr4 ,schroeder would exclude from the ,davidson statement if readmitted as evidence2 for it is very clear that as to this item the lady was speaking of a thing about which she had personal knowledge1 the shibboleth which gives evidentiary weight to what the lady is supposed to have testified to in this shady document4 ,but against this damaging affirmation of the ,davidson document1 about the return of the ,spaulding manuscript to its author1 and ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson's subsequent possession and care of it1 ,mr4 ,schroeder says3 ,upon the question as to whether or not ,spaulding's re-written manuscript was in the possession of anybody but ,rigdon at any time after ,october1 #ahaf1 ,mrs4 ,davidson's statement as published cannot in any sense whatever be considered as evidence4 #hg ,footnote #hg3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 p4 #cid ,ante p4 #bi4 7,sic67 ,the reader will now better understand ,mr4 ,schroeder's attitude3 what agrees with his theory in the ,davidson statement shall be accepted2 what contradicts it1 must be discarded2 and this may be applied to the gentleman's attitude to pretty much the whole mass of testimony upon the subject4 ,the attitude of ,mr4 ,schroeder1 however1 cannot be conceded as proper4 ,either he must admit the force of the ,davidson statement against his contentions1 as well as where it favors them1 or else he must discredit the ,davidson evidence altogether4 ,one may not have his cake and at the same time eat it4 ,we care not which he does in respect of this particular piece of evidence4 ,it will be equally advantageous to our argument1 which he does4 ,but let us see in what plight this statement leaves ,mr4 ,schroeder's case4 ,if1 ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson is right about the return of the ,spaulding manuscript to its author while yet at ,pittsburg2 that it was taken to ,amity1 and after the decease of ,mr4 ,spaulding fell into the hands of ,mrs4 ,spaulding1 and was carefully preserved by her1 and was frequently examined by her daughter1--then ,sidney ,rigdon did not steal it from ,patterson and ,lambdin's printing office1 whatever ,rigdon's connection with that office might have been2 and ,mr4 ,schroeder is under the necessity of abandoning one of the chief elements of his case2 an element so essential that if abandoned his case collapses into confusion4 ,to ,mr4 ,schroeder's mind the theft of the manuscript by ,mr4 ,rigdon is the one circumstance that will harmonize all the alleged established facts1 and make the ,spaulding theory tenable4 ,to this end he repudiates four other theories as to how the ,spaulding manuscript reached the hands of ,joseph ,smith1 by him to be exploited as the ,book of ,mormon4 ,first1 the theory that ,joseph ,smith himself secured the manuscript from the house of ,wm4 ,h4 ,sabine in #ahbc 7,john ,hyde's theory47 #hh ,second1 that ,sidney ,rigdon copied the manuscript while it was at the printing office of ,patterson and ,lambdin1 7the ,storrs-,austin-,davidson statement theory1 and also the ,spaulding family theory74 #hi ,third1 that ,joseph ,smith copied it while working for ,wm4 ,h4 ,sabine 7brother of ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson1 be it remembered71 about #ahbc1 but leaving the original there4 ,fourth1 the theory that ,spaulding copied his story for the publisher while keeping the duplicate at home to be afterwards cared for by the family4 ,of course1 these various theories were all invented because of a supposed necessity of accounting for the alleged presence of the re-written ',manuscript ,found' in the trunk at ,sabine's house after #ahaf1 the date of ,spaulding's death4 ,so says ,mr4 ,schroeder4 #ij ,footnote #hh3 ,mormonism3 ,its ,leaders and ,designs1 by ,john ,hyde1 ,jr4 7#aheg7 p4 #bgi4 ,footnote #hi3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 grand-niece of ,mrs4 7,solomon ,spaulding7 ,davidson1 7#ahhe74 ,she declares that ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry remembers how her mother talked on the subject1 expressing a firm conviction that ,sidney ,rigdon had copied the manuscript which had been in ,mr4 ,patterson's office in ,pittsburg1 p4 #bc1 #bd4 ,footnote #ij3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 p4 #cij1 ante pp4 #bd1 #be4 ,very naturally all those interested in maintaining the theory that ,spaulding's manuscript was the original source of the ,book of ,mormon--except ,mr4 ,schroeder--would be anxious to maintain the integrity of both the ,davidson statement and ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's affidavit1 published in ,scribner's ,magazine for ,august1 #ahhj1 as the most valuable evidence in existence for the anti-,mormon side of this controversy4 ,but to preserve that integrity they must vindicate ,sidney ,rigdon from theft of the ,spaulding manuscript1 for both these witnesses declare the ,spaulding manuscript to be in their possession after the death of ,spaulding in #ahaf4 ,the ,davidson statement represents that the ,manuscript ,found1 the very manuscript in controversy1 that ,spaulding had placed in the hands of ,patterson for perusal1 was returned to ,spaulding before the family left ,pittsburg2 and at his death1 two years later1 fell into ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson's hands1 and was carefully preserved2 was frequently examined by her daughter1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry1 and by other friends4 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry testifies as to the association of her father1 ,solomon ,spaulding1 with ,mr4 ,patterson1 at ,pittsburg2 also as to the contents of the trunk that had been taken to her uncle's1 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sabine1 by her mother and herself shortly after the death of her father1 containing the papers of her father2 and there she claims to have seen the manuscript that the ,davidson statement says she frequently examined2 and on the outside of this manuscript were written the words1 ',manuscript ,found4' ,she did not read it1 but looked through it1 and had it many times in her hands and saw the names she had heard at ,conneaut1 when her father read the said manuscript to his friends4 #ia ,footnote #ia3 ,see the ,mc,kinstry affidavit4 ,nothing could be more explicit than these statements of mother and daughter1 and both were in the closest relations to ,solomon ,spaulding2 and what they say is supplemented and emphasized by the grand-niece of ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson1 ,ellen ,dickinson1 who1 in her ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 represents ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry as insisting that her mother said1--and the impression is created that she repeatedly said it--that ,mr4 ,spaulding had assured her that he had recovered his original manuscript when ,patterson had refused to publish it1 and she never varied or doubted in this belief4 #ib ,footnote #ib3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #bc1 #bd4 ,,why ,,mr4 ,,schroeder ,,discredits ,,the ,,spaulding ,,witnesses4 ,the question naturally arises as to how it is that ,mr4 ,schroeder adopts this theory of ,rigdon stealing the ,spaulding manuscript when it involves him in the necessity of practically throwing overboard these two important witnesses of the ,spaulding theory4 ,we have already seen that ,mr4 ,schroeder practically discredits the testimony of the ,davidson statement2 #ic and with no less emphasis he throws over ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's testimony on the ground of her incompetency to be a reliable witness because of her tender age--from four to eleven--when the things happened of which she testified2 and her great age--seventy-four1 7seventy-seven1 says ,mrs4 ,dickinson1 #id7-when she made her affidavit as to those distant happenings4 ,footnote #ic3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 pp4 #cib-d4 ,ante4 p4 #bi4 ,footnote #id3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 preface4 ,that this woman1 at seventy-four1 should remember strange names1 casually repeated in her presence1 before her sixth year1 and those names wholly unrelated to anything of direct consequence to her child life1 is a feat of memory too extraordinary to give her uncorroborated statement any weight as against valid contradictory conclusions drawn from established facts4 #ie ,footnote #ie3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 p4 #cib1 ante p4 #bf4 ,in a casual re-statement of his theory that ,rigdon stole the ,spaulding manuscript1 and pointing to the alleged related facts of that theory1 ,mr4 ,schroeder says3 ,these conclusions and much of the evidence upon which they are based will contradict ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry's statement4 #if ,then why adopt that theory8 ,a direct answer is nowhere to be found on the face of ,mr4 ,schroeder's articles2 but one acquainted with all the variations of the ,spaulding theory does not have far to go to understand the reasons4 ,footnote #if3 ,ibid4 #cia4 ,first1 there is the shady transactions of the ,reverends ,clark1 ,storrs1 and ,austin in the production of the ,davidson statement that discredits it2 and in ,mr4 ,schroeder's view1 the evidentiary value of this document is not very great4 #ig ,footnote #ig3 ,ibid4 pp4 #cic-d1 ante pp4 #bf-bi4 ,second1 ,mr4 ,schroeder knows1 for reasons that he himself states1 that the ,mc,kinstry affidavit is incompetent and cannot be held to establish the alleged facts detailed in it4 ,that this woman at seventy-four1 should remember strange names casually repeated in her presence1 before her sixth year1 99 99 99 is a feat of memory too extraordinary1 is his own characterization of the absurdity4 ,third1 ,mr4 ,schroeder knows that the other theories by which an effort is made to connect the ,spaulding manuscript with ,joseph ,smith and the consequent plagiarism of the ,book of ,mormon from it are untenable4 ,that is1 he knows that the theory that ,rigdon copied the ,spaulding manuscript while it was at ,patterson-,lambdin's printing office1 the original being returned to ,spaulding1 cannot be established by evidence4 ,he knows equally well that the theory that ,spaulding himself made a copy of his story for the publisher while keeping the duplicate at home to be cared for by his family1 cannot be successfully maintained4 ,this copying a manuscript that makes a book of #fjj pages1 of more than #ejj words to the page 7see first edition of ,book of ,mormon71 is not so easy a task1 and the time necessary to such an achievement1 by either of these men1 make the theories impossible4 ,fourth1 ,mr4 ,schroeder also knows that the theory that ,joseph ,smith himself stole the ,spaulding manuscript from the house of ,win4 ,h4 ,sabine of ,onondaga ,valley1 in #ahbc1 at which time it is alleged that ,joseph ,smith worked for ,mr4 ,sabine1 cannot be established by evidence4 ,fifth1 ,mr4 ,schroeder knows that the theory that ,joseph ,smith copied the ,spaulding manuscript while at ,sabine's is not only incapable of being established by evidence1 but would be ridiculous1 even if it could be proven beyond reasonable doubt that ,joseph ,smith ever worked for ,sabine1 in #ahbc1 or at any other time1 both on account of his age1 then eighteen1 certainly unschooled1 and by some said not to be able then to write at all4 #ih ,yet this man working as a teamster 7for so it is said7 copies a manuscript which afterwards makes a book of six hundred pages of five hundred words to the page6 ,no wonder that ,mr4 ,schroeder discredits this theory4 ,with all these theories discarded1 however1 what remains for ,spaulding theorists8 ,nothing but to charge the theft of ,spaulding's manuscript to ,sidney ,rigdon1 and to stick to it4 ,to do this1 however1 they must follow ,mr4 ,schroeder in discrediting the ,davidson statement2 and declare the incompetency of the ,mc,kinstry affidavit1 for reasons already considered4 ,this destroys for the ,spaulding theorists what some regard as the two most valuable documents1 7contemptible as they are7 on which the theory stands4 ,footnote #ih3 ,mrs4 ,horace ,eaton of ,palmyra1 ,hand ,book of ,mormonism4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,connection ,,of ,,sidney ,,rigdon ,,with ,,the ,,spaulding ,,manuscript4 ,what is relied upon as evidence that ,sidney ,rigdon stole the ,spaulding manuscript from ,patterson-,lambdin's printing-office8 ,when ,howe appealed for information on this point to ,mr4 ,patterson of ,pittsburg1 in #ahcd1 ,mr4 ,lambdin had been dead about eight years2 and ,howe writes--,mr4 ,patterson says he has no recollection of any such manuscript being brought there for publication4 #ii ,this statement of ,howe's has proved very troublesome to the later1 or ,pittsburg group of ,mr4 ,schroeder's witnesses4 ,mr4 ,howe was appealed to for his authority for the statement and replied1 ,i think ,hurlburt was the person who talked with ,patterson about the manuscript4 #ajj ,this is confirmed by the testimony of ,b4 ,winchester1 author of ,the ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story1 7#ahdj74 ,as soon as the ,storrs-,davidson statement was published1--asserting that ,patterson had borrowed the ,spaulding manuscript1 was very much pleased with it1 advised the writing of a title page1 a preface and then publishing it1--a ,mr4 ,green1 according to ,mr4 ,winchester1 called upon ,mr4 ,patterson to know if this statement was true4 ,mr4 ,patterson replied1 that he knew nothing of any such manuscript4 ,i learned this from ,mr4 ,green's own mouth1 says ,mr4 ,winchester1 who is a man of undoubted veracity4 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,hurlburt states1 that he called upon ,mr4 ,patterson who affirmed his ignorance of the whole matter4 #aja ,footnote #ii3 ,mormonism ,unveiled1 ,howe1 p4 #bhi4 ,footnote #ajj3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #g4 ,footnote #aja3 ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story1 p4 #ac4 ,in #ahdb1 ,mr4 ,patterson was again appealed to upon the subject of the submission of the ,spaulding manuscript to him4 ,the appeal was made by the ,reverend ,samuel ,williams who at the time was preparing for publication a pamphlet entitled ,mormonism ,exposed4 ,whereupon ,mr4 ,patterson wrote and signed a brief statement which was afterwards published by the ,reverend ,williams as follows3 ,r4 ,patterson had in his employment ,silas ,engles at the time1 a foreman printer1 and general superintendent of the printing business4 ,as he 7,s4 ,e47 was an excellent scholar1 as well as a good printer1 to him was intrusted the entire concerns of the office4 ,he even decided on the propriety or otherwise of publishing manuscripts when offered1--as to their morality1 scholarship1 etc4 ,in this character1 he informed ,r4 ,p4 that a gentleman1 from the ,east originally1 had put into his hands a manuscript of a singular work1 chiefly in the style of our ,english translation of the ,bible1 and handed the copy to ,r4 ,p41 who read only a few pages and finding nothing apparently exceptionable he 7,r4 ,p47 said to ,engles he might publish it if the author furnished the funds or good security4 ,he 7the author7 failing to comply with the terms1 ,mr4 ,engles returned the manuscript1 as ,i supposed at that time1 after it had been some weeks in his possession1 with other manuscripts in the office4 ,this communication written and signed #b;d ,april1 #ahdb4 #ajb ,,robert ,,patterson4 ,footnote #ajb3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #g4 ,it is matter of sincere regret1 says the author of ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 that so meager a document is all the written evidence that ,mr4 ,patterson has left4 ,and well he may1 as one of the ,spaulding-origin theorists1 have such regret4 ,for there is nothing here of ,spaulding and his manuscript1 nothing of ,patterson's interest in it and advising a title page1 preface1 and the publication of it2 nothing of ,rigdon and his connection with the manuscript2 nothing of its being missing or stolen or copied4 ,of course the gentleman from the ,east originally1 who had put into his ,patterson's hands a manuscript of a singular work1 chiefly in the style of our ,english translation of the ,bible1 in which neither the printing-firm proof-reader1 to whom it was referred1 nor ,mr4 ,patterson1 had more than a languid interest1 according to the above1 is made by the ,spaulding-origin theorists to mean the author of the ,spaulding manuscript4 ,there is nothing to justify such a conclusion4 ,had it been ,spaulding's manuscript1 which the gentleman from the ,east presented1 would not ,mr4 ,patterson have remembered it8 ,would he not have named him8 ,why should he not8 ,there is but one answer--the gentleman was not ,spaulding4 ,oh1 at this point1 for ,mr4 ,patterson's remembrance of an identity of names with ,book of ,mormon names1--for a ,nephi now1 or ,moroni1 or ,zarahemla6 ,but mark you1 what ,mr4 ,patterson refuses to do in the signed statement which he prepared especially at the request1 ,mr4 ,williams1 ,mr4 ,williams does for him in introducing this signed statement by saying3 ,mr4 ,patterson firmly believes1 also1 from what he has heard from the ,mormon ,bible1 that it is the same thing he examined at the time4 #ajc ,then why is that not in the statement ,robert ,patterson signed8 ,the manifest dishonesty of these preachers grows tedious6 ,footnote #ajc3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #g4 ,mr4 ,schroeder next puts in as evidence the testimony of ,joseph ,miller1 7the name ,john in ,mr4 ,schroeder's text is evidently a misprint71 who knew ,spaulding at ,amity1 bailed him out of jail when confined for debt1 made his coffin for him when he died1 and helped lay him out in his grave--quite a formidable list of services2 also gruesome4 ,and his testimony8 ,spaulding told him there was a man named ,sidney ,rigdon about the office and they thought he had stolen it #ajd 7i4e41 the ,spaulding manuscript74 ,this man is heralded in the ,cincinnati ,gazette as the one man in the ,united ,states who can give its i4 e41 the ,book of ,mormon's1 origin4 ,gregg1 whom ,mr4 ,schroeder cites as his authority1 repeats this announcement1 and we marvel that ,mr4 ,schroeder did not include this circumstance in his list of qualities that makes this witness so picturesque4 ,footnote #ajd3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,november1 #aijf1 p4 #eah1 ante p4 #cj4 ,miller's letter is given in full in ,gregg's ,prophet of ,palmyra1 p4 #ddb4 ,miller also writes another letter of similar import to the author of ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 p4 #bdj4 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #g4 ,the ,miller document quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder from ,gregg's ,prophet of ,palmyra1 bears date of ,january #bj1 #ahhb2 and as ,miller was born in #agia he was then ninety-one years of age4 #aje ,the very earliest statement of ,miller's story is in the ,pittsburg ,telegraph1 ,february #f1 #ahgi1 when ,miller would be eighty-eight years old4 ,how much reliance is to be placed upon the early recollections of such an aged person after all the talk had1 and all the newspaper and magazine articles and discussions that have been published1 leading to confusion in the minds of unliterary1 uncritical1 and often ignorant people1 as to dates1 the order of events1 and mind impressions2 and this confusion influenced by their religious zeal1 not to say fanaticism2 prejudices against supposed heresies2 and resentment of religious innovations--what value1 ,i say1 is to be given to the recollections of a very aged person under these circumstances1 must be finally determined by the reader4 ,i only ask that the circumstances be known2 that they be constantly held in mind and given their due weight1 and ,i shall not fear the judgment4 ,footnote #aje3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #f4 ,mr4 ,schroeder next introduces what he would fondly have us believe is the testimony of the ,reverend ,cephus ,dodd1 a ,presbyterian minister of ,amity1 ,pa4 7where ,spaulding lived #ahad-af72 ,mr4 ,dodd was also a practicing physician and attended ,spaulding in his last illness4 ,as early as #ahcb1 says ,mr4 ,schroeder1 this ,mr4 ,dodd took ,mr4 ,george ,m4 ,french of ,amity to ,spaulding's grave1 and there expressed a positive belief that ,sidney ,rigdon was the agent who had transformed ,spaulding's manuscript into the ,book of ,mormon4 ,mr4 ,french1 we are told1 fixes the date through its proximity to his removal to ,amity4 ,following is the comment of ,mr4 ,schroeder on the ,reverend ,mr4 ,dodd's testimony3 ,the conclusion thus expressed by ,mr4 ,dodd1 in advance of all public discussion or evidence1 is important1 because of what is necessarily implied in it4 ,first1 it involved a comparison between ,spaulding's literary production and the ',book of ,mormon1' with a discovered similarity inducing conviction that the latter was a plagiarism from the former4 ,this comparison presupposes a knowledge of the contents of ,spaulding's rewritten manuscript4 ,the second and most important deduction is to be made from the assertion that ,sidney ,rigdon was the connecting link in the plagiarism4 ,such a conclusion must have had a foundation in ,mr4 ,dodd's mind1 and could have arisen only if he was possessed of personal knowledge of what he considered reliable information creating a conviction in his mind of the probability of ,sidney ,rigdon's connection with the matter4 #ajf ,footnote #ajf3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,november1 #aijf1 p4 #eai1 ante pp4 #ca-cb4 ,but not so fast4 ,let us think of it4 ,who tells this story8 ,mr4 ,dodd in #ahcb8 ,no4 ,and is it of record that he did all these things that ,mr4 ,schroeder surmises that he did8 ,again1 no4 ,and was ,mr4 ,dodd's conclusions expressed in advance of all public discussion or evidence1 respecting the ,book of ,mormon8 ,not at all4 ,according to the authority ,mr4 ,schroeder himself cites for this ,dodd evidence1 and from which he gets the story1 the ,reverend ,mr4 ,dodd lived until ,january #af1 #aheh4 ,but there is no direct statement or evidence at all from him on the matter here discussed4 ,nothing was said about it until the publication of ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 in the ,history of ,washington ,county1 ,pa41 #ahhb2 after the discussion of all the evidence1 instead of in advance of it4 ,then ,mr4 ,george ,m4 ,french1 according to the author of ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 in his eighty-third years1 retains a vivid impression of the foregoing account of a visit to ,mr4 ,spaulding's grave in company with ,mr4 ,dodd2 and then the story4 #ajg ,and ,mr4 ,schroeder would lead his readers to believe that they have in this jumbled mass of second hand vivid impressions fifty years old1 detailed by a man in his dotage1 over eighty-two years old1 an expression in advance of all public discussion or evidence respecting the ,book of ,mormon--in #ahcb1 in fact6 ,and ,mr4 ,schroeder is a professional lawyer6 ,footnote #ajg3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #aj4 ,of like character but weaker are the rest of ,mr4 ,schroeder's witnesses to the theft of the ,spaulding manuscript and its identity with the ,book of ,mormon4 ,such is his tenth witness1 ,redick ,mc,kee 7,joseph ,miller1 considered above1 being his ninth witness172 and his eleventh witness1 the ,reverend ,abner ,jackson2 and1 as ,mr4 ,schroeder himself puts it1--,last but not least1 ,john ,c4 ,bennett1 who also endorses the ,spaulding theory of the ,origin of the ,book of ,mormon2 for which ,i had almost said1 thank ,god6 for nothing could so completely damn a thing as ,john ,c4 ,bennett's endorsement4 ,then ,i restrained the all but expressed exclamation and softened it to the quiet conclusion of--fitting climax to such an array of testimony6 ,bennett claims to have had it from the confederation--that there never were any plates of the ,book of ,mormon excepting what were seen by the spiritual and not the natural eyes of the witnesses4 #ajh ,all these witnesses are as incompetent and contemptible as those whose testimony we have examined1 and with this we leave them4 ,it is not necessary to demonstrate over and over again the same proposition1 or refute every specific detail of falsehood when they can be classified and dealt with in mass4 ,footnote #ajh3 ,mormonism ,exposed1 pp4 #abc-d4 ,,of ,,rigdon',s ,,alleged ,,religious ,,dishonesty4 ,mr4 ,schroeder seeks to make much of what he calls ,rigdon's religious dishonesty previous to his joining the ,mormon ,church4 ,of this and the evidence on which it is based1 it is only necessary to say3 said dishonesty is charged by the ,reverend ,samuel ,williams1 author of ,mormonism ,exposed--the ,reverend gentleman whom we have seen put into his book a statement as to ,mr4 ,patterson's views about the ,spaulding manuscript which ,mr4 ,patterson evidently refused to put into his own signed statement1 given to ,mr4 ,williams for his anti-,mormon work4 ,the dishonesty alleged against ,rigdon has to do with religious experiences which ,rigdon is represented by a rival minister as confessing to have feigned in order to obtain membership in the ,baptist ,church1 at ,peters ,creek4 ,its source utterly discredits it2 and at best it is only the all-too-usual exhibition of malice expressed in misrepresentation when a person passes from one religious organization to another4 ,,rigdon',s ,,opportunity ,,to ,,steal ,,spaulding',s ,,manuscript4 ,the next question which ,mr4 ,schroeder considers is ,rigdon's opportunity to steal the ,spaulding manuscript4 ,this depends upon whether ,sidney ,rigdon was at ,pittsburg when the ,spaulding manuscript was there between #ahab1 the time of ,spaulding's advent into ,pittsburg with his manuscript1 and #ahad1 the time of his departure4 ,but to humor ,mr4 ,schroeder we will extend the time so as to include his fiction about a re-written manuscript and its second submission to ,patterson for publication4 ,so the question is1 was ,rigdon in ,pittsburg between #ahab and #ahaf1 the time of ,spaulding's death8 ,here ,i insert a brief biography of ,sidney ,rigdon1 up to the time of his joining the ,mormon ,church4 ,it is taken from the ,illustrated ,history of ,washington ,county1 ,pa41 in which was published the treatise on ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 ,i select this account of ,mr4 ,rigdon's movements up to #ahcj1 because it is the one regarded by ,mr4 ,schroeder as more accurate than other accounts2 and it is only slightly different1 but in no respect materially so1 from the account of ,mr4 ,rigdon published in the ,history of ,joseph ,smith1 in the ,millennial ,star1 supplement1 volume ,,xiv41 and condensed in a foot note in the ,history of the ,church4 #aji ,footnote #aji3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #abj-a1 and notes4 ,sidney ,rigdon was born near the present village of ,library1 ,allegheny ,co41 ,pa41 ,feb4 #ai1 #agic2 attended in boyhood an ordinary country school2 joined the ,baptist ,church near his home ,may #ca1 #ahag2 studied divinity with a ,baptist preacher named ,clark in ,beaver ,county1 ,pa41 in the winter of #ahah-ai1 and was licensed to preach2 went to ,warren1 ,ohio1 where he was ordained1 and in the winter of #ahba-bb returned to ,pittsburg2 became pastor of the ,first ,baptist ,church there ,jan4 #bh1 #ahbb1 and for doctrinal errors was excluded from the ,baptist denomination ,oct4 #aa1 #ahbc4 ,he continued to ,preach in the court-house to his adherents1 but in #ahbd1 according to one account1 he removed to the ,western ,reserve ,ohio2 according to another account he engaged in the tanning business in ,pittsburg until #ahbf1 and then removed to the ,reserve1 residing for brief periods at ,bainbridge1 ,mentor1 and ,kirtland4 ,at this time he was connected with the ,campbellite or ,disciple's ,church1 and preached its doctrines1 mingled with extravagant conceits of his own1 until in #ahcj he joined the ,mormons4 #aaj ,footnote #aaj3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #h4 ,it will be observed that this does not bring ,sidney ,rigdon to ,pittsburg until #ahba-bb1 some seven years after the ,spauldings had left ,pittsburg with their precious manuscript1 and five years after they had departed from ,pennsylvania with it4 ,mr4 ,rigdon's own account of his going to ,pittsburg puts it in ,november1 #ahba1 on his return from ,ohio1 to visit relatives in ,allegheny county1 ,pa4 ,he preached in ,pittsburg a few times1 and it was his preaching during this visit that led to his being called to become the permanent pastor of the ,first ,baptist ,church of that place1 where he took up his residence in #ahbb4 ,in a communication addressed to the ,boston ,journal1 under date of ,may #bg1 #ahci1 ,sidney ,rigdon emphatically denies having any connection with ,patterson's printing establishment2 or with ,spaulding and his manuscript4 #aaa ,concerning the charge frequently made that ,rigdon lived in ,pittsburg1 and was connected with ,patterson's printing office during #ahae and #ahaf1 ,mr4 ,schroeder himself remarks4 ,footnote #aaa3 ,the ,letter of ,rigdon will be found complete in ,smucker's ,history of the ,mormons1 pp4 #de-dh4 ,the evidence upon which is based the charge of ,rigdon having a permanent residence in ,pittsburg during the years in question1 or his connection with ,patterson's printing office1 is so unsatisfactory that these issues must be found in favor of ,rigdon's denial4 #aab ,footnote #aab3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,november1 #aijf1 p4 #ebd1 ante1 p4 #ci4 ,very diligent inquiry was made by the historians of ,washington ,county1 to ascertain whether or not ,rigdon was in ,pittsburg at the time the ,spaulding manuscript is alleged to have been there4 ,what makes the matter of inquiry more interesting is the fact that the author of that part of the ,history of ,washington ,county under the caption ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 is ,robert ,patterson1 son of ,robert ,patterson1 who is said to have been the printer to whom ,spaulding's manuscript was taken for publication4 ,robert ,patterson1 author of ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 in his capacity of historian1 sent out a number of letters soliciting information as to the time of ,sidney ,rigdon's residence in ,pittsburg and his connection with the ,patterson-,lambdin printing establishment2 and also he made personal inquiry on the same subject4 ,the results of such inquiry follow4 ,the term the present writer used in the quotation refers to ,mr4 ,patterson himself4 ,after saying that ,carvil ,rigdon1 ,sidney's brother1 and ,peter ,boyer1 his brother-in-law1 were the source of information for ,rigdon's biography1 ,mr4 ,patterson says3 ,mr4 ,boyer also in a personal interview with the present writer in #ahgi1 positively affirmed that ,rigdon had never lived in ,pittsburg previous to #ahbb1 adding that 'they were boys together1 and he ought to know4' ,mr4 ,boyer had for a short time embraced ,mormonism1 but became convinced that it was a delusion1 and returned to his membership in the ,baptist ,church4 ,it could not then have been through religious sympathy with ,mr4 ,rigdon that ,mr4 ,boyer made the above statement4 ,isaac ,king1 a highly-respected citizen of ,library1 ,pa41 and an old neighbor of ,rigdon1 states in a letter to the present writer1 dated ,june #ad1 #ahgi1 that ,sidney lived on the farm of of his father until the death of the latter in ,may1 #ahaj1 and for a number of years afterwards2 99 99 99 99 received his education in a log school-house in the vicinity2 he began to talk in public on religion soon after his admission to the church1 7#ahag7 probably at his own instance1 as there is no record of his licensure2 'went to ,sharon1 ,pa41 for a time1 and was there ordained as a preacher1 but soon returned to his farm1 which he sold 7,june #bh1 #ahbc71 to ,james ,means1 and about the time of the sale removed to ,pittsburg4' ,samuel ,cooper1 of ,saltsburg1 ,pa41 a veteran of three wars1 in a letter to the present writer1 dated ,june #ad1 #ahgi1 stated as follows3 ',i was acquainted with ,mr4 ,lambdin1 was often in the printing-office2 was acquainted with ,silas ,engles1 the foreman of the printing-office2 he never mentioned ,sidney ,rigdon's name to me1 so ,i am satisfied he was never engaged there as a printer4 99 99 99 ,never saw him in the bookstore or printing-office2 your father's office was in the celebrated ,molly ,murphy's ,row4' ,rev4 ,robert ,p4 ,du,bois1 of ,new ,london1 ,pa41 under date of ,jan4 #i1 #ahgi1 writes3 ',i entered the bookstore of ,r4 ,patterson ,lambdin in ,march1 #ahah1 when about twelve years old1 and remained there until the summer of #ahbj4 ,the firm had under its control the bookstore on ,fourth ,street a book-bindery1 a printing-office1 7not newspaper1 but job-office1 under the name of ,butler ,lambdin7 entrance on ,diamond ,alley1 and a steam paper-mill on the ,allegheny 7under the name of ,r4 ,j4 ,patterson74 ,i knew nothing of ,spaulding 7then dead7 or of his book or of ,sidney ,rigdon4' ,mrs4 ,r4 ,w4 ,lambdin1 of ,irvington1 ,n4,y41 widow of the late ,j4 ,harrison ,lambdin1 in response to some inquiries as to her recollections of ,rigdon and others1 writes under date of ,jan4 #ae1 #ahhb3 ',i am sorry to say ,i shall not be able to give you any information relative to the persons you name4 ,they certainly could not have been friends of ,mr4 ,lambdin4 ,mrs4 ,lambdin resided in ,pittsburg from her marriage in #ahai to the death of her husband1 ,aug4 #a1 #ahbe4 ,mr4 ,lambdin was born ,sept4 #a1 #agih4 ,it is to the credit of ,mr4 ,patterson that he recorded these testimonies that must be so unsatisfactory to the ,spaulding theory advocates1 among whom must be numbered ,mr4 ,patterson himself4 ,he also says that impartial justice1 requires the addition to the above testimony of the very explicit denial of ,rigdon himself2 and then quotes the essential part of ,mr4 ,rigdon's denial sent to the ,boston ,journal in #ahci4 ,he criticises the grammar of the passage1 and points out that ,mr4 ,rigdon was mistaken in saying that there was no ,patterson printing-office in ,pittsburg during his residence there2 as his ,rigdon's pastorate there began in ,january1 #ahbb1 and the firm of ',r4 ,patterson and ,lambdin' was in business until ,january #a1 #ahbc4 ,but1 as related in the statement of the ,reverend ,robert ,p4 ,du,bois1 given above1 since the job printing-office1 said to be under the control of the firm of ,r4 ,patterson and ,lambdin1 was conducted under the name of ,buttler and ,lambdin1 #aac ,mr4 ,schroeder admits that ,mr4 ,rigdon's slight mistake was very natural1 and does not impair in the least the truth of his denial4 ,having introduced ,mr4 ,rigdon's denial ,mr4 ,patterson remarks upon it and upon the witnesses whose testimony is given above3 ,footnote #aac3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #i4 ,the testimony of the five witnesses alluded to will be found in the same work and page4 ,but whatever may be thought ,of his testimony1 as that of an interested party1 there can be no doubt that the five preceding witnesses on this point have conscientiously stated what they firmly believed to be the facts4 ,no one who knew them would for a moment doubt their veracity4 #aad ,footnote #aad3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 ,here let us notice a statement by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 that seems to have some weight on this point4 ,he claims ,sidney ,rigdon's son1 ,john ,w4 ,rigdon1 says that his father lived in ,pittsburg in #ahah2 and in the biographical note of ,sidney ,rigdon published in the ,history of the ,church1 following ,john ,w4 ,rigdon's ,history of ,sidney ,rigdon1 the manuscript of which he has deposited with the ,church ,historian1 it is there stated3 ,in ,march1 #ahai1 ,mr4 ,rigdon left the farm and made his home with the ,reverend ,andrew ,clark of ,pittsburg1 also a ,baptist minister4 ,while residing with ,mr4 ,clark he took out a license and began from that time his career as a minister4 ,in ,may1 #ahai1 he removed from ,pennsylvania to ,trumbull county1 ,ohio4 #aae ,footnote #aae3 ,history of the ,church1 7#aijf71 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #aba1 foot note4 ,this would give ,sidney ,rigdon a residence in ,pittsburg from some time in ,march 7#ahai7 until some time in ,may of the same year--something like two months4 ,this would give some support to ,mr4 ,schroeder's statement4 ,but in the biographical sketch of ,mr4 ,rigdon in the ,history of ,washington ,county1 the date of which was supplied to the writer of it by ,carvil ,rigdon1 ,sidney's brother1 and his brother-in-law1 ,peter ,boyer1 it is said that ,sidney ,rigdon studied divinity with a ,baptist preacher named ,clark in ,beaver ,county1 ,pa41 in the winter of #ahah-ai and was licensed to preach4 ,beaver ,county is immediately north of ,allegheny ,county1 in which ,pittsburg is located4 ,notwithstanding the statement of ,john ,w4 ,rigdon has found its way into the ,history of the ,church1 as above explained1 yet ,carvil ,rigdon and ,peter ,boyer must be held to be more competent witnesses on this point than ,john ,w4 ,rigdon2 and more especially since the inquiry made by ,mr4 ,patterson in his capacity of contributor to the ,history of ,washington ,county1 ,pa41 was made in the interest of the ,spaulding theory that requires the location of ,rigdon in ,pittsburg earlier than #ahbb1 when1 it is conceded1 he took up his residence there4 ,had the ,reverend ,mr4 ,clark with whom ,rigdon studied divinity in the spring of #ahai lived in ,pittsburg instead of ,beaver ,county1 that fact would scarcely have escaped the searching inquiry made upon the subject4 ,but even if the residence of ,rigdon for two months in the year named could be fixed in ,pittsburg beyond reasonable doubt the conclusion of ,mr4 ,schroeder as to its effect upon ,rigdon's denial of knowledge of the existence of the printing-office of ,patterson and ,lambdin1 would not stand4 ,he puts his argument in syllogistic form1 thus3 ,rigdon's son says ,rigdon lived in ,pittsburg in #ahah4 ,church biographers allege that he preached there regularly after ,january #bh1 #ahbb4 ,during #ahah and #ahbb ,patterson was in the printing business1 and ,rigdon's statement must be deemed untrue4 #aaf ,footnote #aaf3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,november1 #aijf1 p4 #ebf1 ante p4 #ci4 ,to which the answer is3 ,by no means2 since if it be allowed that ,rigdon was in ,pittsburg at all1 he was there but some two months--and the existence of a certain printing establishment might easily escape his knowledge1--and more especially so since the printing office was under another firm name1 that of ,butler and ,lambdin4 #aag ,footnote #aag3 ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #i4 ,let us now return to ,mr4 ,patterson and his ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 ,we have seen how fairly he recorded the testimony of witnesses that told against his own side of the case1 and the certificate of good character he gave those witnesses4 ,it is but fair to him to say that on the opposite side of the question he gives the ,davidson statement credence1 apparently not knowing the shady character of that document2 and that if it was in the main true1 then it carried off the ,spaulding manuscript beyond the reach of ,sidney ,rigdon as early as #ahad1 when the ,spauldings left ,pittsburg for ,amity4 ,mr4 ,patterson also records the statement of ,joseph ,miller1 ,redick ,mc,kee and ,mr4 ,french's story of the ,reverend ,cephus ,dodd1 whose statements have already been considered1 and shown to be incompetent as evidence4 ,and then he comes to another witness in whom both he and ,mr4 ,schroeder delight as establishing a connection if not between ,rigdon and ,patterson's printing establishment1 then at least between ,rigdon and ,lambdin4 ,this is ,mrs4 ,r4 ,j4 ,eichbaum of ,pittsburg4 ,the facts relating to her are that she was the daughter of ,john ,johnston1 and was born ,august #be1 #agib4 ,her father was post-master of ,pittsburg from #ahjd to #ahbb2 and was succeeded by ,william ,eichbaum1 who held the office until #ahcc4 ,in #ahae ,miss ,johnston married ,william ,eichbaum4 ,as soon as she became old enough she assisted her father in attending the post-office4 ,from #ahaa to #ahaf she became the regular clerk in the office assorting1 opening and distributing the mail4 ,and even after her marriage in the absence of her husband1 she sometimes attended to these duties4 ,pittsburg was then a small town1 the mail was meagre1 and ,mrs4 ,eichbaum remembered those who called regularly for their mail2 and now her own words3 ,i knew and distinctly remember ,robert and ,joseph ,patterson1 ,j4 ,harrison ,lambdin1 ,silas ,engles1 and ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,i remember ,rev4 ,mr4 ,spaulding1 but simply as one who occasionally called to inquire for letters4 ,i remember that there was an evident intimacy between ,lambdin and ,rigdon4 ,they very often came to the office together4 ,i particularly remember that they would thus come during the hour on ,sabbath afternoon when the office was required to be open1 and ,i remember feeling sure that ,rev4 ,mr4 ,patterson knew nothing of this1 or he would have put a stop to it4 ,i do not know what position1 if any1 ,rigdon filled in ,patterson's store or printing-office1 but am well assured he was frequently1 if not constantly there for a large part of the time when ,i was clerk in the post-office4 ,i recall ,mr4 ,engles saying that ',rigdon was always hanging around the printing-office4' ,he was connected with the tannery before he became a preacher1 though he may have continued the business whilst preaching4 #aah ,footnote #aah3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #aj4 ,this is the strongest and ,i may say the only testimony existing concerning any connection between ,sidney ,rigdon and ,lambdin4 ,but if this testimony was left to stand with all its strength unimpaired1 it is a far way between this and the establishment of a connection between ,rigdon and the ,spaulding manuscript4 ,even ,mr4 ,schroeder concedes that4 ,in commenting on the above testimony1 he says3 ,while this does not establish that ,sidney ,rigdon had a permanent abode in ,pittsburg1 nor that he was connected with ,patterson's printing establishment1 it yet explains why seemingly everybody who knew him reached that conclusion4 #aai ,footnote #aai3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,september1 #aijf1 p4 #ebh1 ante p4 #da4 ,one marvels at the concluding remark in the above passage1 in the face of the testimony of the five witnesses quoted by the author of ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 ,these five witnesses had the best opportunity of knowing of such connection if it existed4 ,they were ,rigdon's own boyhood and young manhood companions1 employees of the firm of ,patterson and ,lambdin1 including ,lambdin's wife1 and they all declare there was no such connection1 or that they knew of none4 ,and then there is the silence of ,robert ,patterson1 of the firm of ,patterson and ,lambdin to account for4 ,patterson1 who was solicited for information on the subject but who evidently could give none2 and whose disclosure if he had any to make1 ,rigdon boldly challenged in his ,boston ,journal article of #ahci4 ,mr4 ,patterson did not die until ,september #eth1 #ahed2 #abj and in #ahci ,rigdon in the article referred to said3 ,footnote #abj3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #g4 ,if ,i were to say that ,i ever heard of the ,rev4 ,solomon ,spaulding and his hopeful wife1 until ,dr4 ,p4 ,hurlburt wrote his lie about me1 ,i should be a liar like unto themselves4 ,why was not the testimony of ,mr4 ,patterson obtained to give force to this shameful tale of lies8 ,the only reason is1 that he was not a fit tool for them to work with2 he would not lie for them1 for if he were called on he would testify to what ,i have here said4 #aba ,footnote #aba3 ,history of the ,mormons1 ,smucker1 p4 #if4 ,this is ,rigdon's challenge1 7,mr4 ,schroeder nowhere deals with it7 and while we regret its form we rejoice in its boldness and emphasis4 ,mr4 ,patterson was solicited by the ,reverend ,samuel ,williams1 when preparing his ,mormonism ,exposed1 for a statement1 and ,mr4 ,patterson gave one and signed it under date of #bnd of ,april1 #ahdb1 but not a word in it of ,rigdon or of his connection with the printing establishment1 or his association with ,lambdin1 or of the complaints of ,engles about ,rigdon always hanging around the printing office2 not a word about ,spaulding and his manuscript4 ,there is but one conclusion to be reached from this silence1 viz41 there were no such relations to disclose as are contended for by ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,the statement of ,mrs4 ,eichbaum is somewhat weakened by the fact that when she gave her statement she was eighty-seven years old and what ,mr4 ,schroeder has implied of memories impaired by age in the case of ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry1 ought to have some application to the testimony of ,mrs4 ,eichbaum4 ,another consideration weakens it4 ,taking into account ,rigdon's prominence in the public life of ,pittsburg from the time of being settled there as the regular pastor of the ,first ,baptist ,church1 in #ahbb1 up to #ahbe1 the year of ,lambdin's death1 if any such intimacy had existed between ,rigdon and ,lambdin as described by ,mrs4 ,eichbaum and contended for by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 would not ,mrs4 ,lambdin have had some knowledge of it8 ,mrs4 ,lambdin resided in ,pittsburg from her marriage in #ahai to the death of her husband1 ,august #ast1 #ahbe4 ,yet writing to ,mr4 ,patterson1 author of ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 under date of ,jan4 #aeth1 #ahhb1 in response to inquiries as to her recollections of ,sidney ,rigdon and others she says3 ,i am sorry to say ,i shall not be able to give you any information relative to the persons you name4 ,they certainly could not have been friends of ,mr4 ,lambdin4 #abb ,footnote #abb3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #i4 ,if due weight be given to these considerations1 ,i do not think much importance can attach to the testimony of ,mrs4 ,eichbaum4 ,it simply represents the confused impressions arising from the neighborhood gossip and public discussion of the subject1 in a mind grown old4 ,what ,mr4 ,patterson has said at the close of the testimony pro et con1 which he presents in his article in the ,history of ,washington ,county1 is worth repeating3 ,these witnesses are all whom we can find1 after inquiries extending through some three years1 who can testify at all to ,rigdon's residence in ,pittsburg before #ahaf1 and to his possible employment in ,patterson's printing-office or bindery4 ,of this employment none of them speak from personal knowledge4 ,in making inquiries among two or three score of the oldest residents of ,pittsburg and vicinity1 those who had any opinion on the subject invariably1 so far as now remembered1 repeated the story of ,rigdon's employment in ,patterson's printing-office1 as if it were a well-known and admitted fact2 they 'could tell all about it1' but when pressed as to their personal knowledge of it or their authority for the conviction they had none4 #abc ,footnote #abc3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #aa4 ,the search for evidence was prolonged and thorough2 evidently1 at the outset1 the confidence was great2 and the results evidently a disappointment4 ,that becomes more apparent when one reads the foot note of the publishers oil ,mr4 ,patterson's passage above4 ,if any one would learn an impressive lesson upon the transitory nature of man's hold upon the remembrance of his fellow-men1 let him engage in an investigation into some matter of local or personal history dating back a half century ago4 ,so rapidly1 in the very places where a man has lived and labored1 does the recollection of him fade into rumor1 or myth1 or oblivion4 ,the candid reader will doubtless suspend his judgment on this hitherto accepted theory of ,rigdon's printership1 or set it down as1 at the most1 only probable1 but certainly not yet proved4 #abd ,footnote #abd3 ,ibid4 p4 #aa1 foot note4 ,to these reflections on how quickly recollections of man in the place where he wrought some portion of his life's work fade into myth or rumor1 or oblivion1 there may be added the other side of the case2 let ever so little a circumstance happen to a man in some place where part of his life was passed1 and if that man becomes famous1 or through any cause becomes notorious1 then mark how local gossips and myth-makers spring up on every hand1 magnifying the most trivial incidents into events of importance2 how new incidents are often invented1 which with those that have some foundation in fact are constantly undergoing variations by additions or subtractions or a change in application1 until all is distorted1 confused and confounded4 ,and many can tell all about it1 until1 as ,mr4 ,patterson remarks1 pressed as to their personal knowledge1 or their authority for their conviction1 then it is discovered they have none4 ,and then one stands face to face with the utter worthlessness of that kind of evidence to establish anything good or ill concerning a man1 or an event1 or a cause4 ,it is out of just such evidence as this that ,mr4 ,schroeder and his fellow ,spauldingites1 seek to construct for the ,book of ,mormon an origin other than that vouched for by ,joseph ,smith and his associates4 ,,did ,,rigdon ,,exhibit ,,the ,,spaulding ,,manuscript8 ,especially out of just such evidence as this grows ,mr4 ,schroeder's next subject--,sidney ,rigdon exhibits ,spaulding's manuscript4 ,while ,rigdon was at ,pittsburg1 #ahbb-c1 a ,dr4 ,winters1 then teaching school in the town1 was in ,rigdon's study when the latter took from his desk a large manuscript and said that a ,presbyterian minister named ,spaulding whose health had failed brought it to a printer to see if it would not pay to publish it--it is a romance of the ,bible1 ,rigdon is reported to have said4 ,doctor ,winter thought no more about it until the ,book of ,mormon appeared4 ,then1 of course1 he remembered all about it4 ,dr4 ,winter1 did not commit his recollections of this interview to writing1 though he lived until #ahgh4 ,but ,mr4 ,schroeder finds something just as good1 a daughter writes out what she had heard her father1 ,dr4 ,winter1 say about it4 ,this was in #ahha1 about the time interest was renewed in the subject through the publication of ,mrs4 ,ellen ,e4 ,dickinson's article in ,scribner's ,magazine for ,august1 #ahhj4 ,of like import is the story of ,mrs4 ,amos ,dunlap1 of ,warren1 ,ohio4 ,she wrote in answer to inquiries in ,december1 #ahgi1 to the effect that she visited the ,rigdon family at ,bainbridge1 ,ohio1 when quite a child1 7,mrs4 ,rigdon was her aunt74 ,one day the following happened3 ,during my visit ,mr4 ,rigdon went to his bedroom and took from a trunk1 which he kept locked1 a certain manuscript4 ,he came into the other room and seated himself by the fire place and commenced reading it4 ,his wife at that moment came into the room and exclaimed1 ',what6 you're studying that thing again8' or something to that effect4 ,she then added1 ',i mean to burn that paper4' ,he said1 ',no1 indeed1 you will not4 ,this will be a great thing some day6 #abe ,footnote #abe3 ,who ,wrote the ,book of ,mormon8 p4 #ab4 ,mr4 ,schroeder introduces this as one of his items of evidence that ,mr4 ,rigdon foreknew of the forthcoming and contents of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the thing that destroys the effect of it is1 the undoubted fact that if ,sidney ,rigdon was engaged in such a scheme as ,mr4 ,schroeder charges he was1 then ,mrs4 ,rigdon must have known of it4 ,now when ,mr4 ,rigdon had before him in #ahcj the question of what should be his relationship to ,mormonism1 and he had decided that it was true and that he would accept it1 he naturally was concerned as to what ,mrs4 ,rigdon's attitude would be in the matter1 and when he broached the subject to her he was happy to find that she was not only diligently investigating the subject1 but was believing with all her heart1 and was desirous of obeying the truth4 #abf ,if it be urged by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 as it is most likely to be1 that the conversion of ,mrs4 ,rigdon1 like that of her husband1 was but a sham1 a prearranged affair1 that she as well as ,mr4 ,rigdon foreknew of the forth-coming of the ,book of ,mormon1 then the scene at ,bainbridge1 described by ,mrs4 ,dunlap as taking place1 supposedly because of ,mr4 ,rigdon's absorption in ,spaulding's manuscript1 has no place in the scheme of things to be supported by ,mr4 ,schroeder's contention4 ,but ,i have referred to this and the ,dr4 ,winter episode merely as illustrations of how variations and additions multiply upon myths when once started4 ,and so it will continue to be as long as there is a relative who had a relative who heard something about what some one else had said of ,rigdon's connection with ,patterson and ,spaulding2 that is1 new variations of the story will be constantly appearing4 ,footnote #abf3 ,millenial ,star1 ,vol4 ,,xiv1 supplement1 p4 #dh4 ,,did ,,rigdon ,,foreknow ,,the ,,coming ,,and ,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon8 ,this question is more worthy of consideration than the last1 because associated with it is a man of character1 ,alexander ,campbell4 ,in the ,millennial ,harbinger of #ahdd1 at page #ci1 is a letter quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 bearing date of ,january #bb1 #ahda1 from ,adamson ,bently1 in which the following passage occurs3 ,i know that ,sidney ,rigdon told me there was a book coming out1 the manuscript of which had been found engraved on gold plates1 as much as two years before the ,mormon book made its appearance or had been heard of by me4 ,it must be remembered that ,bently and ,rigdon married sisters1 that they had family troubles in respect of property1 as already explained1 #abg and were rival preachers1 all which would go far to discredit ,bently's charge if his charge stood by itself4 ,alexander ,campbell1 however1 was the editor of the ,millennial ,harbinger at this time1 and in an editorial note on the above mentioned letter1 lays the weight of his unqualified confirmation upon it4 ,he says3 ,footnote #abg3 ,see note #eb1 etc41 and ,evening and ,morning ,star1 p4 #cja1 ante p4 #abg4 ,the conversation alluded to in ,brother ,bently's letter of #ahda was in my presence as well as in his1 and my recollection of it led me some two or three years ago1 to interrogate ,brother ,bently touching his recollections of it1 which accorded with mine in every particular except the year in which it occurred1 he placing it in the summer of #ahbg1 ,i1 in the summer of #ahbf1 ,rigdon at the same time observing that in the plates dug up in ,new ,york there was an account not only of the aborigines of this country1 but also it was stated that the ,christian religion had been preached in this country during the first century just as we were preaching it on the ,western ,reserve4 ,,alexander ,,campbell ,,and ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon ,,in #ahca4 ,this is ,mr4 ,schroeder's strongest evidence1 and must be met at its full height and value4 ,in #ahca1 in this same ,millennial ,harbinger1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 beginning at p4 #hf1 is an exhaustive review and analysis of the ,book of ,mormon1 and the most powerful critique of it ever published4 ,it is by the ,reverend ,alexander ,campbell4 ,after giving an analysis of each book1 in the ,book of ,mormon1 from ,nephi ,i to ,moroni1 the last book in it1 he then starts an investigation of its internal evidences1 and in the first subdivision he begins in this language3 ,smith1 its real author1 as ignorant and impudent a knave as ever wrote a book1 betrays the cloven foot in basing his whole book upon a false fact4 ,then he proceeds4 ,on the internal evidence he uses the following language3 ,the book proposes to be written at intervals and by different persons1 during the long period of #ajbj years1 and yet for uniformity of style1 there never was a book more evidently written by one set of fingers1 nor more certainly conceived in one cranium since the first book appeared in human language1 than this same book4 ,if ,i could swear to any man's voice1 face1 or person1 assuming different names1 ,i could swear that this book was written by one man4 ,and as ,joseph ,smith is a very ignorant man and is called the 'author' on the title page1 ,i cannot doubt for a single moment but that he is sole 'author' and 'proprietor' of it4 ,mr4 ,campbell also considers the testimony of the three witnesses1 and of the eight witnesses1 and denounces them4 ,he is acquainted with the whole subject4 ,he knows that it was claimed for the record that it was engraved on gold plates2 that they were found buried in a stone box in ,new ,york2 that an account is given in the record of the gospel having been preached in ,america in the first ,christian century--for all these things are subjects of his criticism4 ,he criticises nearly every important doctrine and historical event in the book4 ,he revels in his criticism1 and near the conclusion of the whole says3 ,if this ,prophet and his three prophetic witnesses had aught of speciosity about them in their book1 we would have examined it and exposed it in a different manner4 ,i have never felt so fully authorized to address mortal man in the style in which ,paul ,addressed ,elymas1 the sorcerer1 as ,i feel towards this atheist ,smith4 ,and now question to ,mr4 ,campbell1 and to ,mr4 ,schroeder3 ,could the event described in the letter of ,mr4 ,bently and confirmed by ,mr4 ,campbell's editorial note1 have happened in #ahbf or #ahbg without ,mr4 ,campbell remembering it in #ahca when he wrote this scathing review and critique on the ,book of ,mormon8 ,let it be held in mind here how explicit the charge of ,bently is4 ,more than two years before the ,book of ,mormon made its appearance ,rigdon told ,bently there was a book coming out the manuscript of which had been found on gold plates4 ,campbell was present and heard this remark1 and also says that ,rigdon at the same time observed that the plates were dug up in ,new ,york1 and that the ,christian religion had been preached in this country during the first ,christian century1 just as we were preaching it on the western reserve4 ,had these things been said in the presence of ,alexander ,campbell1 two years before the ,book of ,mormon came out1 and so said that they made such a lasting impression upon his mind that in #ahdd he remembered them perfectly--will any reasonable person undertake to say that under the strong stress of feeling exhibited by ,alexander ,campbell against the ,book of ,mormon in #ahca1 remembering too that this same ,sidney ,rigdon had left the ,campbellites and joined the ,mormon ,church--under these circumstances1 will any person1 reasonable or otherwise1 say that during the writing of this long and bitter criticism of the ,book of ,mormon in #ahca the association of ideas and incidents would not have asserted itself and recalled this alleged ,bently-,rigdon incident to the mind of ,alexander ,campbell8 ,yet not one word in the ,campbell review of #ahca1 to indicate that the ,bently-,rigdon incident ever happened4 ,yet as he proceeded with his review1 it would have been inevitable that he would have discovered ,rigdon's forth-promised book--the manuscript of which had been found engraved on gold plates4 ,why1 yes1 he would have said1 that must be the book that ,rigdon spoke to ,bently about4 ,he read in the preface to the first edition of the ,book of ,mormon--and ,mr4 ,campbell made a specialty of this preface in his criticism--,i would also inform you that the plates of which hath been spoken were found in the township of ,manchester1 ,ontario county1 ,new ,york--,yes1 ,i remember1 ,mr4 ,campbell would have exclaimed--dug up in ,new ,york--,i remember1 that is what ,sidney ,rigdon said to ,adamson ,bently two or three years ago4 ,he came to the account of the appearance of the risen ,messiah among the aborigines of ,america2 to the choosing of a ministry and commissioning them to preach the ,gospel to all the people--,yes1 he would have exclaimed1 it is all here2 that is what ,rigdon said in that ,bently conversation in #ahbf or #ahbg1--'the ,christian religion had been preached in this country during the first century1 just as we are preaching it on the western reserve'--those were his very words1 and now ,rigdon has joined the movement of which the coming forth of this book is a leading incident6 ,well6 well6 ,would not such have been the mental process8 ,and would we not1 in that event1 have had the ,book of ,mormon criticised by ,mr4 ,campbell in #ahca1 from quite a different view-point than that from which he treated it8 ,anyone who can believe that ,campbell could remember such an incident as the ,bently-,rigdon incident he recites in #ahdd1 and yet that he failed to remember it under all the circumstances of writing his review of the ,book of ,mormon in #ahca1 need not stagger over believing any seeming miracle within the experience of man1 however extravagant it may be4 ,i shall never be able to express in words the deep depression that overcame me when the conviction of ,alexander ,campbell's perfidy was forced upon me4 ,in my early manhood ,i had read extensively in his works4 ,the evidence he compiled and the argument he made in his great debate with ,robert ,owen1 the ,english ,communist1 ,i regard as the grandest defense ever made of historic ,christianity1 while his debate with ,bishop ,purcell on the ,the ,roman ,catholic ,religion is justly described as the battle of the giants4 ,in these and in his debates with ,william ,mc,calla and the ,reverend ,n4 ,l4 ,rice1 his bearing is admirable2 he is the courteous gentleman1 the splendid scholar1 the patient philosopher1 the fair opponent4 ,in discussing the ,book of ,mormon1 he exhibits a vulgarity1 a bitterness utterly unaccountable1 and entirely unworthy of himself2 and lastly1 and saddest of all1 he descends to the low subterfuge of falsehood as in this ,bently-,rigdon affair4 ,one may halt here4 ,the ,reverend ,mr4 ,atwater quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder may now tell his little story1 in #ahgc1 of his recollection of ,sidney ,rigdon's reference to the mounds and other antiquities found in some parts of ,america1 and of his saying before the ,book of ,mormon was published that there was a book to be published containing an account of these things4 ,dr4 ,rosa of ,painsville1 ,ohio1 also quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 can now tell1 in #ahda1 of a conversation he had with ,sidney ,rigdon in the early part of #ahcj1 about it being time for a new religion to spring up that mankind were ripe1 and ready for it2 and air his suspicions that ,rigdon found his new religion in ,mormonism1 and on that and a remembrance of a casual remark of ,rigdon's that he expected to be absent from home a few months1 build his conclusion that ,rigdon was at least an accessory1 if not the principal in getting up this farce #abh of ,mormonism4 ,all this ,i say may be said by these witnesses1 but it is of no effect2 for if sectarian prejudice and bitterness and jealousy1 coupled with intellectual pride1 can so swerve ,alexander ,campbell from the path direct of truth and fair dealing1 it is not to be marveled at if a thousand little ,reverend whiffets spring forward with their timely recollections1 that make against the truth4 ,footnote #abh3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,november1 #aijf1 p4 #ecb1 ante p4 #df4 ,,iv4 ,mr4 ,schroeder's next development of his attempted cumulative evidence and argument is to establish a connection between ,joseph ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon1 through ,parley ,p4 ,pratt4 ,he first deals with the movements of ,pratt from his birth until he is established in ,amherst1 ,lorain county1 ,ohio1 a few miles west of ,cleveland1 in #ahbf4 ,in order to lay a foundation for his conclusion ,mr4 ,schroeder gives an exaggerated idea of the notoriety of ,joseph ,smith at this time as a 'peep-stone' money digger1 through mention made of him in papers published in several counties in southern ,new ,york and northern ,pennsylvania4 #abi ,for authority of this statement ,mr4 ,schroeder cites only ,tucker1 author of ,origin and ,progress of ,mormonism1 and the ,rev4 ,clark ,braden1 in the ,braden-,kelly ,debate4 ,he might just as well have only cited ,tucker1 for ,braden but repeats1 in slightly altered form what was said by ,tucker4 ,the latter in his work produces not a single newspaper item1 nor gives a single reference to any publication in justification of his statement4 ,there was none to give prior to #ahbf4 ,joseph ,smith's notoriety was purely local up to that time4 ,footnote #abi3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #eh4 ,ante p4 #di4 ,mr4 ,schroeder represents that ,parley ,p4 ,pratt was a peddler who knew almost every body in western ,new ,york1 #acj therefore he very likely knew the ,smiths previous to #ahbf4 ,for the statement that ,pratt was a peddler1 and ubiquitous1 ,mr4 ,schroeder can only cite an address1 before the ,union ,home ,missionary meeting in #ahha1 by ,mrs4 ,horace ,eaton1 of ,palmyra2 #aca and she was evidently repeating one of the many idle rumors from the vicinity of ,palmyra1 as there is no evidence for the statement of ,mrs4 ,eaton1 and the story is refuted by the facts as stated in the first chapters of ,pratt's ,autobiography1 where his struggles to secure and clear a farm1 in partnership with his brother1 are detailed4 ,this farm was near the then small town of ,oswego1 on ,lake ,ontario1 in ,oswego ,county4 ,it is true that ,pratt in the autumn of #ahbf visited his uncles1 ,ira and ,allen ,pratt1 in ,wayne--then ,ontario--county1 ,new ,york1--exact location not given4 ,there is nothing ubiquitous about his movements1 or any evidence of his wide acquaintance with people4 ,footnote #acj3 ,hand ,book on ,mormonism 7#ahhb71 p4 #c4 ,footnote #aca3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #eh4 ,ante p4 #di4 ,also ,hand ,book on ,mormonism1 p4 #c4 ,to give a coloring of dishonesty to the character of ,pratt1 ,mr4 ,schroeder writes the following passage3 ,one of the temptations inducing ,pratt's departure from ,new ,york was to get a country where1 as he himself expresses it1 there is 'no law to sweep 7away7 all the hard earnings of years to pay a small debt4' ,the ethical status of an average country-peddler who is willing to leave his native ,state to avoid the payment of his 'small debts' furnishes a fertile immorality in which to plant the seeds of religious imposture4 #acb ,footnote #acb3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #ei4 ,ante pp4 #di-ej4 ,mr4 ,schroeder conceals the fact that the small debt not debts as put by him1 was merely a remainder due to ,mr4 ,morgan of whom ,pratt had purchased the farm near ,oswego1 and which owing to his brother's failure to meet his share of the payments1 as also bad markets for the crop of #ahbf1 ,mr4 ,pratt could not pay4 ,whereupon the farm it had taken years to clear of timber1 and the crop was seized by ,morgan for that debt4 ,is ,mr4 ,schroeder justified in giving a sinister aspect to this matter8 ,we have ,pratt located in ,amherst1 #ahbf4 ,sidney ,rigdon makes his second journey from ,pennsylvania and arrives at ,bainbridge1 ,ohio1 in #ahbf1 and in capacity of ,disciple preacher visits the surrounding towns where he becomes acquainted with ,pratt4 ,all this is granted4 ,mr4 ,schroeder in trying to fix upon the exact time and circumstance of their first meeting1 resorts to a jugglery of facts1 and builds on the distorted mass such conclusions as can be characterized only by the term shameful4 ,i quote ,mr4 ,schroeder3 ,the date of their first meeting is nowhere given1 but may reasonably be inferred from an address delivered by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt in #ahdc or '#d4 ,in this discourse ,pratt tells of an occurrence which transpired on his way to his future ,ohio home1 which occurrence furnishes the key to his first connection with ,mormonism4 ,on his way he stopped at a humble cottage1 the name of whose occupant he carefully fails to give4 ,here1 while asleep 7so he says71 a messenger of a mild and intelligent countenance suddenly stood before me 7,pratt7 arrayed in robes of dazzling splendor4 ,according to ,mormon theory1 an angel is but an exalted man4 ,of course ,sidney ,rigdon was an exalted man2 why not1 then1 an angel8 ,this angel claimed to hold the keys to the mysteries of this wonderful country1 and took ,pratt out to exhibit those mysteries to him4 ,pratt then had portrayed to his mind the whole future of ,mormonism2 its cities1 with inhabitants from all parts of the globe2 its temples1 with a yet unattained splendor2 its present church organization was1 with considerable definiteness1 outlined2 its political ambition to establish a temporal kingdom of ,god on the ruins of this government was set forth with quite as much definiteness as in the subsequent more publicly uttered1 treasonable sermons4 ,i conclude from the exact manner in which this ,angel of the ,prairies foreknew the ambitions1 hopes1 and future achievements of the ,mormon ,church and the similar admitted fore-knowledge of ,rigdon and the subsequently established connection between ,rigdon1 ,pratt1 and ,smith1 that the ,angel of the ,prairies who outlined to ,pratt his then contemplated and now executed religious fraud1 was none other than ,sidney ,rigdon himself1 and that this fact accounts for ,pratt's failure to give the name of his host or the date of his first meeting with ,rigdon4 #acc ,footnote #acc3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #ei4 ,ante p4 #ea4 ,,the ,,angel ,,of ,,the ,,prairies4 ,the work here quoted for these supposedly historical incidents1 is entitled ,the ,angel of the ,prairies1 and is a work of pure fiction1 a product of the author's imagination1 professedly and confessedly so4 #acd ,it was never delivered as a public address in ,nauvoo1 though ,mr4 ,schroeder in the above calls it successively an ,address delivered by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 a discourse1 and in his notes a sermon4 #ace ,it was merely read in the presence of ,joseph ,smith and a general council1 most likely the ,first ,presidency and ,mr4 ,pratt's associates of the ,twelve ,apostles1 as a curious and extraordinary composition in the similitude of a dream4 ,such is its author's characterization of it4 ,it was designed1 he continues1 as a reproof of the corruptions and degeneracy of our government1 in suffering mobs to murder1 plunder1 rob and drive their fellow citizens with impunity4 ,it also suggested some reforms4 #acf ,it is no more history1 or even prophecy than ,johnson's ,rasselas or ,sir ,thomas ,moore's ,utopia is history or prophecy4 ,yet this fiction1 and ,i charge that ,mr4 ,schroeder knew it to be fiction--for he could learn the facts from its preface--must be pressed into service as solemn prose history in order to complete and sustain the vagaries of the ,schroeder-,spaulding theory6 ,at first on meeting with this shameful perversion one is inclined to an outburst of vexation4 ,on second thought he remembers that this fragment is but a piece of the whole fabric of the ,spaulding theory1 and smiles4 ,footnote #acd3 ,autobiography of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 edition of #ahgd1 p4 #cfg4 ,footnote #ace3 ,note #aja ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #gd4 ,ante #ea4 ,footnote #acf3 ,same as note #acd4 ,but let us follow ,mr4 ,schroeder further into the realms of his deductions built upon this piece of literary fiction1 the ,angel of the ,prairies4 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt returned to the home of his aunt ,van ,cott in ,canaan1 ,columbia county1 ,new ,york1 for the purpose of marrying a ,miss ,halsey to whom he was engaged4 ,this was in the summer of #ahbg4 ,mr4 ,schroeder makes ,pratt's visit to ,new ,york for the above purpose1 the occasion of placing the ,spaulding manuscript in the hands of ,joseph ,smith1 and all the connections are perfected for revamping this old manuscript story into a pretended volume of scripture4 ,and this is the way of it as per ,mr4 ,schroeder3 ,pratt was married ,september #i1 #ahbg4 ,on ,september #bb1 #ahbg1 a 'heavenly messenger' appeared to ,joseph ,smith and unfolded to him the scheme of the ,book of ,mormon1 and disclosed the where abouts of the ',golden ,plates4' ,this 'heavenly messenger' is called the ,angel ,moroni4 ,according to ,mormon theology1 ',god may use any beings he has made or that he pleases1 and call them his angels1 or messengers4' ',gods1 angels1 and men are all of one species1 one race1 one great family4' ',god is a man like unto yourselves2 that is the great secret4' ,why of course6 ',that is the great secret4' ,god is but an 'exalted man1' and may call ,parley ,parker ,pratt his angel4 ,parley ,parker ,pratt was the 'heavenly messenger1' the angel who1 on that day 7,september #bb1 #ahbg71 appeared to ,joseph ,smith and told him where were the golden plates1 that is1 ,spaulding's ',manuscript ,found4' ,sidney ,rigdon for ,smith's purposes1 was the 'exalted man1' the ',god' who sent this 'heavenly messenger1' ,parley ,parker ,pratt1 just as the ,mormon people now look upon ,joseph ,smith as the ',god to this people4' #acg ,footnote #acg3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 pp4 #fj1 #fa4 ,ante p4 #ec4 ,one might well consider himself under no obligation to treat seriously such a palpable perversion of ,mormon ideas as is here presented4 ,but this taking a piece of ,mormon fiction1 the ,angel of the ,prairies1 and misrepresenting it first as a discourse delivered by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt at ,nauvoo2 thence elevating it from fiction to a sober historical document2 thence building upon it this misrepresentation1 and perversion of ,mormon ideas and historical facts1 exhibits in the person of ,mr4 ,schroeder that order of intelligence that could conceive of others following the same process in relation to the ,spaulding manuscript1 until it was converted into a pretended revelation4 ,i think ,mr4 ,schroeder will not gain much for his evidence or his argument by this wicked perversion of ,mormon ideas and facts of history1 since it must suggest the innate weakness of a cause that requires such intellectual dishonesty1 as is here exhibited4 ,it is true that the ,mormons are anthropomorphists in that they believe that ,jesus ,christ is the brightness of ,god's glory and the express image of his person #ach the revelation of ,god as well in form as in spiritual attributes2 they believe that ,jesus ,christ is not only divine1 but ,deity2 that he exists now as he did after his resurrection from the dead1 an immortal personage of flesh and bones and spirit--hence that ,god is an exalted man2 that he uses other men1 perfected and glorified1 such as ,noah1 ,moses1 ,elijah1 and others1 as his angels and arch-angels and messengers1 to aid in the accomplishment of his purposes4 ,but to represent the ,latter-day ,saints as believing in or accepting such jugglery as that which ,mr4 ,schroeder charges is an outrage and a direct and conscious misrepresentation of the faith of a people4 ,joseph ,smith indeed proclaimed that ,god appeared to him2 in fact he claims that both the ,father and the ,son appeared to him1 but it is blasphemy to think of ,rigdon impersonating them1 or either of them1 in the manner and for the purpose represented by ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,this revelation moreover was given in #ahbj1 not #ahbg4 #aci ,joseph ,smith said an angel visited him and revealed to him the existence of the ,book of ,mormon2 but this was declared to be a very definite personage1 a man who had lived in ,america in the fourth century of the ,christian ,era1 now raised from the dead and sent to make this revelation of the ,american volume of scripture2 he was not ,parley ,p4 ,pratt2 and he revealed the existence of the ,book of ,mormon to ,joseph ,smith in ,september1 #ahbc1 not #ahbg4 #adj ,footnote #ach3 ,hebrews1 #a1 #c4 ,footnote #aci3 ,see ,joseph ,smith's own account1 ,pearl of ,great ,price1 writings of ,joseph ,smith and many other ,mormon works4 ,footnote #adj3 ,ibid4 ,,the ,,supposed ,,meetings ,,of ,,joseph ,,smith ,,and ,,sidney ,,rigdon ,,before ,,the ,,publication ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,mr4 ,schroeder after getting the ,spaulding manuscript into the hands of ,joseph ,smith1 via ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 proceeds next to bring ,sidney ,rigdon and ,joseph ,smith together for the necessary collaboration on the manuscript4 ,the chief1 and ,i may say the only1 authority that ,mr4 ,schroeder really gives for this charge is that of ,pomery ,tucker1 author of ,origin1 ,rise and ,progress of ,mormonism1 7#ahfg74 ,tucker having brought his narrative down to the year #ahbg1 announces the appearance of a mysterious stranger at the ,smith residence4 ,no name or purpose of this stranger is given out even to the nearest neighbors1 but it was observed that his visits were frequently repeated4 ,afterwards ,tucker makes out this mysterious stranger to be ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,the other witnesses1 ,mrs4 ,eaton 7#ahha71 as also ,j4 ,h4 ,mc,cauley1 in his ,history of ,franklin ,county1 ,pa41 together with ,abel ,chase and ,lorenzo ,saunders1 neighbors of the ,smiths 7the last three are the witnesses named by ,braden in the ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 and for which that disputant gives no authority7 merely repeat the statement of ,tucker4 ,mr4 ,schroeder himself in another matter1 however1 discredits ,tucker4 ,in his note #aae1 he says3 ,tucker 99 99 99 99 says ,rigdon officiated at the wedding of ,joseph ,smith and ,emma ,hale1 but he fixes the date of the wedding in ,november1 #ahbi1 when in fact it seems to have occurred ,jan4 #ah1 #ahbg4 ,tucker therefore may have been misinformed4 #ada ,and ,joseph ,smith1 who ought to know1 says that he and ,emma were married by ,esquire ,tarbill4 #adb ,footnote #ada3 ,origin and ,rise and ,progress of ,mormonism1 pp4 #bh1 #df1 #ge1 #aba4 ,footnote #adb3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #ag4 ,lucy ,smith1 in her ,history of the ,prophet ,joseph1 makes mention of a stranger coming to the home of the ,smiths in company with ,joseph about the time ,martin ,harris lost #aaf pages of the translation of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the reason for the stranger accompanying the prophet to his home was the dejection of spirits and illness and physical weakness of the latter1 and out of kindness the stranger insisted upon accompanying ,joseph home from the point at which he left the stage on which he had traveled from his home in ,harmony1 ,pennsylvania4 ,mr4 ,schroeder1 of course1 seeks to press the incident into service as an evidence of the acquaintance and co-operation of ,joseph ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon before the ,book of ,mormon is published2 hence as seen through ,mr4 ,schroeder's eyes1 the stranger is ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,there is nothing1 however1 in the narrative of ,lucy ,smith to warrant the conclusion that this stranger was ,sidney ,rigdon2 and ,mr4 ,schroeder is certainly in error as to the stranger being present at the interview between ,martin ,harris and the ,smiths on the next day--the only circumstance that could have made the coming of the stranger in any way significant in ,mr4 ,schroeder's theories4 #adc ,footnote #adc3 ,the incident of the stranger and ,joseph1 the prophet is found in chapter ,,xxv of ,lucy ,smith's ,history of ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 ,mr4 ,schroeder's reference to the incident is in his note #aac4 ,of course1 this allegation of the appearance of ,rigdon at the ,smith home1 resting upon no other basis than the fabrication of ,tucker1 comes in direct conflict with the express statement of both ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,sidney ,rigdon1 but ,i am not trying this issue upon the per contra testimony of interested witnesses4 ,i hold that this particular charge of collaboration between ,joseph ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon1 involving frequent association and in fact demanding almost constant association between the two in the years from #ahbg and #ahcj1 necessarily breaks down under its own weight of absurdity4 ,the movements of ,joseph ,smith and of ,sidney ,rigdon are too well known to allow of that association taking place1 to say nothing of its being kept secret4 ,the distances separating them during those years are too great to be covered by ,sidney ,rigdon1 even if his falsely alleged occasional absences from ,ohio were allowed to stand unchallenged4 ,this matter of distance that separated them1 together with the slow modes of travel--by carriage or horse-back--badness of roads1 etc41 seem not to be taken into account at all in the fabrications of ,tucker4 ,sidney ,rigdon is operating exclusively in ,ohio1 in ,kirtland and vicinity from #ahbg to #ahcj4 ,mr4 ,kelly in his debate with ,braden thus summarized the movements of ,rigdon during these years from ,hayden's ,history of the ,disciples3 ,the ,disciple 7,campbellite7 history sets forth1 that ,rigdon was their standing minister for the year #ahbe1 at ,bainbridge1 ,ohio2 for the year #ahbf at ,mentor and ,bainbridge2 for the year #ahbg at ,mantua2 for the year #ahbh1 at ,mentor1 and this year is the time when he met ,alexander ,campbell at ,warren1 ,ohio1 at their assembly1 where the famous passage at arms took place between ,campbell and ,rigdon of which so much has been said4 ,the next year1 #ahbi1 ,rigdon continued the work in ,mentor1 and at ,euclid1 and founded the church in ,perry1 ,ohio1 ,aug4 #gth4 ,the next year1 #ahcj1 he continued as their minister1 7and the ablest of them all71 at ,mentor1 ,euclid1 ,kirtland1 and occasionally at ,hiram1 ,perry1 ,mantua1 and ,plainsville4 #add ,footnote #add3 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 p4 #ajj4 ,joseph ,smith's movements during the years named are between ,manchester1 ,new ,york1 ,pennsylvania1 and ,fayette township 7where the ,whitmers lived71 ,new ,york2 a distance from ,ohio points1 where ,rigdon was operating1 by the nearest roads traveled1 of from #bej to #cjj miles4 ,does any one believe that the necessary collaboration was possible under such circumstances as ,mr4 ,schroeder's theory of origin for the ,book of ,mormon calls for8 ,on this whole question of collaboration1 and conspiracy by ,rigdon1 ,pratt and ,smith in the production of the ,book of ,mormon the following paragraph from the writings of ,elder ,george ,reynolds is most convincing3 ,has it ever entered into the thoughts of our opponents that if ,sidney ,rigdon was the author or adapter of the ,book of ,mormon how vast and wide spread must have been the conspiracy that foisted it upon the world8 ,whole families must have been engaged in it4 ,men of all ages and various conditions in life1 and living in widely separate portions of the country must have been connected with it4 ,first we must include in the catalogue of conspirators the whole of the ,smith family1 then the ,whitmers1 ,martin ,harris and ,oliver ,cowdery2 further1 to carry out this absurd idea1 ,sidney ,rigdon and ,parley ,p4 ,pratt must have been their active fellow-conspirators in arranging1 carrying out and consummating their iniquitous fraud4 ,to do this they must have traveled thousands of miles and spent months1 perhaps years1 to accomplish--what8 ,that is the unsolved problem4 ,was it for the purpose of duping the world8 ,they1 at any rate the great majority of them1 were of all men most unlikely to be engaged in such a folly4 ,their habits1 surroundings1 station in life1 youth and inexperience all forbid such a thought4 ,what could they gain1 in any light that could be then presented to their minds1 by palming off such a deception upon the world8 ,this is another unanswerable question4 ,then comes the staggering fact1 if the book be a falsity1 that all these families1 all these diverse characters1 in all the trouble1 perplexity1 persecution and suffering through which they passed1 never wavered in their testimony1 never changed their statements1 never 'went back' on their original declarations1 but continued unto death 7and they have all passed away71 proclaiming that the ,book of ,mormon was a divine revelation1 and that its record was true4 ,was there ever such an exhibition in the history of the world of such continued1 such unabating1 such undeviating falsehood8 ,if falsehood it was4 ,we cannot find a place in the annals of their lives where they wavered1 and what makes the matter more remarkable is that it can be said of most of them1 as is elsewhere said of the three witnesses1 they became offended with the ,prophet ,joseph1 and a number of them openly rebelled against him2 but they never retraced one word with regard to the genuineness of ,mormon's inspired record4 ,whether they were friends or foes to ,joseph1 whether they regarded him as ,god's continued mouthpiece or as a fallen ,prophet1 they still persisted in their statements with regard to the book and the veracity of their earlier testimonies4 ,how can we possibly with our knowledge of human nature make this undeviating1 unchanging1 unwavering course1 continuing over fifty years1 consistent with a deliberate1 premeditated and cunningly-devised and executed fraud6 #ade ,footnote #ade3 ,myth of the ,manuscript ,found1 7#ahhc7 pp4 #ce-f4 ,the last matter of argument in the quotation above1 the unwavering adherence of the witnesses to the coming forth of the ,book of ,mormon and the relationship they sustained to that work1 has peculiar force when applied to the case of ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,he claims to have known nothing of the ,book of ,mormon until it was presented to him 7as we shall see later by a statement of his7 by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,oliver ,cowdery1 some six months after its publication4 ,but let us suppose for the sake of the argument1 that he really took the part assigned to him by ,mr4 ,schroeder in bringing into existence the ,book of ,mormon2 that he stole the ,spaulding ,manuscript ,found about #ahaf2 that hearing of ,smith through ,pratt1 he then sent the said manuscript to ,smith to be announced as a revelation from ,god2 that afterwards he collaborated with ,smith to produce the ,book of ,mormon out of it4 ,it will go without saying that a thief1 and especially such a thief as ,rigdon is here represented to be1 is a very ignoble character2 and it will not be too much to say that if such a character is hard pressed by his associates1 or is1 what he might consider1 ill treated by them1 he will very-probably betray them4 ,sidney ,rigdon certainly considered himself both hard pressed and positively wronged by his brethren--but he never revealed the fraud in which ,mormonism is supposed to have had its origin4 ,joseph ,smith sought to be rid of him as his counselor at the ,october ,conference of #ahdc4 ,he directly charged ,rigdon with treachery1 of being leagued with his deadly enemies1 and that he had no confidence in his integrity and steadfastness2 that ,rigdon had been profitless to him as a counselor since their escape from ,missouri in #ahci4 ,by virtue of a vigorous denial on the part of ,rigdon as to some of the charges1 and a plea for mercy as to some delinquencies confessed1 he was sustained by the conference in his office of counselor to the ,prophet1 notwithstanding the latter was not satisfied with the conclusion of the matter reached by the conference4 ,i have thrown him off my shoulders1 said he1 and you have again put him upon me4 ,you may carry him1 but ,i will not4 #adf ,footnote #adf3 ,millenial ,star1 ,vol4 #bb1 pp4 #bae-af4 ,after the death of the prophet1 ,sidney ,rigdon put in a claim for precedence in authority1 claiming that right by virtue of his office as counselor to the prophet now martyred4 ,the priesthood of the church assembled as a body to hear the cause1 ,president ,brigham ,young presenting the counter claims of the ,twelve ,apostles as the proper presiding authority in the absence of the ,first ,presidency4 ,sidney ,rigdon was rejected by that body of the priesthood2 #adg and shortly after left ,nauvoo full of disappointment and bitterness2 but he never in those trying days1 or in any of the subsequent years of his life1 by hint or direct charge or confession1 revealed any fraud in which ,mormonism is supposed to have had its origin2 but on the contrary1 as we shall see1 emphatically reaffirmed his true relationship to the work1 and his faith in it4 ,footnote #adg3 ,millennial ,star1 ,vol4 #be1 pp4 #bae1 #bgi4 ,there is one person1 however1 who undertakes to say that ,sidney ,rigdon revealed the secret concerning the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,this is ,clark ,braden1 who quotes one ,james ,jeffries of ,st4 ,louis1 as saying in substance that in the fall of #ahdd1 ,rigdon in several conversations admitted to him the existence of the ,spaulding manuscript2 that it traced the origin of the ,indians from the lost tribes of ,israel2 that the manuscript was within his reach for several years2 that ,he 7,rigdon7 and ,joe ,smith used to look over the manuscript and read it on ,sundays4 ,rigdon said ,smith took the manuscript and said ',i'll print it1' and went off to ,palmyra1 ,new ,york4 ,on this testimony1 the ,reverend ,clark ,braden comments3 ,on his way from ,nauvoo to ,pittsburg 7in the fall of #ahdd7 he 7,rigdon7 called on his old acquaintance1 ,mr4 ,jeffries1 in ,st4 ,louis1 and in his anger at the ,mormons1 he let out the secrets of ,mormonism1 just as he told the ,mormons he would if they did not make him their leader4 #adh ,this evidence1 however1 since it costs him nothing to set aside such palpable absurdity1 ,mr4 ,schroeder1 with a show of bigness and condescension1 discredits by saying3 an alleged admission of ,sidney ,rigdon to ,james ,jeffries ,i consider of doubtful value4 #adi ,in this case1 as in that of the item presented by ,mrs4 ,ellen ,e4 ,dickinson1 to the effect that it was remembered by some of the ,conneaut witnesses in #ahcd1 that the ,spaulding manuscript was the translation of the ,book of ,mormon--the evidence manufactured in support of the ,spaulding theory of origin1 becomes a little too raw for ,mr4 ,schroeder1 and his gorge rises at it1 and with an air of superiority he considers it doubtful6 ,footnote #adh3 ,braden-,kelly ,debate1 p4 #db4 ,footnote #adi3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #ge and note #aae4 ,ante p4 #ee and ,note4 ,closely connected with ,sidney ,rigdon's relationship to the coming forth of the ,book of ,mormon is another matter several times alluded to by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 in common with all other advocates of the ,spaulding theory of origin1 namely1 the assumption that ,joseph ,smith1 the nominal founder and first prophet of ,mormonism1 was probably too ignorant to have produced the volume unaided4 ,it is because of this assumed inability of ,joseph ,smith to produce the book that the ,spaulding manuscript and ,sidney ,rigdon are brought into the scheme of production4 ,and yet it is clearly demonstrable that ,joseph ,smith did not need the assistance of either ,spaulding or of ,sidney ,rigdon in the production of a book equal1 if not superior1 to the ,book of ,mormon from a literary standpoint4 ,i refer to the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,it is true this book was not published until #ahce2 but the revelations of which it is composed began in #ahbh1 and by the close of #ahcc1 one hundred and one of the revelations forming the major part of the book1 were received and are of record4 ,there can be no question as to the authorship of this book4 ,joseph ,smith--under a divine inspiration1 as ,latter-day ,saints believe--dictated these revelations1 and in this way he is their author2 and they disclose a literary force and beauty far ahead of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,if any one shall doubt it1 let him read and compare sections #bj1 #db1 #gf1 #hd1 #hh1 and #ajg of the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 with the ,book of ,mormon4 ,any part of the book would demonstrate what is here claimed1 but these sections particularly demonstrate it4 ,moreover in all published documents in the current periodicals of the ,church1 those that may be referred respectively to ,joseph ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon1 will disclose the superior excellence in every respect of those produced by the former1 over those produced by the latter4 ,this ,spaulding theory1 moreover1 supposes the necessity of a superior intelligence to ,joseph ,smith in the production of the ,book of ,mormon--in the inception of the ,mormon fraud4 ,but will some one explain--for ,mr4 ,schroeder fails us at this point--how it is that ,sidney ,rigdon1 as soon as the ,book of ,mormon is launched1 though having been up to this point the master ,spirit of ,mormonism1 now suddenly falls into second place in the development of ,mormonism1 and becomes merely the scribe of the ,prophet1 as ,mr4 ,schroeder himself points out4 ,it should be remembered that in #ahbg1 the year in which ,mr4 ,schroeder brings them together for the work of collaboration1 ,rigdon was thirty-four years old1 ,joseph ,smith but twenty-two2 and when the ,church was organized1 ,joseph was but twenty-five and ,rigdon thirty-seven4 ,with ,rigdon's better education 7which is granted71 how comes it that this man1 superior in education and knowledge of the world1 and of greater age1 consents to occupy second place to ,joseph ,smith8 ,if ,rigdon was the great moving spirit of ,mormonism during its incubation1 why did he not continue so after the ,book of ,mormon was printed8 ,the answer is that ,sidney ,rigdon never was the prophet's superior in talents or even in literary power of expression4 ,then1 again1 in this connection1 ,i call attention to the fact that if the ,book of ,mormon had been produced as charged by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 it would not have been so full of petty errors in grammar and the faulty use of words as is found in the first edition of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,while entertaining no exalted opinion of the education of either ,mr4 ,spaulding or of ,mr4 ,rigdon1 and the works of both are before me1 on which to base that judgment1 yet ,i cannot conceive it possible that they1 even though but half educated1 would make such language errors as appear in the first edition4 ,take for example the following passages from said first edition of the ,book of ,mormon--speaking of the ,urim and ,thummim it says3 ,and the things are called interpreters2 and no man can look in them1 except he be commanded1 lest he should look for that he had not ought1 and he should perish2 99 99 99 but a seer can know of things which has past and also of things which is to come 99 99 99 and hidden things shall come to light1 and things which is not known shall be made known by them4 7,page #agc47 ,blessed are they who humbleth themselves without being compelled to be humble4 7,page #cad47 ,little children doth have words given unto them many times which doth confound the wise and the learned4 7,page #cae47 ,but they had fell into great errors1 for they would not observe to keep the commandments of ,god4 7,page #caj47 ,such errors as the foregoing occur frequently throughout the first edition of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,they are ingrained in it2 they are constitutional faults4 ,and while perfectly explicable on the supposition that one unlearned in the grammar of the ,english language1 as confessedly ,joseph ,smith was1 obtaining the thought from the ,nephite characters in which the ,book of ,mormon was written1 but left to express said thought in such faulty ,english as he was master of2#aej--yet utterly inexplicable on the supposition that the manuscript from which the ,book of ,mormon was printed was written by ,solomon ,spaulding and revamped by ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,the errors in grammar and the occasional wrong use of words are just such errors as would be made by ,joseph ,smith1 an unlettered youth1 in working out the translation1 but just the errors that such educated men as ,spaulding and ,rigdon would pride themselves in avoiding4 ,i am of the opinion that this consideration alone would be sufficient to convince a candid mind that whoever wrote the ,book of ,mormon1 neither ,sidney ,rigdon nor ,solomon ,spaulding ever wrote it1 or any part of it4 ,footnote #aej3 ,for an exposition and defense of this theory of the translation of the ,book of ,mormon1 see the author's treatise of the subject1 in ,defense of the ,faith and the ,saints1 ,vol4 ,i1 7#aijg7 pp4 #bdi-caa4 ,in this connection ,i also call attention to the fact that it is utterly impossible that the ,book of ,mormon should be the ,solomon ,spaulding story1 ,manuscript ,found1 plus the religious matter supposed to have been supplied by ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,this is the claim of all ,spauldingite theorists1 including ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,it is based upon the assumption of ,joseph ,smith's lack of knowledge of theological subjects and controversies4 ,if the book1 however1 was constructed as the ,spaulding theorists claim it was1 the line of cleavage would be apparent2 the necessarily incongruous parts must be discernible3 but no critic has yet appeared bold enough to point out which was originally ,spaulding's1 and which the ,rigdon addition4 ,the fact of the matter is there is no line of cleavage2 no point at which one ends and the other begins4 ,you might just as well talk about a line of cleavage between what the element of earth and what the element of sunshine has contributed to the coloring of the pansy or the rose1 as to try to indicate what is the religious part added to the ,book of ,mormon by ,rigdon1 and what the historical part supplied by ,spaulding4 ,the religious and historical parts of the ,book of ,mormon are perfectly fused4 ,they can no more be separated than sunlight and sun-warmth can be separated from our earth's atmosphere4 ,as the sun's rays penetrate and permeate our earth's atmosphere1 so the religious elements1 incidents and spirit alike1 permeate the ,book of ,mormon--in it they are one and inseparable4 ,,of ,,the ,,conversion ,,of ,,pratt ,,and ,,rigdon4 ,as part of ,mr4 ,schroeder's chain of evidence1 by which he hopes to establish the cumulative proofs that ,pratt1 ,rigdon and ,joseph ,smith connived in palming off upon the world the ,spaulding manuscript as a revelation--the ,book of ,mormon--he points to discrepancies in the published accounts of the suddenness or slowness of ,pratt's and ,rigdon's conversions4 ,holding that the accounts of their sudden and miraculous conversion1 had to be modified1 and1 in fact1 concealed lest they should lead to the suspicion of connivance1 if ,rigdon and ,pratt should be found giving too ready a credence to the ,book of ,mormon4 ,of the variations pointed out in ,pratt's conversion it is only necessary to say that they are such variations1 so slight and unimportant1 that if it is considered that they are made by different persons1 or1 as in the case of ,pratt himself1 on widely separated occasions1 the variations are the sure witnesses that the account is not a concocted one4 ,in the case of one of the authorities quoted1 ,lucy ,smith1 mother of the prophet1 and author of the ,life of the ,prophet ,joseph1 ,mr4 ,schroeder should be corrected4 ,he states1 following a misapprehension of ,orson ,pratt's1 in order to make his statement of more force1 that ,lucy ,smith's book was written under the supervision of ,joseph ,smith4 #aea ,this is not true1 as ,lucy ,smith did not begin to write her book until after the martyrdom of her son ,joseph4 ,it was in the fall of the year of #ahdd that she began her work1 and the prophet was killed in ,june of that year1 all of which could have been learned by ,mr4 ,schroeder by consulting the foot notes of the edition of ,lucy ,smith's book published by the ,reorganized ,church1 in #ahhj4 #aeb ,footnote #aea3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #fg4 ,ante p4 #fa4 ,footnote #aeb3 ,biographical ,sketches of ,joseph ,smith the ,prophet1 by ,lucy ,smith1 p4 #ij1 foot notes4 ,the discrepancy as to the time element in the conversion of ,sidney ,rigdon--as to whether it was two days after ,pratt and ,cowdery's arrival at ,kirtland1 or two weeks--may not be as satisfactorily accounted for as in the case of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt4 ,still the chief authority for ,mr4 ,schroeder's whole theory of the ,spaulding origin of the ,book of ,mormon favors the longer period for the conversion of ,rigdon1 since ,mr4 ,howe represents that the sudden conversion of ,rigdon occurred after many pretensions to disbelieve it4 #aec ,furthermore1 in view of the whole question here debated1 and the overwhelming evidences educed against the contentions of ,mr4 ,schroeder1 the matter of the time it took to convert ,sidney ,rigdon to ,mormonism is of but slight importance4 ,footnote #aec3 ,mormonism ,unveiled1 ,howe1 p4 #bij4 ,,the ,,denials ,,of ,,rigdon4 ,mr4 ,schroeder throughout his argument1 intermittently seeks to add force to his evidence by saying that ,sidney ,rigdon never denied this1 that1 or the other statement though made in his life time4 ,he notices only ,rigdon's denial published in the ,boston ,journal in #ahci1 and represents it as absolutely the only recorded public denial ever made by ,rigdon1 though from #ahcd to #ahgf he was almost continually under the fire of this charge1 reiterated in various forms and with varying proofs4 #aed ,of course1 ,mr4 ,schroeder is allowed to speak with some degree of authority upon the anti-,mormon side of this controversy2 but for all that there are some things he does not seem to know about ,sidney ,rigdon's denials and affirmations4 ,it may be that of the several statements to which ,mr4 ,schroeder attaches the remark of ,rigdon's silence1 ,rigdon never saw one of them2 and there is one denial made by ,mr4 ,rigdon that ,mr4 ,schroeder has failed to note1 made in #ahcf2 and which1 since it is general in its character1 may be made to cover the whole period in which ,mr4 ,rigdon is said to have made no denial4 ,in the ,january number of the ,latter-day ,saints' ,messenger and ,advocate1 after denouncing ,howe's book and those who advocate it1 and referring to ,mr4 ,scott1 ,mr4 ,campbell and other professed ministers1 he says3 ,footnote #aed3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,nov41 #aijf1 p4 #ebg4 ,in order to avoid investigation this brotherhood will condescend to mean1 low subterfuges1 to which a noble-minded man would never condescend2 no1 he would suffer martyrdom first4 ,witness ,mr4 ,campbell's recommendation of ,howe's book1 while he knows1 as well as every person who reads it1 that it is a batch of falsehoods4 #aee ,footnote #aee3 ,messenger and ,advocate1 ,jan41 #ahcf1 p4 #bdb4 ,inasmuch as ,howe's book1 published in #ahcd1 charges ,rigdon's complicity with the whole procedure by which the ,book of ,mormon is alleged to have been produced out of the ,spaulding manuscript1 and ,rigdon above denounces ,howe's book as a batch of falsehoods1 we may say there has been in existence ever since ,january1 #ahcf1 ,rigdon's denial of the whole ,spaulding theory of his complicity with a scheme to deceive men in respect of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,however1 if that is not sufficient to be convincing1 then ,i wish to produce a well authenticated denial of the most sweeping and convincing nature4 ,john ,w4 ,rigdon1 the son of ,sidney ,rigdon1 has written a somewhat extended biography of his father which he has filed in its manuscript form in the ,church ,historian's ,office at ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,in this narrative he relates his own experience in connection with ,mormonism1 and his attempt to learn the truth from his father respecting the latter's early connection with the ,book of ,mormon4 ,he tells of his visit to ,utah1 in #ahfc1 where he spent the winter among the ,mormon people4 ,he was not favorably impressed with their religious life1 and came to the conclusion that the ,book of ,mormon itself was a fraud4 ,he determined in his own heart that if ever he returned home and found his father alive1 he would try and find out what he knew of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 although1 he adds1 he had never told but one story about it1 and that was that ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,oliver ,cowdery presented him with a bound volume of that book in the year #ahcj1 while he ,sidney ,rigdon was preaching ,campbellism at ,mentor1 ,ohio4 ,what ,john ,w4 ,rigdon claims to have seen in ,utah1 however1 together with the fact that ,sidney ,rigdon had been charged with writing the ,book of ,mormon1 made him suspicious1 and he remarks3 ,i concluded ,i would make an investigation for my own satisfaction and find out if ,i could if he had all these years been deceiving his family and the world1 by telling that which was not true1 and ,i was in earnest about it4 ,if ,sidney ,rigdon1 my father1 had thrown his life away by telling a falsehood and bringing sorrow and disgrace upon his family1 ,i wanted to know it and was determined to find out the facts1 no matter what the consequences might be4 ,i reached home in the fall of #ahfe1 found my father in good health and 7he7 was very much pleased to see me4 ,as he had not heard anything from me for some time1 he was afraid that ,i had been killed by the ,indians4 ,shortly after ,i had arrived home1 ,i went to my father's room2 he was there and alone1 and now was the time for me to commence my inquiries in regard to the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 and as to the truth of the ,mormon religion4 ,i told him what ,i had seen at ,salt ,lake ,city1 and ,i said to him that what ,i had seen at ,salt ,lake had not impressed me very favorably toward the ,mormon ,church1 and as to the origin of the ,book of ,mormon ,i had some doubts4 ',you have been charged with writing that book and giving it to ,joseph ,smith to introduce to the world4 ,you have always told me one story2 that you never saw this book until it was presented to you by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,oliver ,cowdery2 and all you ever knew of the origin of that book was what they told you and what ,joseph ,smith and the witnesses who claimed to have seen the plates had told you4 ,is this true8 ,if so1 all right2 if it is not1 you owe it to me and to your family to tell it4 ,you are an old man and will soon pass away1 and ,i wish to know if ,joseph ,smith1 in your intimacy with him for fourteen years1 has not said something to you that led you to believe he obtained that book in some other way than what he had told you4 ,give me all you know about it1 that ,i may know the truth4' ,my father1 after ,i had finished saying what ,i have repeated above1 looked at me a moment1 raised his hand above his head and slowly said1 with tears glistening in his eyes3 ',my son1 ,i can swear before high heaven that what ,i have told you about the origin of that book is true4 ,your mother and sister1 7,mrs4 ,athalia ,robinson71 were present when that book was handed to me in ,mentor1 ,ohio1 and all ,i ever knew about the origin of that book was what ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,oliver ,cowdery1 ,joseph ,smith and the witnesses who claimed they saw the plates have told me1 and in all of my intimacy with ,joseph ,smith he never told me but the one story1 and that was that he found it engraved upon gold plates in a hill near ,palmyra1 ,new ,york1 and that an angel had appeared to him and directed him where to find it2 and ,i have never1 to you or any one else1 told but the one story1 and that ,i now repeat to you4' ,i believed him1 and now believe he told me the truth4 ,he also said to me after that that ,mormonism was true2 that ,joseph ,smith was a ,prophet1 and this world would find it out some day4 #aef ,footnote #aef3 ,life of ,sidney ,rigdon1 by his son1 ,john ,w4 ,rigdon1 ms4 pp4 #ahh-aie4 ,the passages quoted in the text will be found in the ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #aab-c4 ,also ,y4,m4,m4,i4,a4 ,manual for #aije-f1 pp4 #dhe-f4 ,not only does ,john ,w4 ,rigdon give this valuable statement as to his father's position respecting the ,book of ,mormon1 but he adds the following from his mother3 ,after my father's death1 my mother1 who survived him several years1 was in the enjoyment of good health up to the time of her last sickness1 she being eighty-six years old4 ,a short time before her death ,i had a conversation with her about the origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 and wanted to know what she remembered about its being presented to my father4 ,she said to me in that conversation that what my father had told me about the book being presented to him was true1 for she was present at the time and knew that was the first time he ever saw it1 and that the stories told about my father writing the ,book of ,mormon were not true4 ,this she said to me in her old age1 and when the shadows of the grave were gathering around her2 and ,i believe her4 #aeg ,footnote #aeg3 ,history of the ,church1 ,vol4 ,i1 p4 #abc1 note4 ,,the ,,real ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,spaulding ,,theory4 ,a word upon the real origin of the ,spaulding theory4 ,it did not originate by a woman preacher1 #aeh reading extracts from the ,book of ,mormon whereupon there was a spontaneous recognition of ,solomon ,spaulding's story ,manuscript ,found1 and an outburst of popular indignation against this deception1 as is usually represented to be the case by those who advocate the ,spaulding theory1 and by ,mr4 ,schroeder in particular4 #aei ,especially is ,mr4 ,schroeder insistent upon the spontaneity with which the ,spaulding work was recognized when the ,book of ,mormon was publicly read at ,conneaut2 though to get this spontaneity ,mr4 ,schroeder must needs rely upon the ,davidson statement which he acknowledges4 ,mrs4 ,davidson never wrote1 and which he says can have no evidentiary weight except in those matters where it is plain from the nature of things that she must have been speaking from her own personal knowledge #afj and in the matter here to be mentioned ,mrs4 ,davidson could have had no personal knowledge at all4 ,so that ,mr4 ,schroeder throws aside his own limitations within which ,mrs4 ,davidson's statement is to be given evidentiary weight1 in the interest of his desire for the force of spontaneity in the recognition of the ,book of ,mormon as ,spaulding's work4 ,according to the ,davidson statement1 then1 when the woman preacher in a public meeting read extracts from the ,book of ,mormon1 ,john ,spaulding1 residing at ,conneaut at the time1 and present at the meeting-- ,footnote #aeh3 ,it is claimed that the words woman preacher found in the ,davidson statement was a typographical error1 7see ,clark's ,gleanings by the ,way17 and should read ,mormon preacher2 bu the typographical error being claimed after it was learned that the mormon ,church at that time had no women preachers1 gives it the color of one of those afterthoughts which are so frequently seen in this ,spaulding theory1 that one in spite of himself remains doubtful4 ,footnote #aei3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,jan41 #aijg1 p4 #ga4 ,ante p4 #fg4 ,footnote #afj3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,sept41 #aijf1 p4 #cid4 ,ante p4 #bi4 ,recognized perfectly the work of his brother4 ,he was amazed and afflicted that it should have been perverted to so wicked a purpose4 ,his grief found vent in a flood of tears1 and he rose on the spot1 and expressed to the meeting his sorrow and regret that the writings of his deceased brother should be used for a purpose so vile and shocking4 ,the excitement in ,new ,salem 7,conneaut7 became so great that the inhabitants had a meeting and deputed ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlburt one of their number to repair to this place 7,monson7 and to obtain from me 7,mrs4 ,spaulding ,davidson7 the original manuscript of ,mr4 ,spaulding4 ,one marvels that all this was missed by the authors of ,mormonism ,unveiled4 ,dr4 ,hurlburt was present1 too1 in that meeting1 and was the chief agent and factor in compiling ,howe's book4 ,yet in the statement published in that book1 and credited to ,john ,spaulding1 there is not a word of this dramatic circumstance--this splendid spontaneity1 so much the joy of ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,there is no agony of grief2 no flood of tears2 no denunciation on the spot2 no reference to a purpose vile and shocking2 just a plain statement that he had recently read the ,book of ,mormon2 and the claim that he found nearly the same historical matter in it as in his brother's writings2 some names that were alike2 and that the ,manuscript ,found held to the theory that the ,american ,indians were descendants of the lost tribes2 evidently supposing that the ,book of ,mormon held the same theory4 ,had any such circumstance as described in the ,davidson statement occurred1 it would undoubtedly have appeared in ,john ,spaulding's statement published by ,howe five years before this second version was put forth4 ,but notwithstanding the bad odor of the whole ,davidson statement1 and the violation of his own principle1 under which only it is to be considered possessed of evidentiary weight1 ,mr4 ,schroeder uses this highly dramatic fiction to introduce his clinching evidence of the plagiarism charged against those responsible for the publication of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the true story of the origin of this ,spaulding theory is as follows3 ,when ,dr4 ,hurlburt was finally excommunicated from the ,church he took to lecturing against the ,mormons1 holding forth first at ,springfield1 ,erie ,county1 ,penn41 some distance east of ,conneaut4 ,finally visiting the ,jackson settlement 7presumably in the same county7 he learned1 from one of the ,jacksons1 of ,solomon ,spaulding1 and that he had written a story called ,manuscript ,found4 ,not that any of these persons1 says my authority1 who was well acquainted in the ,jackson ,settlement1 also with ,dr4 ,hurlburt1 and attended his anti-,mormon meetings in the neighborhood--not that any of these persons had the most distant idea that his ,spaulding's novel had ever been converted into the ,book of ,mormon2 or that there was any connection between them4 #afa ,footnote #afa3 ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story 7#ahdj71 ,b4 ,winchester1 p4 #h4 ,it was the conception of ,dr4 ,hurlburt that this ,spaulding manuscript could be used in concocting a counter theory for the origin of the ,book of ,mormon--a long felt want1 by the way1 among those who opposed the book and the work growing out of it4 ,with the information he had obtained in the ,jackson ,settlement1 ,hurlburt repairs to ,kirtland1 holds a public meeting1 at which there is great joy1 and enthusiasm among the anti-,mormons in that vicinity1 because of ,hurlburt's theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,one ,mr4 ,newel1 a bitter anti-,mormon1 promised to advance #cjj for prosecuting the work of identification1 and others contributed liberally for the same purpose4 ,out of this meeting grew the public meeting held later at ,conneaut2 #afb and which sent ,hurlburt upon his journey to ,monson1 ,mass41 for ,spaulding's manuscript which ultimately he obtained of ,mr4 ,jerome ,clark at ,hartwicks1 ,new ,york1 on the order of ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson4 ,this manuscript ,hurlburt brought to ,e4 ,d4 ,howe of ,plainsville1 ,ohio1 for the forth-coming book1 ,mormonism ,unveiled4 ,it was a disappointment to these conspirators1 as already detailed2 and as explained by ,hurlburt in a letter to ,mrs4 ,davidson1 ,it did not read as expected1 and he should not print it4 #afc ,footnote #afb3 ,ibid4 pp4 #f-ad4 ,footnote #afc3 ,see ,haven-,davidson ,interview4 ,ante p4 #adg4 ,in passing1 it should be said that ,hurlburt never received but the one manuscript4 ,the theory put forth that he obtained two1 one the true ,manuscript ,found1 which it is alleged1 he sold to the ,mormons1--as is the suspicion of the ,spauldings--and a worthless one1 the ,roman manuscript1 now at ,oberlin1 which he gave to ,howe1 is one of the many fictions that have grown out of the innumerable surmisings and conjectures associated with the ,spaulding theory4 ,hurlburt himself says on this point1 in a signed statement under date of ,august #ai1 #ahgi3 ,i do not know whether or not the document ,i received from ,mrs4 ,davidson was ,spaulding's ,manuscript ,found1 as ,i never read it entire1 and it convinced me that it was not the ,spaulding ,manuscript2 but whatever it was1 ,mr4 ,howe received it under the condition on which ,i took it from ,mrs4 ,davidson--to compare it with the ,book of ,mormon1 and then return it to her4 ,i never received any other manuscript of ,spaulding's from ,mrs4 ,davidson1 or any one else4 ,of that manuscript ,i made no other use than to give it1 with all my other documents connected with ,mormonism1 to ,mr4 ,howe4 ,i did not destroy the manuscript nor dispose or it to ,joe ,smith1 or to any other person4 #afd ,footnote #afd3 ,new ,light on ,mormonism1 appendix1 p4 #bfj1 ,no4 #ag4 ,letter from ,hurlburt2 also no4 #h1 another letter from ,hurlburt1 and ,no4 #af a letter from ,howe4 ,this manuscript received by ,hurlburt and given to ,howe is the only ,spaulding manuscript written by ,spaulding1 making any reference to the antiquities of ,america4 ,it is the simon-pure and only ,manuscript ,found4 ,against this it is urged by ,mr4 ,schroeder that no such title is discoverable anywhere upon or in the body of the manuscript in the ,oberlin library4 #afe ,and yet with strange inconsistency he himself a few pages further on admits--,it is even possible that this first manuscript 7meaning the one now at ,oberlin71 may at sometime have been labeled ,manuscript ,found4 #aff ,but what is better than any label on the manuscript inside or outside2 better than any admission of ,mr4 ,schroeder's1 is the fact that this manuscript is the one ,mr4 ,spaulding feigned to have found1 and that he pretended to translate into ,english4 ,it is the found manuscript1 and the only one that ,spaulding pretended or feigned to have found4 ,it is the one that ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry says she had in her hands many times at ,sabine's after #ahaf2 and that on the outside of this manuscript were written the words1 ',manuscript ,found4' ,footnote #afe3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,sept41 #aijf1 p4 #chf4 ,ante p4 #bj4 ,footnote #aff3 ,ibid4 p4 #cij4 ,perhaps it was this positive statement that drove ,mr4 ,schroeder to the admission that it is possible that this manuscript at ,oberlin may have been so labeled4 ,the descriptions of the ,spaulding manuscript called ,manuscript ,found1 by others1 who had knowledge of it1 agree very nearly as to its size1 and their descriptions fit the manuscript at ,oberlin and not at all such manuscript as would be required to make the ,book of ,mormon4 ,thus1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kinstry says that the manuscript she had in her hands many times at ,sabine's1 and that was tied up with some other stories1 and had written on the outside of it1 ,manuscript ,found1 made the manuscript about one inch thick4 ,mrs4 7,spaulding7 ,davidson in the ,haven interview says her husband's manuscript was about one third as large as the ,book of ,mormon4 7i4e41 about one third as much1 ,ms4 as would be required to make the ,book of ,mormon74 ,the ,davidson statement represents that ,john ,spaulding was perfectly familiar with the work of his brother1 ,manuscript ,found1 and repeatedly heard the whole of it read1 which might be possible with the ,spaulding manuscript1 which1 now that it is printed1 makes #aab pages1 but scarcely possible respecting a manuscript making a book of about #fjj such pages4 ,this manuscript of ,spaulding's has finally been really found and published as already detailed2 and its publication has resulted in the overthrow of the ,spaulding theory of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon2 and that quite in another way than from disclosing the fact that there is no incident1 or name1 or set of ideas common to the two productions4 ,the publication of the ,manuscript ,found not only demonstrates that this particular manuscript was not the foundation of the ,book of ,mormon1 but it demonstrates1 also1 that no other writings of ,solomon ,spaulding's could possibly be the ,book of ,mormon4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 as published1 makes a pamphlet of some #aab pages1 of about #cej words to the page1 enough matter to give a clear idea of his literary style4 ,i am sure that no person1 having any literary judgment will think it possible for the author of ,manuscript ,found to be the author of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,composition in writers becomes individualized as distinctly as the looks1 or appearance1 or character1 of separate individuals2 and they no more write in several styles than individuals impersonate different characters4 ,true1 by special efforts this latter may be done to a limited extent by a change of tone1 costume and the like1 but underneath these impersonations is to be seen the real individual2 and so with authors4 ,one may sometimes affect a light1 and sometimes a serious vein1 in prose and poetry4 ,he may imitate a solemn scriptural style even1 or the diction of some ,greek or ,roman author1 but underneath it all will be seen the individuality of the writer from which he cannot separate himself any more than he can separate himself from his true form1 features1 or character4 ,since we have in this ,manuscript ,found enough of ,mr4 ,spaulding's style to determine its nature1 if this manuscript of his was used either as the foundation or the complete work of the ,book of ,mormon1 we would be able to detect ,spauldingisms in it2 identity of style would be apparent2 but these things are entirely absent from every page of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,mr4 ,rice1 in whose possession the ,spaulding manuscript was found in #ahhd1 does not over-state the matter when he says3 ,i should as soon think that the ,book of ,revelation was written by the author of ,don ,quixote1 as that the writer of this manuscript was the author of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,and again1 he is right when he says3 ,it is unlikely that any one who wrote so elaborate a work as the ,mormon ,bible1 would spend his time in getting up so shallow a story as this--i4 e41 the ,spaulding ,story4 ,,the ,,motive ,,for ,,publishing ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,it must be said for ,mr4 ,schroeder that his theory of the motive prompting the publication of the ,book of ,mormon is quite in harmony with his theory of its origin4 ,for it is fitting that a thing founded in fraud should--and it very likely would--have the greed of gain as the dynamics of the scheme2 and that love of gold1 not ,god1 would be the moving cause of action4 ,the only point at which ,mr4 ,schroeder breaks down in his theory of the motive1 is just where he breaks down in his theory of origin--namely1 in the proof4 ,the excerpts from the revelations quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder fail as proofs for his assumption4 ,he ranges all through the numerous revelations given to the ,church from #ahcj to #ahda4 ,of the thirteen excerpts quoted by him two only have any bearing upon the ,book of ,mormon2 and these two are from a revelation to ,martin ,harris1 who had covenanted with ,joseph ,smith and with the publisher of the book1 ,mr4 ,grandin1 that he would pay for printing it4 ,yet when the time came to make good his plighted word1 he hesitated2 whereupon the word of the ,lord came1 as quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder3 ,impart a portion of thy property2 yea1 even part of thy lands1 and all save the support of thy family4 ,so far ,mr4 ,schroeder quotes4 ,the very next paragraph 7#ce7 of the revelation goes on--,pay the debt thou has contracted with the printer4 ,release thyself from bondage--7i4 e4 the bondage of debt74 ,again ,mr4 ,schroeder quotes 7verse #bf7 ,i command that thou shalt not covet thine own property4 ,the full paragraph is3 ,and again ,i command thee1 that thou shalt not covet thine own property1 but impart it freely to the printing of the ,book of ,mormon1 which contains the truth and the word of ,god4 #afg ,just where in these passages1 which are the only ones out of those quoted from the ,doctrine and ,covenants that bear at all on the ,book of ,mormon--just wherein they bear witness to the greed of gain being the motive that prompted the publication of the book2 or how they sustain the idea that love of gold1 not ,god was the dynamics of the scheme1 ,i fail to see4 ,footnote #afg3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,sec4 #ai3cd1 #ce1 #cf4 ,as for the rest of the passages quoted by ,mr4 ,schroeder1 they fall into two classes3 first1 those that relate to the consecration of properties to the ,church2 and second1 those that command that provisions be made for the sustenance of ,joseph ,smith and others who were devoting their energies to the work of the ,lord4 ,in relation to the first class it will make matters clear for the reader to know that the ,saints were called upon to recognize this principle3 ,the earth is the ,lord's4 ,he created it4 ,it is his1 by virtue of proprietorship2 consequently all that man holds1 of the world's wealth is held as a stewardship under ,god4 ,to give visible recognition to this truth1 the ,saints were commanded in ,missouri to consecrate their property to the ,lord through his servants1 and receive back a stewardship as from the ,lord2 and this in order that the great truth of man's mere stewardship over that which he is said to possess--coming now to be recognized by the best ,christian thought of the age as the proper attitude of mind for the believer in ,god1 in respect of his material possessions--might once for all be established as a doctrine of the ,church1 emphasized by this visible act of consecration4 ,as to the second class of quotations directing that provisions shall be made for the material needs of ,joseph ,smith and his family--is it necessary to argue at this late day what ,paul seems to have settled long ago1 viz3 ,they which minister about holy things1 live of the things of the temple4 99 99 99 99 ,even so hath the ,lord ordained1 that they which preach the ,gospel1 should live of the ,gospel4 #afh ,is not the justice of this principle universally recognized8 ,i say ,mr4 ,schroeder breaks down at the production of proof for his theory as to motive4 ,and his ringing the changes upon this subject has but the sound of brass when applied to ,joseph ,smith personally or to all the leaders of the ,mormon ,church from its inception4 ,never have a people been more blessed with unselfish leaders than the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,men blessed with divine insight and power have given their services1 practically without renumeration1 for the welfare of their people4 ,they have labored in season and out of season for them4 ,they have given not only a teaching service1 tending to make the truth clear1 but they have given freely of their business ability1 executive and judicial abilities4 ,men of statesman-like quality of mind have devoted their lives to their people1 and practically without earthly reward1 and many of them1 the most of them1 in fact1 have died poor in this world's goods1 but rich in the consciousness of service for fellow-men well performed4 ,footnote #afh3 ,i ,corinthians #i3ac1 #ad4 ,i write these words from the midst of a people1 who1 when they read them1 will think of hundreds of men who have lived and wrought out life's service among them1 in the very spirit here described4 ,greed of gain furnish the dynamics of the ,mormon scheme6 ,love of gold1 not of ,god1 the motive force in ,mormonism6 ,a desire for money the inspiring cause of every act of the ,mormon ,prophet1 the very divinity that moulded his thoughts and revelations1 and brought into being ,mormon's books6 #afi ,nonsense1 ,mr4 ,schroeder2 you have studied human nature as well as ,mormonism to little purpose if you really think so4 ,joseph ,smith was loved by his people to the verge of idolization4 ,he won and kept that love of theirs to the day of his death4 ,he had the satisfaction of seeing one of his great prophecies fulfilled--a prophecy given out from a prison cell1 in #ahci1 and when his fortunes were fallen to their lowest point--when his enemies seemed to triumph1 and traitors were arrayed against him-then came the assurance from ,god--,thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors4 #agj ,and they never were1 either before his death or since4 ,greed of gold1 selfishness2 ,love of gold1 not ,god1 does not produce these results4 ,selfishness never wins or holds hearts4 ,only a life that pours out itself in floods of unselfish service for others wins and holds affections4 ,such was the life of ,joseph ,smith1 such the lives of ,mormon leaders4 ,footnote #afi3 ,american ,historical ,magazine1 ,may1 #aijg1 p4 #bba4 ,ante pp4 #hj-ha4 ,footnote #agj3 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,sec4 #abb4 ,,concluding ,,remarks4 ,and now my task draws towards its close4 ,my purpose in this paper1 in the main1 has been merely to refute the theory1 together with the alleged evidences and arguments of ,mr4 ,schroeder4 ,my method has been to refute him largely out of the material and authorities which he himself has introduced4 ,and of course this has kept the discussion of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon within narrow limits4 ,this paper has been more in the nature of a rejoinder than anything else to ,mr4 ,schroeder's reply to the theory set forth by the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints for the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,by this undesigned order of the discussion and by its necessary limitations1 the reader is at the disadvantage of not having immediately before him the theory of the divine origin of the ,book of ,mormon1 sustained by the strong array of evidences and arguments1 that may be marshalled in its support4 #aga ,but it will help in forming a right conclusion as to the merits of this discussion if what is here suggested be held in mind1 namely3 ,the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints sets forth the claim of a divine origin for the ,book of ,mormon1 sustained by special witnesses1 whom ,god raised up to testify of that origin2 sustained also1 as that ,church believes1 by a world of evidences1 both external and internal4 ,to this ,mr4 ,schroeder has offered a counter-theory of origin1 the ,spaulding ,theory1 to which ,i have made this rejoinder4 ,my effort has had no higher aim than this1 believing that nothing more was required of me under the circumstances4 ,if my paper shall prove to be1 as ,i think it must1 a successful rejoinder2 if it exhibits how inherently weak1 and foolish this ,spaulding theory is1 even when most skillfully set forth2 if it exhibits the tissue of falsehood and of malice1 of which that theory is made up2 and the bitterness and hatred in which it had its inception2 and exposes the dishonest sophistry by which that theory has been supported1--,i shall be content4 ,b4 ,h4 ,,roberts4 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,jan41 #aiji4 ,footnote #aga3 ,for an extended treatise on this subject see the writer's ,new ,witness for ,god1 published as ,young ,men's ,manuals1 ,nos4 #g1 #h and #i1 #aijc-aijf4 ,now published in a series of three volumes under the title ,new ,witnesses for ,god1 ,vol4 ,i treats of ,joseph ,smith as a ,new ,witness2 ,vols4 ,,ii and ,,iii is the treatise on the ,book of ,mormon as ,a ,new ,witness for ,god4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,recent ,,discussion ,,of ,,mormon ,,affairs4 ,,foreword4 ,the justification for publishing the three following papers consists in the importance of the subjects which they treat4 ,the first paper1 ,an ,address to the ,world1 was presented to the ,general ,conference of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 by the ,first ,presidency of the ,church1 and by that conference unanimously adopted on the #eth of ,april1 #aijg1 and sent forth to the world4 ,it was conceived and written in a conciliatory spirit1 and was intended to form the basis of a right understanding of the attitude of the ,church of the ,latter-day ,saints with reference to a number of subjects concerning which there had been bitter controversy4 ,the ,address explained the past4 ,it expressed the intention of the ,church to give strict adherence to its obligations to discontinue plural marriages1 and with that1 in time1 would pass away polygamous living4 ,it also declared the intention of the ,church to abstain from interference in politics4 ,that this was the spirit and intent of the ,address cannot be questioned by those who read it4 ,it presented1 as the writer then believed1 and as he now believes1 a fair basis of understanding and settlement of our local difficulties4 ,the manner in which it was met by the ,ministerial ,association1 with distrust1 misrepresentation1 unfair criticism and sly innuendo of evil intentions1 went far towards defeating its purpose1 and gave occasion for the ,answer to the ,ministerial ,association's ,review of the ,address to the world4 ,the papers themselves tell the rest4 ,i4 ,,an ,,address3 ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ ,,of ,,latter-,,day ,,saints ,,to ,,the ,,world4 ,,first ,,presidency ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,let facts be submitted to a candid world4 ,i4 ,the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints to the ,world4 ,,greeting3 ,in the hope of correcting misrepresentation1 and of establishing a more perfect understanding respecting ourselves and our religion1 we1 the officers and members of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 in ,general ,conference assembled1 issue this ,declaration4 ,such an action seems imperative4 ,never were our principles or our purposes more widely misrepresented1 more seriously misunderstood4 ,our doctrines are distorted1 the sacred ordinances of our religion ridiculed1 our ,christianity questioned1 our history falsified1 our character traduced1 and our course of conduct as a people reprobated and condemned4 ,in answer to the charges made against us1 for ourselves and for those who1 under divine direction1 founded our religion and our ,church2 for our posterity1 to whom we shall transmit the faith1 and into whose keeping we shall give the ,church of ,christ2 and before mankind1 whose opinions we respect1 we solemnly declare the truth to be3 ,our religion is founded on the revelations of ,god4 ,the ,gospel we proclaim is the ,gospel of ,christ1 restored to earth in this the dispensation of the fulness of times4 ,the high claim of the ,church is declared in its title--,the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,established by divine direction1 its name was prescribed by him whose ,church it is--,jesus the ,christ4 ,the religion of this people is pure ,christianity4 ,its creed is expressive of the duties of practical life4 ,its theology is based on the doctrines of the ,redeemer4 ,if it be true ,christianity to accept ,jesus ,christ in person and in mission as divine2 to revere him as the ,son of ,god1 the crucified and risen ,lord1 through whom alone can mankind attain salvation2 to accept his teachings as a guide1 to adopt as a standard and observe as a law the ethical code he promulgated2 to comply with the requirements prescribed by him as essential to membership in his ,church1 namely1 faith1 repentance1 baptism by immersion for the remission of sins1 and the laying on of hands for the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1--if this be ,christianity1 then are we ,christians1 and the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints is a ,christian church4 ,the theology of our ,church is the theology taught by ,jesus ,christ and his apostles1 the theology of scripture and reason4 ,it not only acknowledges the sacredness of ancient scripture1 and the binding force of divinely-inspired acts and utterances in ages past2 but also declares that ,god now speaks to man in this final ,gospel dispensation4 ,we believe in the ,godhead1 comprising the three individual personages1 ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,we hold that man is verily the child of ,god1 formed in his image1 endowed with divine attributes1 and possessing power to rise from the gross desires of earth to the ennobling aspirations of heaven4 ,we believe in the pre-existence of man as a spirit1 and in a future state of individual existence1 in which every soul shall find its place1 as determined by justice and mercy1 with opportunities of endless progression1 in the varied conditions of eternity4 ,we believe in the free agency of man1 and therefore in his individual responsibility4 ,we believe that salvation is for no select few1 but that all men may be saved through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the ,gospel4 ,we affirm that to administer in the ordinances of the ,gospel authority must be given of ,god2 and that this authority is the power of the ,holy ,priesthood4 ,we affirm that through the ministration of immortal personages2 the ,holy ,priesthood has been conferred upon men in the present age1 and that under this divine authority the ,church of ,christ has been organized4 ,we proclaim the objects of this organization to be1 the preaching of the ,gospel in all the world1 the gathering of scattered-,israel1 and the preparation of a people for the coming of the ,lord4 ,mormonism seeks its converts among all classes and conditions of society1 and those who accept it are among the best men and women of the nations from which they come--honest1 industrious1 virtuous1 and reverent4 ,in their community life they are peaceable1 law-abiding and exemplary4 ,their instincts1 traditions and training are opposed to vice and crime4 ,the religion they have embraced1 the ,church of which they are members1 condemns every form of evil1 and their lives1 with few exceptions1 are exponents of righteousness4 ,many of the early proselytes to our faith were descendants of the ,pilgrims and ,puritans4 ,joseph ,smith1 ,brigham ,young1 and other leaders among the ,latter-day ,saints1 traced their lineage to the founders and first defenders of the nation4 ,joseph ,smith was a native of ,vermont1 and by vocation a farmer4 ,all trades and professions were drawn upon for the membership of the ,church4 ,in ,england1 its first foreign mission field1 it was mainly the middle and working classes that responded to the ,gospel message4 ,all over the world it has been the same1--our converts have been men and women of character1 intelligence1 and integrity4 ,there is nothing in ,mormonism to attract the selfish or the vile4 ,the effort to differentiate the ,mormon priesthood and the ,mormon people1 by allowing that the latter are a good1 honest1 though misguided folk1 while alleging that their leaders are the personification of all that is bad1 is a most futile one4 ,the great majority of the male members of the ,church hold the priesthood1 and though constituting the official body of the ,church1 they are a portion of the people4 ,priesthood and people are inseparable1 and1 vindicated or condemned1 stand together4 ,the charge that the ,church relies upon duplicity in the propagation of her doctrines1 and shuns enlightened investigation1 is contrary to reason and fact4 ,deceit and fraud in the perpetuation of any religion must end in failure4 ,a system of religion1 ethics1 or philosophy1 to attract and hold the attention of men1 must be sincere in doctrine and honest in propaganda4 ,that the ,church employs deceptive methods2 that she has one doctrine for the priesthood and another for the people2 that she teaches one set of principles to her members in ,zion1 and another to the world1 is not true4 ,enlightened investigation is the very means through which the ,church hopes to promote belief in her principles1 and extend the beneficent influence of her institutions4 ,from the beginning1 enlightened investigation has been the one thing she has sought4 ,to secure this she has sent her missionaries into all parts of the world1 especially to the centres of civilization and enlightenment1 where her literature has been freely distributed2 yet too frequently her claims have been disallowed without investigation1 and judgment has been pronounced without a hearing4 ,at the ,columbian ,exposition1 which celebrated the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of ,america1 the religions of the world were represented in a great parliament1 for the purpose of showing in the most impressive way1 what and how many important truths the various religions hold and teach in common2 99 99 99 to set forth by those most competent to speak1 what are deemed the important distinctive truths held and taught by each religion2 99 99 99 to inquire what light each religion has afforded or may afford to the other religions of the world4 ,to this gathering the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 though the most distinctively ,american church1 was not invited2 nevertheless she sought opportunity to place side by side with the creeds of all the great historic faiths1 a presentation of her principles1 and to voice to mankind the truths she deemed most important and most helpful4 ,this opportunity was denied the ,church1 except upon such terms as were humiliating and subversive of the end sought--a wider publication and a more just consideration of her faith4 ,after such an experience1 and others of like kind1 though of varying degree1 we submit that it ill becomes our accusers to charge us with shunning enlightened investigation4 ,it has been charged that ,mormonism is opposed to education4 ,the history of the ,church and the precepts of its leaders are a sufficient answer to that accusation4 ,joseph ,smith1 the first ,president of the ,church1 founded schools1 and attended them as a student1 as did many of his followers under his advice and influence4 ,brigham ,young1 who succeeded ,joseph ,smith1 emulated him as a founder and patron of schools2 and every subsequent ,president of the ,church1 his associates1 and the people generally1 have been equally zealous in that cause4 ,in the course of their exodus from ,illinois1 our people built log school houses while halting on the ,missouri river1 then the frontier of the nation2 and after they had traversed a thousand miles of wilderness1 and planted their infant colony in the valley of the ,great ,salt ,lake1 school houses were among the first buildings they erected4 ,such has been the course pursued in every ,mormon colony4 ,the ,state of ,utah1 now dotted with free schools1 academies1 colleges1 and universities1 institutions which have given her marked educational prominence1 furnishes indisputable evidence that her people--mostly ,mormons--are friends and promoters of education4 ,to the ,latter-day ,saints1 salvation itself1 under the atonement of ,christ1 is a process of education4 ,that knowledge is a means of eternal progress1 was taught by ,joseph ,smith--,it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance4--,a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge4--,the ,glory of ,god is intelligence4--,whatever principles of intelligence we attain to in this life1 will rise with us in the resurrection4--,he who gains in this life more knowledge than another1 will have so much the advantage in the world to come4 ,these were aphorisms with the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,neither is it true1 as alleged1 that ,mormonism is destructive of the sanctity of the marriage relation2 on the contrary it regards the lawful union of man and woman as the means through which they may realize their highest and holiest aspirations4 ,to the ,latter-day ,saints1 marriage is not designed by our ,heavenly ,father to be merely an earthly union1 but one that shall survive the vicissitudes of time1 and endure for eternity1 bestowing honor and joy in this world1 glory and eternal lives in the worlds to come4 ,the typical ,mormon home is the temple of the family1 in which the members of the household gather morning and evening1 for prayer and praise to ,god1 offered in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and often accompanied by the reading of scripture and the singing of spiritual songs4 ,here are taught and gently enforced1 the moral precepts and religious truths1 which1 taken together1 make up that righteousness which exalteth a nation1 and ward off that sin which is a reproach to any people4 ,if such conditions are not a sufficient answer to the charge that our homes are un-,christian1 subversive of moral influence1 and destructive of the state's stability1 then we turn to the present generations1 ,mormon ,american citizens products of our religion and our homes1 for our vindication3--,here are our sons and daughters1 submit them to any test of comparison you will2 regard for truth1 veneration for age1 reverence for ,god1 love of man1 loyalty to country1 respect for law1 refinement of manners1 and1 lastly1 in this issue between us and our accusers the crowning test of all1 purity of mind and chastity of conduct4 ,it is not inordinate self praise to say of the generations of our people1 born and reared in ,mormon homes1 that they will compare favorably1 in the ,christian virtues1 and in all that makes for good citizenship1 with any community in this or any other country4 ,the charge that the ,church is a commercial rather than a religious institution2 that its aims are temporal rather than spiritual2 that it dictates its members in their industrial activities and relations1 and aims at absolute domination in temporal affairs1--all this we emphatically deny4 ,that the ,church claims the right to counsel and advise her members in temporal as well as in spiritual affairs is admitted4 ,leading ,church officials1 men of practical experience in pioneer life1 have aided the people in establishing settlements throughout the inter-mountain west1 and have given them1 gratuitously1 the benefit of their broader knowledge of things1 through counsel and direction1 which the people have followed to their advantage2 and both the wisdom of the leaders and the good sense of the people are vindicated in the results achieved4 ,all this has been done without the exercise of arbitrary power4 ,it has resulted from wise counsels1 persuasively given and willingly followed4 ,it has also been the policy of the ,church to foster home industries4 ,where there has been a lack of confidence in some of these enterprises1 and private capital has been afraid to invest1 the ,church has furnished funds that the practicability of the undertaking might be demonstrated2 and repeatedly the wisdom of this policy has been made manifest4 ,thereby the resources of various localities have been developed1 community industries diversified1 and the people1 especially the poor1 given increased opportunity of employment and a better chance to become self-sustaining4 ,we deny the existence of arbitrary power in the ,church2 and this because its government is moral government purely1 and its forces are applied through kindness1 reason1 and persuasion4 ,government by consent of the governed is the rule of the ,church4 ,following is a summary of the word of the ,lord1 setting forth the principles on which the ,church government is to be administered3 ,the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven1 and the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness4 ,that they may be conferred upon men1 is true2 but when they undertake to cover their sins1 or gratify their pride1 their vain ambition1 or exercise control1 or dominion1 or compulsion1 upon the souls of the children of men1 in any degree of unrighteousness1 the ,spirit of the ,lord is grieved2 and when it is withdrawn1 amen to the priesthood1 or the authority of that man4 ,no power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood1 only by persuasion1 by long suffering1 by gentleness1 and meekness1 and by love unfeigned2 by kindness1 and pure knowledge1 which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy and without guile4 ,nominations to ,chuch office may be made by revelation2 and the right of nomination is usually exercised by those holding high authority1 but it is a law that no person is to be ordained to any office in the ,church1 where there is a regularly organized branch of the same1 without the vote of its members4 ,this law is operative as to all the officers of the ,church1 from the president down to the deacon4 ,the ecclesiastical government itself exists by the will of the people2 elections are frequent1 and the members are at liberty to vote as they choose4 ,true1 the elective principle here operates by popular acceptance1 rather than through popular selection1 but it is none the less real4 ,where the foregoing facts exist as to any system1 it is not and cannot be arbitrary4 ,the ,church officers1 in the exercise of their functions1 are answerable to the ,church4 ,no officer1 however exalted his position1 is exempt from this law4 ,all decisions1 rulings and conduct of officials are subject to investigation1 correction1 revision and final rejection by the general assembly of the priesthood of the ,church1 its final court of appeal4 ,even the ,president1 its highest officer1 is subject to these laws1 and special provision is made for his trial1 and1 if necessary1 his deposition4 ,where these facts exist in any administration of government1 it cannot be justly classed as a tyranny1 nor considered a menace to free institutions4 ,the tithing system of the ,church1 so often denounced as oppressive1 and as imposing an arbitrary ecclesiastical tax1 is in reality a system of free-will offerings4 ,true1 the members1 by the law of the ,church1 are under moral obligation to pay one-tenth of their interest annually4 ,but from the very nature of the principles on which churches exist1 they being voluntary associations for the fostering of spiritual life1 and the achievement of moral and charitable ends--in which associations membership cannot be compelled--there is no compulsory means of collecting this or any other church revenue4 ,tithing is a voluntary offering for religious and charitable purposes1 and not a scheme of extortion for the enrichment of the higher officials4 ,service in the interest of the ,church is given1 for the most part1 without monetary compensation2 where compensation is allowed it is moderate2 the high ,church officials are not rich1 but in the majority of cases are men of limited means1 and where it is otherwise their wealth did not come from the tithes of the people2 these facts are a complete refutation of the slander that our tithing is a system of extortion practiced upon the people for the enrichment of the priesthood4 ,like the ,church government throughout1 the tithing system operates upon the principle of free will and the consent of those who hold the faith to be divine4 ,neither in mental attitude nor in conduct have we been disloyal to the government under whose guarantee of religious freedom our ,church was founded4 ,the ,book of ,mormon proclaims ,america to be the land of ,zion2 a land dedicated to righteousness and liberty2 a land of promise to certain branches of the house of ,israel1 and also to the ,gentiles4 ,it declares that ,god will fortify this land against all other nations2 and he that fighteth against ,zion shall perish4 ,by revelation to ,joseph ,smith the ,prophet1 the ,lord declared that he had established the ,constitution of the ,united ,states through wise men raised up unto this very purpose4 ,it is also our belief that ,god has blessed and prospered this nation1 and given unto it power to enforce the divine decrees concerning the land of ,zion1 that free institutions might not perish from the earth4 ,cherishing such convictions1 we have no place in our hearts for disloyal sentiments1 nor is there likelihood of treason in our conduct4 ,were we evil-disposed toward ,american institutions1 or disloyal to the ,united ,states1 we would be recreant to those principles to which by interest and education we are attached1 and would repudiate the revelations of ,god concerning this land4 ,in reaffirming our belief in the high destiny of ,america1 our attachment to ,american institutions1 and our loyalty to the ,united ,states1 we declare that these sentiments1 this loyalty1 have outlived the memory of all the wrongs inflicted upon our fathers and ourselves4 ,if patriotism and loyalty are qualities manifested in times of peace1 by just1 temperate1 benevolent1 industrious1 and virtuous living2 in times of trial1 by patience1 resistance only by lawful means to real or fancied wrongs1 and by final submission to the laws of the land1 though involving distress and sorrow2 and in time of war1 by willingness to fight the battles of the nation1--then1 unquestionably1 are the ,mormon people patriotic and loyal4 ,the only conduct seemingly inconsistent with our professions as loyal citizens1 is that involved in our attitude during the controversies that have arisen respecting plural marriage4 ,this principle was introduced by the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 at ,nauvoo1 ,illinois4 ,the practice was continued in ,utah1 and published to the world1 as a doctrine of the ,church1 in #aheb4 ,in the face of these facts1 ,brigham ,young1 whose position in the matter was well known1 was twice appointed1 with the consent of the ,senate1 first by president ,fillmore1 and afterwards by ,president ,pierce1 to be the ,governor of the ,territory4 ,it was not until #ahfb that ,congress enacted a law forbidding plural marriage4 ,this law the ,latter-day ,saints conscientiously disregarded1 in their observance of a principle sanctioned by their religion4 ,moreover they believed the enactment to be violative of the ,constitution1 which provides that ,congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion4 ,notwithstanding this attitude and conduct on the part of our people1 no decision of the ,supreme ,court upon this question was secured until #ahgh1 more than thirty years after the settlement of ,utah2 nor were determined efforts made to enforce the law until a further period of five or six years had elapsed4 ,surely this toleration1 under which the practice of plural marriage became firmly established1 binds the ,united ,states and its people1 if indeed they are not bound by considerations of mercy and wisdom1 to the exercise of patience and charity in dealing with this question4 ,if it be charged by those who find extenuation for offenses committed prior to the decision of #ahgh1 that our subsequent duty as good citizens was clear and unmistakable1 we reply that the situation1 as viewed by some of our members1 developed a conflict between duty to ,god and duty to the government4 ,moreover1 it was thought possible that the decision of the ,supreme ,court might be reversed1 if what was regarded as a constitutional right were not too easily surrendered4 ,what our people did in disregard of the law and of the decisions of the ,supreme ,court affecting plural marriages1 was in the spirit of maintaining religious rights under constitutional guaranties1 and not in any spirit of defiance or disloyalty to the government4 ,the ,mormon people have bowed in respectful submission to the laws enacted against plural marriage4 ,while it is true that for many years they contested the constitutionality of the law of ,congress1 and during that time acted in harmony with their religious convictions in upholding by practice1 as well as by spoken and written word1 a principle committed to them from ,god1 still1 when every means of constitutional defense had been exhausted1 the ,church abandoned the controversy and announced its intention to be obedient to the laws of the land4 ,subsequently1 when statehood for ,utah became a possibility1 on the condition that her constitution provide by ordinance1 irrevocable without the consent of the ,united ,states1 that plural marriages should be forever prohibited1 the ,mormon people accepted the condition by voting for the adoption of the constitution4 ,from that time until now1 the ,church has been true to its pledge respecting the abandonment of the practice of plural marriage4 ,if it be urged that there have been instances of the violation of the anti-polygamy laws1 and that some persons within the ,church have sought to evade the rule adopted by her1 prohibiting plural marriages1 the plain answer is that in every state and nation there are individuals who violate law in spite of all the vigilance that can be exercised2 but it does not follow that the integrity of a community or of a state is destroyed1 because of such individual transgressions4 ,all we ask is that the same common-sense judgment be exercised in relation to our community that is accorded to other communities4 ,when all the circumstances are weighed1 the wonder is1 not that there have been sporadic cases of plural marriage1 but that such cases have been so few4 ,it should be remembered that a religious conviction existed among the people1 holding this order of marriage to be divinely sanctioned4 ,little wonder then that there should appear1 in a community as large as ours1 and as sincere1 a few over-zealous individuals who refused to submit even to the action of the ,church in such a matter1 or that these few should find others who sympathized with their views2 the number1 however1 is small4 ,those who refer to ,mormon polygamy as a menace to the ,american home1 or as a serious factor in ,american problems1 make themselves ridiculous4 ,so far as plural marriage is concerned1 the question is settled4 ,the problem of polygamous living among our people is rapidly solving itself4 ,it is a matter of record that in #ahij1 when the manifesto was issued1 there were #b1dea plural families2 in nine years this number had been reduced to #a1edc4 ,four years later the number was #hig2 and many of these have since passed away4 ,in answer to the charge of disloyalty1 founded upon alleged secret obligations against our government1 we declare to all men that there is nothing treasonable or disloyal to any ordinance1 ceremony1 or ritual of the ,church4 ,the overthrow of earthly governments2 the union of church and state2 domination of the state by the church2 ecclesiastical interference with the political freedom and rights of the citizen1--all such things are contrary to the principles and policy of the ,church1 and directly at variance with the oft repeated declarations of its chief presiding authorities and of the ,church itself1 speaking through its general conferences4 ,the doctrine of the ,church on the subject of government1 stands as follows3 ,we believe in being subject to kings1 presidents1 rulers and magistrates1 in obeying1 honoring and sustaining the law4 ,such is our acknowledgment of duty to civil governments4 ,again3 ,we believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same1 and that such as will administer law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people 7if a republic71 or the will of the sovereign4 ,we do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government1 whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges1 and the individual rights of its members1 as citizens1 denied4 7,doc4 ,cov4 ,sec4 #acd47 ,with reference to the laws of the ,church1 it is expressly said3 ,be subject to the powers that be1 until ,he reigns whose right it is to reign1 and subdues all enemies under his feet4 ,behold1 the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of the ,church1 and in this light ye shall hold them forth4 7,doc4 ,cov4 ,sec4 #eh47 ,that is to say1 no law or rule enacted1 or revelation received by the ,church1 has been promulgated for the ,state4 ,such laws and revelations as have been given are solely for the government of the ,church4 ,the ,church1 of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints holds to the doctrine of the separation of church and state2 the non-interference of church authority in political matters2 and the absolute freedom and independence of the individual in the performance of his political duties4 ,if1 at any time1 there has been conduct at variance with this doctrine1 it has been in violation of the well settled principles and policy of the ,church4 ,we declare that from principle and policy1 we favor3 ,the absolute separation of church and state2 ,no domination of the state by the church2 ,no church interference with the functions of the ,state2 ,no state interference with the functions of the church2 or with the free exercise of religion2 ,the absolute freedom of the individual from the domination of ecclesiastical authority in political affairs2 ,the equality of all churches before the law4 ,the reaffirmation of this doctrine and policy1 however1 is predicated upon the express understanding that politics in the states where our people reside1 shall be conducted as in other parts of the ,union2 that there shall be no interference by the ,state with the ,church1 nor with the free exercise of religion4 ,should political parties make war upon the ,church1 or menace the civil1 political1 or religious rights of its members as such--against a policy of that kind by any political party or set of men whatsoever1 we assert the inherent right of self-preservation for the ,church and her right and duty to call upon all her children1 and upon all who love justice1 and desire the perpetuation of religious liberty1 to come to her aid1 to stand with her until the danger shall have passed4 ,and this1 openly1 submitting the justice of our cause to the enlightened judgment of our fellow men1 should such an issue unhappily arise4 ,we desire to live in peace and confidence with our fellow citizens of all political parties and of all religions4 ,it is sometimes urged that the permanent realization of such a desire is impossible1 since the ,latter-day ,saints hold as a principle of their faith that ,god now reveals himself to man1 as in ancient times2 that the priesthood of the ,church constitute a body of men who have1 each for himself1 in the sphere in which he moves1 special right to such revelation2 that the ,president of the ,church is recognized as the only person through whom divine communication will come as law and doctrine to the religious body2 that such revelation may come at any time1 upon any subject1 spiritual or temporal1 as ,god wills2 and finally that1 in the mind of every faithful ,latter-day ,saint1 such revelation1 in whatsoever it counsels1 advises or commands1 is paramount4 ,furthermore it is sometimes pointed out that the members of the ,church are looking for the actual coming of a ,kingdom of ,god on earth1 that shall gather all the kingdoms of the world into one visible1 divine empire1 over which the risen ,messiah shall reign4 ,all this1 it is held1 renders it impossible for a ,mormon to give true allegiance to his country1 or to any earthly government4 ,we refuse to be bound by the interpretations which others place upon our beliefs2 or by what they allege must be the practical consequences of our doctrines4 ,men have no right to impute to us what they think may be the logical deduction from our beliefs1 but which we ourselves do not accept4 ,we are to be judged by our own interpretations1 and by our actions1 not by the logic of others1 as to what is1 or may be1 the result of our faith4 ,we deny that either our belief in divine revelation1 or our anticipation of the coming kingdom of ,god1 weakens in any degree the genuineness of our allegiance to our country4 ,when the divine empire will be established1 we may not know any more than other ,christians who pray1 ,thy kingdom come1 ,thy will be done1 in earth as it is in heaven2 but we do know that our allegiance and loyalty to country are strengthened by the fact that while awaiting the advent of the ,messiah's kingdom1 we are under a commandment from ,god to be subject to the powers that be1 until ,he comes whose right it is to reign4 ,mormonism is in the world for the world's good4 ,teaching truth1 inculcating morality1 guarding the purity of the home1 honoring authority and government1 fostering education1 and exalting man and woman1 our religion denounces crime1 and is a foe to tyranny in every form4 ,mormonism seeks to uplift1 not to destroy society4 ,she joins hands with the civilization of the age4 ,proclaiming herself a special harbinger of the ,savior's second coming1 she recognizes in all the great epochs and movements of the past1 steps in the march of progress leading up to the looked for millennial reign4 ,mormonism lifts an ensign of peace to all people4 ,the predestined fruits of her proposed system are the sanctification of the earth and the salvation of the human family4 ,and now1 to all the world3 ,having been commanded of ,god1 as much as lieth in us1 to live peaceably with all men--we1 in order to be obedient to the heavenly commandment1 send forth this ,declaration1 that our position upon the various questions agitating the public mind concerning us may be known4 ,we desire peace1 and will do all in our power on fair and honorable principles to promote it4 ,our religion is interwoven with our lives1 it has formed our character1 and the truth of its principles is impressed upon our souls4 ,we submit to you1 our fellow-men1 that there is nothing in those principles that calls for execration1 no matter how widely in some respects they may differ from your conceptions of religious truth4 ,certainly there is nothing in them that may not stand within the wide circle of modern toleration of religious thought and practice4 ,to us these principles are crystallizations of truth4 ,they are as dear to us as your religious conceptions are to you4 ,in their application to human conduct1 we see the world's hope of redemption from sin and strife1 from ignorance and unbelief4 ,our motives are not selfish2 our purposes not petty and earth-bound2 we contemplate the human race1 past1 present and yet to come1 as immortal beings1 for whose salvation it is our mission to labor2 and to this work1 broad as eternity and deep as the love of ,god1 we devote ourselves1 now1 and forever4 ,amen4 ,,joseph ,f4 ,,smith1 ,,john ,r4 ,,wilder1 ,,anthon ,h4 ,,lund1 ,in behalf of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 ,march #bf1 #aijg4 ,adopted by vote of the ,church1 in ,general ,conference1 ,april #e1 #aijg4 ,,salt ,,lake ,,city1 ,,utah4 ,,ii4 ,,review ,,of ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,world4 ,,ministerial ,,association1 ,,salt ,,lake ,,city4 ,,foreword4 ,the following announcement accompanying the publication of the ,ministerial ,association's ,review of the ,mormon ,address to the ,world appeared in the ,salt ,lake ,tribune1 impression of ,june #d1 #aijg3 ,,reply ,,to ,,mormon ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,world ,,is ,,issued ,,by ,,the ,,ministerial ,,association ,,of ,,salt ,,lake ,,city4--,,publication ,,misleading ,,and ,,suppression ,,of ,,faith4--,,ministers ,,of ,,this ,,city ,,are ,,unit ,,in ,,declaring ,,against ,,the ,,address4 ,the ,ministerial association of ,salt ,lake ,city has issued a review1 in the nature of a reply1 to the ,address to the ,world1 put out by the ,mormon church at the recent conference held in this city1 in defense of ,mormonism4 ,the review represents the combined labor of nearly every member of the ,ministerial association of ,salt ,lake1 of which there are thirty-three members1 and by which it was adopted as a unit4 ,the review1 which is presented elsewhere in this issue of ,the ,tribune1 is lengthy1 comprehensive and unanswerable1 well worthy any and every one's time in reading1 studying and digesting4 ,it was unanimously adopted at a meeting of the ,ministerial association in its headquarters in the club room of the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 ,monday afternoon4 ,almost the entire membership of the association was represented at the final meeting and there was not a dissenting voice or vote against the adopting of the review1 or reply1 as it may aptly be termed4 ,within a few days after the publishing of the ,mormon ,address to the ,world a movement was started in the association looking to a reply to the so-called ,address4 ,among the ministers the document put forth by the ,mormon church was considered in the light of a suppression rather than a confession of ,mormon faith1 and so most misleading4 ,with the end in view of a reply to the falsified1 juggled and deceiving ,address1 a number of papers were prepared and submitted to the association by several different members4 ,these papers were placed into the hands of the committee1 selected by the association for that purpose1 which threw them into the form of a report4 ,the report was discussed thoroughly at several different meetings of the association and every member was given an opportunity of suggesting changes1 presenting his ideas on the subject for incorporation in the reply1 or registering an objection to it4 ,as before stated1 there was not a dissenting voice or vote against the reply1 the adoption being unanimous4 ,a ,,striking ,,thing4 ,one of the striking things in the reply1 which covers every point in the ,address with convincing thoroughness1 is that it sets the teachings of the ,mormon leaders1 as published in their own works and used in their ,improvement ,associations1 ,sunday-schools and the like1 alongside of and in direct contrast to the diluted statement of doctrines found in the ,address to the ,world4 ,it is confidently asserted that there has never been such a published statement by the ,mormons1 based upon their own publications of the fact that they teach that there are many gods and goddesses1 that ,god1 the ,father1 is married and that the gift of eternal procreation is one of the felicities of paradise1 promised1 however1 only to those who are joined by the priesthood in marriage for eternity4 ,in the discussion of the several papers that were worked into the reply to the ,address to the ,world all the active members of the ,ministerial association have been present and have taken an active part in the work that led to its promulgation4 ,the reply represents the combined labors of the members of the ,ministerial association4 ,in its drafting the churches of the ,presbyterian1 ,congregational1 ,methodist ,episcopal1 ,baptist1 ,lutheran1 ,christian and ,episcopal denominations1 through their pastors1 are represented4 ,the officers of the ,ministerial association are3 ,president1 the ,rev4 ,s4 ,a4 ,hayworth1 pastor of the ,east ,side ,baptist church2 vice-president1 the ,rev4 ,benjamin ,young1 of the ,first ,m4 ,e4 church2 secretary and treasurer1 the ,rev4 ,e4 ,c4 ,parker1 of the ,liberty ,park ,m4 ,e4 church4 ,the members and their denominations are3 ,,ministerial ,,directory4 ,the ,rev4 ,j4 ,c4 ,andrews1 ,baptist2 the ,rev4 ,a4 ,a4 ,anderson1 ,swedish ,evangelist2 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,allen1 ,calvary ,baptist2 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,armstrong1 ,baptist2 the ,rev4 ,d4 ,a4 ,brown1 ,first ,baptist2 the ,rev4 ,benjamin ,brewster1 ,st4 ,mark's ,episcopal2 the ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,bussard1 ,english ,lutheran2 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,c4 ,bell1 ,a4 ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,g4 ,cairns1 ,second ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,f4 ,baker1 ,garfield1 ,baptist2 the ,rev4 ,d4 ,m4 ,helmick1 ,iliff ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,h4 ,i4 ,hansen1 ,norwegian and ,danish ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,h4 ,e4 ,hays1 ,third ,presbyterian2 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,s4 ,hurlburt1 ,murray1 ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,jesse ,hyde1 ,murray1 ,baptist2 the ,rev4 ,harold ,jensen1 ,norwegian and ,danish ,evangelical ,lutheran2 the ,rev4 ,bruce ,kinney1 superintendent ,baptist work2 the ,rev4 ,r4 ,g4 ,mc,niece1 ,presbyterian2 the ,rev4 ,josiah ,mc,clain1 superintendent ,presbyterian work2 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,k4 ,mc,gillivray1 ,presbyterian3 the ,rev4 ,c4 ,c4 ,mclntire1 ,westminster ,presbyterian2 the ,rev4 ,r4 ,s4 ,nickerson1 ,sandy1 ,first ,congregational2 the ,rev4 ,w4 ,m4 ,paden1 ,first ,presbyterian2 the ,rev4 ,e4 ,c4 ,parker1 ,liberty ,park ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,emanuel ,rydberg1 ,swedish ,lutheran2 the ,rev4 ,p4 ,a4 ,simpkin1 ,phillips ,congregational2 the ,rev4 ,r4 ,m4 ,stevenson1 ,presbyterian2 the ,rev4 ,d4 ,b4 ,scott1 ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,f4 ,s4 ,spalding1 ,episcopal ,bishop2 the ,rev4 ,h4 ,j4 ,talbott1 superintendent ,m4 ,e4 work2 the ,rev4 ,benjamin ,young1 ,first ,m4 ,e42 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,worrall1 ,m4 ,e4 ,not only was the ,review thus heralded in the local columns of the ,tribune1 but that paper also made the following editorial comment3 ,,the ,,review ,,by ,,the ,,ministers4 ,we print in other columns this morning1 in full1 the review by the ,salt ,lake ,ministerial association of the declaration made by the first presidency of the ,mormon church and sustained by the general conference in ,april last4 ,this review is calm1 deliberate1 and temperate in tone2 but it is irresistible in force1 in logic1 and in conclusion4 ,it will1 of course1 be warmly welcomed and approved by the loyal citizenship of ,utah1 while to the country at large it will be a good deal in the nature of a revelation4 ,it is shown that the ,mormon declaration is uncandid in that it suppresses so much of the real beliefs and sentiments of the church2 and citations are given from authoritative writers of the church1 and from its standard works1 showing how serious these omissions are1 and how completely their suppression gives a false impression of the whole system4 ,the evidence presented on this point by the ,christian ministers of this city is absolutely irresistible4 ,the evasions1 the duplicity1 the hypocrisy1 the dishonesty1 of the conference declaration are completely shown1 in masterly style4 ,the repeated but half-hearted efforts of the church leaders to make the world believe in their patriotism1 their piety1 their unselfishness1 their benevolence1 their purity1 when they do not believe these things of themselves1 knowing their own corruption1 treason1 blasphemy and corroding selfishness1 avarice1 lusts of power and of the flesh1 are fitly dealt with in this admirable review1 which we cannot too highly commend for its spirit and its substance4 ,it is shown in it that the hypocritical position of the conference declaration is condemned by the ,mormon church's own publications2 that the righteousness of polygamy is still upheld by the ,mormon leaders and speakers2 and the hollowness of the entire pretense through which it is sought to make it appear that the ,mormon leaders occupy a position which they do not occupy1 is made clear4 ,not any longer will the hierarchic pretense of being what it is not1 serve4 ,thus heralded1 the ,review follows4 ,,ii4 ,,review4 ,an ,address to the ,world was issued by the president of the ,mormon ,church and his counselors1 and was adopted by the general conference of that church ,april #e1 #aijg4 ,this ,address1 evidently prepared for the residents of non-,mormon communities1 is being widely circulated4 ,ostensibly it makes a declaration of the doctrines1 asserts the principles and defends the practices of the ,mormon ,church4 ,it claims supremacy for that body as the only divinely authorized church of ,jesus ,christ in the earth4 ,it sets forth grievances4 ,it appeals to the candid judgment of mankind for toleration4 ,for more than a half-century the ,mormon ,church has been teaching its doctrines4 ,wherever it has had an organization its practices have been more or less subject to observation4 ,it would seem1 therefore1 that there should be little doubt as to the nature of the one1 or the effect and tendency of the other4 ,nor would there be much question as to either were the doctrines of that church as fully proclaimed elsewhere as they are in ,utah2 and were its practices everywhere as transparent as they are in its strongholds4 ,the publication and wide circulation of the aforementioned defense of the ,mormon ,church is the ground of our communication1 in which we join hands with the authors of the defense in establishing a more perfect understanding respecting themselves and their religion4 ,we could wish that some of the points touched upon in their paper might have had more ample elucidation1 both as ministering to a better understanding on the part of residents of non-,mormon communities1 and as forestalling the necessity for this review upon our part4 ,but1 since this defense obscures so much that it is necessary for people to know1 who would desire to form an intelligent judgment concerning the ,mormon ,church1 we discuss those things alluded to in the address that seem to us of the gravest importance4 ,it will be noted at the very outset that a supreme claim is made for the ,mormon ,church4 ,adding no spiritual truth to the aggregate of things already revealed1 fostering no virtues not already taught by ,christian churches1 and exemplified in ,christian lives1 showing no superiority of ,christian ideals or of ,christian character1 contributing nothing original to civic righteousness1 to commercial integrity1 to domestic virtue1 to reverence for ,god or to justice and mercy toward men--this sect1 whose activities are chiefly confined to a few countries already ,christianized1 claims to be the only divinely authorized church of ,jesus ,christ on the earth2 its very name1 so it is affirmed1 being given by divine revelation4 ,in harmony with this claim it sets up a wholly unbiblical test of salvation4 ,joseph ,smith is a new witness for ,god2 a prophet divinely authorized to teach the ,gospel and re-establish the church of ,jesus ,christ on earth4--,new ,witness for ,god4 by ,b4 ,h4 ,roberts4 ,every spirit that confesses that ,joseph ,smith is a prophet1 that he lived and died a prophet1 and that the ,book of ,mormon is true1 is of ,god1 and every spirit that does not is of anti-,christ4--,brigham ,young1 ,millennial ,star1 volume #e1 page #aah4 ,if plural marriage be unlawful1 then is the whole plan of salvation through the house of ,israel a failure1 and the entire fabric of ,christianity without foundation4--,a compendium of the doctrine of the ,gospel published for missionaries4 #ahih4 ,q4 ,what doth the ,lord require of the people of the ,united ,states8 ,a4 ,he requires them to repent of all their sins and embrace the message of salvation contained in the ,book of ,mormon1 and be baptized into this church1 and prepare themselves for the coming of the ,lord4 ,q4 ,what will be the consequence if they do not embrace the ,book of ,mormon as a divine revelation8 ,a4 ,they will be destroyed from the land and sent down to hell1 like all other generations who have rejected a divine message4--,orson ,pratt in the ,seer1 page #bae4 ,this claim naturally provokes a most searching investigation of the grounds upon which it rests4 ,when it appears that it involves the eternal reprobation of those who finally reject it1 there can be no surprise that the claim is very sharply challenged4 ,it is asserted that the high claim of the church--is declared in its title--the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints2 that its name was prescribed by ,him whose church it is--,jesus1 the ,christ2 and that1 we affirm that1 through the ministration of immortal personages1 the holy priesthood has been conferred upon men in the present age1 and that under this divine authority the ,church of ,jesus ,christ has been organized4 ,it will be seen that the claim to exclusiveness involves the invalidity of all the church ordinances1 and of all ministerial functions1 including the right to solemnize marriages1 as administered by the ,christian church from the second to the nineteenth century4 ,it 7,mormonism7 is entirely unlike all plans and systems ever invented by human authority2 it has no likeness1 connection or fellowship with any of them2 it speaks with divine authority1 and all nations1 without an exception1 are required to obey4 ,he that receives the message and endures to the end will be saved2 he that rejects it will be damned4--,pratt's ,works1 paper #a4 ,these claims in behalf of ,mormonism presuppose the destruction of the primitive ,christian church1 a complete apostasy from the ,christian religion4--,new ,witness for ,god1 preface1 page #a4 ,the very religion of modern ,christianity is now about as great a curse as can be inflicted upon its successors without doing violence to their power of free agency4 99 99 99 ,the modern ,christians with the ,bible in their hands are in as gross darkness as the worshipers of ,baal4 ,the god they worship is no more like the person of ,christ or the person of man than ,baal was4 ,their order of church authorities and church gifts and ordinances of healing and anointing are probably about as remote from the apostolic pattern as the worship of ,mohamet or ,vishnu is4--,spencer's letters1 pages #aai and #abj4 ,the power to officiate in the ordinances of ,god has not been upon the earth since the great apostasy until the present century4 ,something like seventeen centuries have passed away since the authority was last on the eastern hemisphere to administer in any of the ordinances of ,god4 ,during that long period marriages have been celebrated according to the customs of human government by uninspired men1 holding no authority from ,god1 consequently all their marriages1 like their baptisms1 are illegal before the ,lord4 ,point out to us a husband and wife that ,god has joined together from the second century of the ,christian era until the nineteenth1 if you can4 ,such a phenomenon cannot be found among ,christians or ,jews1 ,mohammedans or ,pagans4--,orson ,pratt in the ,star1 page #dh4 ,the further significance of this claim is seen when one considers that it denies that the ,christian church has represented ,christ in the last seventeen centuries4 ,and this denial stands in face of the testimony that ,christian people have borne to ,him1 the martyrdoms they have suffered to carry ,his message to benighted peoples1 the charities they have organized1 the great reforms they have fostered1 the general progress of mankind which they1 chiefly1 have promoted1 and the saintly lives nurtured under the teaching of the ,christian church4 ,surely the claim to exclusive divine authorization must rest upon proofs so clear and convincing that no sincere seeker after truth would question their conclusiveness4 ,but no such proofs are presented4 ,here is the fundamental weakness of the whole system for which this astonishing claim is made--it presents no credentials that would make good a claim to even be numbered among the churches which represent ,christ2 much less to the only church of ,christ on the earth4 ,it would naturally be expected that1 in a communication intended to really enlighten mankind concerning the ,mormon faith as the only true religion--the statement of doctrine would be both full and luminous4 ,but in the ,address it is exceedingly brief--so brief1 in fact1 that one is driven to the conclusion that1 as a basis upon which a candid judgment might be framed1 it not only leaves much to be desired1 but is positively misleading4 ,as to divine revelation1 it declares ,the theology of our church is the theology taught by ,jesus ,christ and his apostles1 the theology of ,scripture and reason4 ,it not only acknowledges the sacredness of ancient ,scripture1 and the binding force of divinely-inspired acts and utterances in ages past1 but also declares that ,god now speaks to man in this final ,gospel dispensation4 ,under this declaration lies the claim of the ,mormon ,church--constantly insisted upon in its congregations here and in surrounding regions--that the ,book of ,mormon1 ,the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 the ,pearl of ,great ,price1 together with the ,living oracles1--i4e41 certain members of the priesthood--are divinely inspired1 and are1 therefore1 of equal authority with the ,bible4 ,this claim1 a knowledge of which is so necessary to even a tolerable understanding of their system of belief1 is not plainly and explicitly set forth in the declaration of doctrine contained in the ,address1 but it has repeated and urgent emphasis in their teachings in ,mormon communities4 ,the commissioned officers of the church form one part of its motive force4 ,the other is the continual revelation of the will of ,god to his people4 ,without the first1 disorder and confusion would prevail2 without the second1 stagnation and death4 ,written revelation is comprised in the four books of ,scripture accepted by the church in this dispensation--the ,bible1 the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 and the ,pearl of ,great ,price4 99 99 99 ,as far as these revelations are adapted to present conditions1 they are binding on the church today4--,young ,men's ,improvement ,association ,manual1 #aija-b4 ,the ,book of ,mormon claims to be a divinely inspired record1 written by a succession of prophets who inhabited ancient ,america4 ,it professes to be revealed to the present generation for the salvation of all who will receive it and for the overthrow and damnation of all nations who reject it4 99 99 ,the nature of the message in the ,book of ,mormon is such that if true no one can possibly be saved and reject it2 if false1 no one can be saved and receive it4 ,therefore1 every soul in all the world is equally interested in ascertaining its truth or falsity4--,orson ,pratt--,divine ,authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon1 page #a4 ,q4 ,has ,god given many revelations to men8 ,a4 ,yes1 a great number4 ,q4 ,where have we any account of his doing so8 ,a4 ,in the ,bible1 the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants and other publications of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-,day ,saints4--,children's ,catechism1 chapter #c4 ,many hundreds of the servants of ,god among the ,latter-,day ,saints keep journals of their travels1 and of the miracles which pass under their observation4 ,hence the ,acts of the ,apostles of the nineteenth century are recorded as well as the ,acts of those in the first century2 and the miracles recorded in the latter-day ,acts are just as worthy of being believed as the miracles recorded in the former-day ,acts4--,divine ,authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon1 page #hj4 ,the word 'oracle' is instructive4 ,it is derived from the ,latin ',ora1' meaning the mouth4 ,it means1 therefore1 those whose authoritative teachings are by spoken word as well as by pen and their word takes precedence with their own generation over that which has been written by any previous authority4 99 99 99 ,their authority also includes the right to interpret the ,scriptural writings of previous dispensations4 ,for in case of doubt as to what the law of ,god is1 final appeal is made to the living oracles1 who interpret through the authority of the priesthood and the inspiration of the ,holy ,ghost4--,manual1 #aija-b1 part ,i1 page #ha4 ,the standard works of the church form our written authority and doctrine1 but they are by no means our only sources of information and instruction on the theology of the church4 ,we believe that ,god is as willing today as he ever has been to reveal his mind and will to men1 and that he does so though chosen and appointed channels4 ,we rely1 therefore1 on the teachings of the living oracles of ,god as of equal validity with the doctrines of the living word1 and the men in chief authority being acknowledged and accepted by the church as prophets and revelators1 and as being in possession of the power of the holy priesthood1 etc4--,the ,articles of ,faith1 by ,talmage1 page #e4 ,the living oracles that exist in the true church possess and exercise the power of discrimination between obsolete and active commandments4 ,whenever it is necessary that a decision be made as to the present application of a commandment1 or the interpretation of ,scripture1 the matter is referred to the living oracles and their decision is final4 ,there is no dissipation of energy2 no doubt or indecision4 99 99 99 ,the living oracles are a motive force to the church in the fact that they are1 as the name implies1 mouthpieces of ,god to his people4--,manual1 #aija-b1 pages #fd-fe4 ,as to the doctrine of ,deity1 the ,address declares3 ,we believe in the ,god-head1 comprising the three individual personages1 ,father1 ,son and ,holy ,ghost4 ,as this declaration stands here1 it will not perhaps suggest ,tritheism or ,materialism to ,christians unfamiliar with ,mormon theological terms4 ,but when the full doctrine of the ,deity1 as taught in ,mormon congregations1 is known1 it will at once be seen that no ,christian can accept it4 ,in fact1 the ,mormon ,church teaches that ,god the ,father has a material body of flesh and bones2 that ,adam is the ,god of the human race2 that this ,adam-,god was physically begotten by another ,god2 that the ,gods were once as we are now2 that there is a great multiplicity of ,gods2 that ,jesus ,christ was physically begotten by the ,heavenly ,father of ,mary1 ,his wife2 that1 as we have a ,heavenly ,father1 so also we have a ,heavenly ,mother2 that ,jesus ,himself was married1 and was probably a polygamist--at least so it has been printed in their publications and taught among their people2 and that the ,holy ,spirit is of material substance1 capable of actual transmission from one person to another4 ,we know that both the ,father and the ,son are in form and stature perfect men2 each of them possesses a material body1 infinitely pure and perfect1 and attended by a transcendant glory1 yet a body of flesh and bones4--,talmage1 ,articles of ,faith1 page #da4 ,see also ,doctrine and ,covenants1 chapter cxxx1 #bb;d verse4 ,admitting the personality of ,god1 we are compelled to accept the fact of his materiality2 indeed1 an immaterial being1 under which meaningless name some have sought to designate the condition of ,god1 cannot exist1 for the very expression is a contradiction of terms4--,talmage1 ,articles of ,faith1 page #db4 ,now hear it1 ,o inhabitants of the earth1 ,jew and ,gentile1 saint and sinner3 ,when our ,father ,adam came into the garden he came into it with a celestial body1 and brought ,eve1 one of his wives1 with him4 ,he helped to make and organize this world4 ,he is ,michael1 the ,archangel1 the ,ancient of ,days1 about whom holy men have written and spoken4 ,he is our ,father and our ,god1 and the only ,god with whom we have to do4 ,every man upon the earth1 professing ,christian or non-professing ,christian1 must hear it1 and will hear it1 sooner or later4 99 99 99 ,when the ,virgin ,mary conceived the child ,jesus1 the ,father had begotten him in his own likeness2 he was not begotten by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and who is the ,father8 ,he is the first of the human family2 and when he took a tabernacle it was begotten by his father in heaven after the same manner as the tabernacles of ,cain1 ,abel and the rest of the sons and daughters of ,eve4 ,i could tell you much more about this2 but were ,i to tell you the whole truth1 blasphemy would be nothing to it in the estimation of the superstitious and over-righteous of mankind4 ,jesus1 our elder brother1 was begotten by the same character that was in the ,garden of ,eden4 ,and who is our ,father in ,heaven4--,brigham ,young1 ,journal of ,discourses1 volume #a1 pages #ej-a4 ,some of the sectarian ministers are saying that we ,mormons are ashamed of the doctrine announced by ,president ,brigham ,young1 to the effect that ,adam will thus be the ,god of this world4 ,no1 friends1 it is not that we are ashamed of that doctrine4 ,if you see any change coming over our countenance when this doctrine is named1 it is surprise1 astonishment1 that any one at all capable of grasping the largeness and extent of the universe1 the grandeur of existence and the possibilities in man for growth1 for progress1 should be so lean of intellect1 should have such a paucity of understanding as to call it in question at all4--,roberts1 ,the ,mormon ,doctrine of ,deity1 pages #db-c4 ,q4 ,are there more ,gods than one8 ,a4 ,yes1 many4--,catechism for ,children1 page #ac4 ,we believe in the plurality of ,gods4--,roberts1 ,mormon ,doctrines of ,deity1 page #aa4 ,in the beginning the head of the ,gods called a council of ,gods1 and they came together to concoct a plan to create the world and the people in it4--,joseph ,smith1 quoted by ,roberts in ,mormon ,doctrine of ,deity1 page #bbi4 ,without going into the full investigation of the history and excellency of ,god1 the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 in this article1 let us reflect that ,jesus ,christ as lord of lords and king of kings must have a noble race in the heavens or upon the earth1 or else he can never be as great in power1 dominion1 might and authority as the ,scriptures declare4 ,but hear3 ,the mystery is solved4 ,john says3 ',and ,i looked and lo1 a lamb stood on ,mount ,zion1 and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand1 having his father's name written on their foreheads4' ,their father's name2 bless me4 ,that is ,god4 ,well done for ,mormonism--#add1jjj ,gods among the tribes of ,israel and two living ,gods and the ,holy ,ghost for this world4 ,such knowledge is too wonderful for men1 unless they possess the spirit of ,gods4--,president ,taylor1 quoted by ,roberts in ,the ,mormon ,doctrine of ,deity1 page #bec4 ,if none but ,gods will be permitted to multiply immortal children1 it follows that each ,god must have one or more wives4 ,god1 the father of our spirits1 became the father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ according to the flesh4 ,the fleshy body of ,jesus required a mother as well as a father4 ,therefore1 the father and mother of ,jesus according to the flesh must have been associated together in the capacity of husband and wife2 hence the ,virgin ,mary must have been for the time being1 the lawful wife of ,god the ,father4 ,as ,god the ,father begat the fleshly body of ,jesus1 so he1 before the world began1 begat his spirit2 as the body required an earthly mother1 so his spirit required a heavenly mother4 ,as ,god associated in the capacity of a husband with the earthly mother1 so likewise he associated in the same capacity with the heavenly one2 earthly things being in the likeness of heavenly things1 and that which is temporal being the likeness of that which is eternal4 ,or1 in other words1 the laws of generation upon the earth are after the order of the laws of generation in heaven4--,orson ,pratt in ,the ,seer1 page #aei4 ,eliza ,r4 ,snow1 the ,mormon high priestess and poetess1 gives voice to these doctrines in her famous ,invocation2 or1 the ,eternal ,mother and ,father4 ,most of us have heard it in the ,tabernacle2 many1 however1 have not understood its teachings4 ,we quote two stanzas3 ,in the ,heavens are parents single8 ,no2 the thought makes reason stare2 ,truth is reason2 truth eternal ,tells me ,i've a mother there4 ,when ,i leave this frail existence-- ,when ,i lay this mortal by2 ,father1 mother1 may ,i meet you ,in your royal court on high4 --,latter-day ,saints ,hymnal4 ,obedience will the same bright garland weave ,as it has done for your great mother ,eve1 ,for all her daughters on the earth1 who will ,all my requirements sacredly fulfill4 ,and what to ,eve1 though in her mortal life ,she'd been the first1 or tenth1 or fifteenth wife8 ,what did she care1 when in her lowest state ,whether by fools considered small1 or great8 ',twas all the same to her--she proved her worth2 ,she's now the ,goddess and the ,queen of the earth4 --,eliza ,r4 ,snow's ,poems4 ,if the men and women are the children of ,god1 sons and daughters of heavenly parents1 fashioned in their image1 endowed with their attributes and destined to become like them in perfection1 why should it startle the world to be told that there is a mother as well as a father in heaven4 ,it is reasonable1 philosophical and1 like all truth1 invulnerable4--,address in ,tabernacle1 summer of #aijf1 ,apostle ,whitney ,the father of our spirits has only been doing that which his progenitors did before him4 ,each succeeding generation of ,gods follow the example of the preceding one2 each generation have their wives1 who raise up from the fruit of their loins immortal spirits2 when their families become numerous1 they organize new worlds for them1 after the pattern set before them4 ,they place their families upon the same1 who fall as the inhabitants of previous worlds have fallen4 ,they are re-redeemed4 ,the inhabitants of each world have their own personal father1 whose attributes they worship1 and in so doing all the worlds worship the same ,god1 dwelling in all of his fullness in the personages who are the fathers of each4 ,seer1 #ace4 ,did the ,savior of the world consider it his duty to fulfill all righteousness8 ,and if the ,savior of the world found it his duty to fulfill all righteousness to obey a command of far less importance than that of multiplying his race1 would he not find it his duty to join with the race of the faithful ones in replenishing the earth8--,orson ,hyde1 ,journal of ,discourses1 volume ,,ii1 page #gi4 ',he shall see his seed4' ,if he has no seed how could he see it8 ',and who shall declare his generation8' ,if he had no generation who could declare it8--,orson ,hyde1 ,journal of ,discourses1 volume ,,ii1 page #hj4 ,we say it was ,jesus ,christ who was married 7at ,cana7 to the ,marys and ,martha1 whereby he could see his seed before he was crucified4--,apostle ,orson ,hyde1 ,journal of ,discourses1 volume ,,ii4 ,next let us inquire whether there are any intimations in the ,scriptures concerning the wives of ,jesus4 ,one thing is certain3 that there were several holy women who greatly loved ,jesus1 such as ,mary and ,martha1 her sister1 and ,mary ,magdalene2 ,jesus greatly loved them and associated with them much2 and when he arose from the dead1 instead of first showing himself to his chosen witnesses1 the apostles1 he appeared first to these women1 or at least to one of them1 namely1 ,mary ,magdalene4 ,now it would be very natural for a husband in the resurrection to appear first to his own dear wives1 and afterwards show himself to his other friends4 ,if all the acts of ,jesus were written1 we no doubt should learn that these beloved women were his wives4 ,indeed1 the ,psalmist ,david prophesies in particular concerning the wives of the ,son of ,god4 ',kings' daughters were among thine honorable wives2 upon thy right hand did stand the ,queen in a vesture of gold of ,ophir4--,apostle ,orson ,pratt in ,the ,seer1 page #aei4 ,concerning the doctrine of man it is declared3 ,we hold that man is verily the child of ,god1 formed in ,his image1 endowed with divine attributes4 99 99 99 ,we believe in the pre-existence of man as a spirit1 and in a future state of individual existence1 in which every soul shall find its place1 as determined by justice and mercy1 with opportunities of endless progression in the varied conditions of eternity4 ,this statement cannot be said to fairly represent the precepts of the ,mormon ,church at this point4 ,for1 in addition to the above1 they believe and teach in their own congregations3 ,that1 ,as man is1 ,god once was3 ,as ,god is1 man may be2 that man's disobedience of the first commandment given was commendable1 and was the source out of which his chief glory shall arise2 that the image of ,god in which he was made is the material one2 that the brightest glory possible to him can be reached only through polygamous living here or hereafter2 and that the eternally continued power of procreation forms the basis of this glory4 ,the belief of the ,latter-day ,saints regarding the personality of ,god and our relationship to him has been crystallized by ,president ,lorenzo ,snow into the aphorism1 one of the most expressive in the language3 ',as man is1 ,god once was2 as ,god is1 man may be4' ,no statement could set forth more clearly the nature of ,god's exaltation and man's destiny4--,manual1 #aija-b1 part ,i1 page #ag4 ,we shall now proceed to show from new revelations that the saints are to have equal knowledge with the ,father and the ,son 99 99 99 ,the fullness of all truth in us will make us ,gods1 equal in all things with the personages of the ,father and the ,son2 and we could not be otherwise than equal1 for he is the same ,god who dwells in us that dwells in them4 ,instead of dwelling in two tabernacles under the names of ,father and ,son1 he will then dwell in the additional tabernacles of the saints4 ,and wherever he dwells in fulness1 there would necessarily be equality in wisdom1 power1 glory and dominion4--,orson ,pratt in ,the ,seer1 page #aba4 ,thus perfected1 the whole family will possess the material universe--that is1 the earth and all the other planets and worlds1 as an inheritance incorruptible1 undefiled1 and that fadeth not away4 ,they will also continue to organize people and redeem and perfect other systems which are now in the womb of chaos1 and thus go on increasing their several dominions1 till the weakest child of ,god which now exists upon earth will possess more dominions1 more property1 more subjects and more power and glory than is possessed by ,jesus ,christ or by his ,father2 while at the same time ,jesus ,christ and his ,father will have their dominions1 kingdoms and subjects increased in proportion4--,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 quoted by ,roberts in ,the ,mormon ,doctrine of ,deity1 page #beg4 ,they are capable of receiving intelligence and exaltation to such a degree as to be raised from the dead with a body like that of ,jesus ,christ1 and to possess immortal flesh and bones1 in which they will still eat1 drink1 converse1 reason1 love1 walk1 sing1 play on musical instruments1 go on missions from planet to planet1 or from system to system2 being ,gods or saints of ,god1 endowed with the same powers1 attributes and capacities that their ,heavenly ,father and ,jesus ,christ possess4--,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 quoted by ,roberts in ,the ,mormon ,doctrine of ,deity1 page #beg4 ,they who have obeyed the laws of the ,gospel received the ,holy ,ghost1 obtained and honored the priesthood and lived lives of righteousness1 remaining faithful in spite of persecution and earthly tribulation1 shall be admitted to the celestial glory4 ,here they will enjoy the personal presence and gory of the ,father and the ,son2 they will be kings and priests of the most high1 those in the highest degree of this glory shall have thrones1 dominion and endless increase2 they shall be ,gods creating and governing worlds and peopling them with their offspring4--,manual1 #aija-b1 part ,i1 page #eb4 ,god always attached a special and honorable distinction to males and females engaged in the sacred system of plurality according to the conditions he laid down for them to observe4--,spencer's ,letters1 page #aie4 ,their great duty was to become the progenitors of the human family--to prepare mortal tabernacles for ,god's immortal children4 ,it was ,adam's privilege and duty to become the patriarch of this earth--the parent of all its inhabitants4 ,in this great labor and destiny his wife1 ,eve1 was to be associated with him4 ,before them was a future of endless glory1 happiness and power1 to be gained through the great principle of parentage4 ,to attain this glory1 present sorrow1 pain and difficulty would have to be experienced and overcome4 ,the other law was negative and prohibitive3 ',of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat4' ,if the fall was essential and it was a part of ,god's design that a law be broken in order that man might be subject to sin and death1 this latter law was well adapted for the purpose4 ,for the consequences of the breaking of this law were such as to fit in with the designs of ,god1 and the breach of the law would not apparently interfere with the accomplishment of any high destiny4 ,if either law was to be broken1 it was far better that this negative one be broken than the other4 ,eve was deceived and tempted4 99 99 99 ,she told ,adam what she had done and he fully realized the consequences of her act4 ,it meant that he and she could no longer remain together2 that they must move in different spheres--he in the higher1 she in the lower--she should be cast out of the garden and he should remain4 99 99 99 ,but he remembered that ,eve had been given him as an eternal companion4 ,he remembered the great commandment3 ,be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth4 ,this he could not obey1 for ,eve1 his wife1 was to be separated from him forever4 ,he was therefore under the necessity of deciding which was the greater and more important commandment of the two--the negative one3 ,thou shalt not eat of the tree2 or the positive one3 ,thou shalt multiply and replenish the earth4 ,and he decided wisely--he would break the negative commandment and keep the positive one4--,manual1 #aija-b1 ,part #a1 pages #ci-da4 ,marriage thus becomes one of the chief means of man's exaltation and glory in the world to come1 whereby he may have endless increase of eternal lives and attain at length to the power of the ,god-head4 ,it was this glorious doctrine in connection with the baptism1 redemption and sealing for the dead1 that was the uppermost theme of the ,prophet ,joseph during the last two years or more of his life4--,a ,brief ,history of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 by ,apostle ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 page #ach1 published #ahic4 ,i would here say that the promise made to ,abraham and to all who are heirs of the same promise through faith extends to all generations in this life and to all generations to come forever and ever4 ,that is1 ,abraham and ,sarah will continue to multiply not only in this world1 but in all the worlds to come4 ,and the same is true of all the sons and daughters that obtain the fulness of the promise made to ,abraham4 99 99 99 ,will the resurrection return you a mere female acquaintance that is not to be the wife of your bosom in eternity8 ,no2 ,god forbid2 but it will restore you the wife of your bosom1 immortalized1 who shall bear children from your own loins in all the worlds to come1 and that without pain or sorrow in travail4 ,this1 sir1 was couched in the promise of ,abraham2 this makes the promise great4--,spencer's ,letters1 pages #bjd-e4 ,each pair the ,eve and ,adam of some world1 ,perchance unborn1 un orbited and unwhirled4 7,where they shall7 reign as queens and kings1 ,where endless union endless increase brings4 --,apostle ,whitney1 ,elijah1 pp4 #ajc-d4 ,except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity while in this probation1 by the power and authority of the holy priesthood1 they will cease to increase when they die2 that is1 they will not have any children after the resurrection4 ,but those who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life1 and continue without committing the sin against the ,holy ,ghost1 will continue to increase and have children in the celestial glory4 99 99 99 ,in the celestial glory there are three degrees or heavens1 and in order to obtain the highest1 a man must enter into this order of the priesthood1 and if he does not1 he cannot obtain it4 ,he may enter into the other1 but that is the end of his kingdom2 he cannot have an increase4--,quoted in ,young ,men's ,improvement ,manual from ,joseph ,smith1 ,mill4 ,star1 page #ajh4 ,i wish to be perfectly understood here4 ,let it be remembered that the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith taught that man1 that is his spirit1 is the offspring of ,deity2 not in any mythical sense1 but actually4 99 99 99 ,instead of the ,god-given power of procreation being one of the chief things that is to pass away1 it is one of the chief means of man's exaltation and glory in that great eternity which like an endless vista stretches out before him4 99 99 99 ,through that law1 in connection with an observance of all the other laws of the ,gospel1 man will yet attain unto the power of the ,god-head1 and like his ,father--,god--his chief glory will be to bring to pass the eternal life and happiness of his posterity4--,roberts1 ,new ,witness for ,god1 page #dfa4 ,the devil and his angels having forfeited in their first estate all right to enter a second with bodies of flesh and bones1 and having lost the privilege of marrying and propagating their species1 feel maliciously wicked and envious against the sons of men who kept their first estate and now are in the enjoyment of the second1 marrying and increasing their families or kingdoms4--,orson ,pratt in ,the ,seer1 page #gi4 ,parents for the want of that holy and pure affection which exists in the bosom of the righteous1 not only destroy their own happiness1 but impress their own degraded and unlawful passions upon the constitution of their offspring4 ,it is for this reason that ,god will not permit the fallen angels to multiply4 ,it is for this reason that ,god has ordained marriage for the righteous only4 ,it is for this reason that ,god will put a final stop to the multiplication of the wicked after this life4 ,it is for this reason that none but those who have kept the celestial law will be permitted to multiply after the resurrection4 ,it is for this reason that ,god has so ordained that the righteous shall have a plurality of wives2 for they alone are prepared to beget and bring forth offspring whose bodies and spirits1 partaking of the nature of the parents1 are pure and lovely1 and will manifest1 as they increase in years1 those heaven-born excellencies so necessary to lead them to happiness and eternal life4--,orson ,pratt in ,the ,seer1 pages #aeg-h4 ,the ,address has somewhat to say regarding the holy priesthood1 but what is said affords one unacquainted with the church but little idea of the relation which this order sustains to the whole ecclesiastical system4 ,in reality everything centers here4 ,admit the church's contention for its priesthood and you have yielded the most essential things which it claims4 ,we affirm that1 to administer in the ordinances of the ,gospel1 authority must be given of ,god2 and that this authority is the power of the holy priesthood4 ,we affirm that1 through the ministration of immortal personages1 the holy priesthood has been conferred upon men in the present age1 and that1 under this divine authority1 the ,church of ,christ has been organized4 ,so it is declared1 but the teaching of the church on this most important doctrine is not herein candidly set forth4 ,the appended extracts will show that the basis for the exercise of arbitrary power of its membership lies in the church's claim for the holy priesthood1 and that their power extends not only to things spiritual1 but to secular matters as well4 ,furthermore1 it will be seen that when once the church's claim for its priesthood is allowed1 the claim of jurisdiction in civil matters logically follows4 ,the members of the priesthood claim the special power to interpret scriptures1 and the president of the church1 who is also chief of the high priesthood1 is the prophet1 seer and revelator of ,god to the church and to the world4 ,if it was the purpose of the leaders to keep the mass of the membership under such control as would effectually destroy all liberty of action1 and would curb that freedom of thought to which all responsible people are entitled1 then it is difficult to see how any better scheme for achieving that purpose could have been devised than the ,mormon doctrine of the holy priesthood4 ,given a people who endorse its high claims and submit to them1 and you have a community which is under the tyranny of arbitrary rulership4 ,that such power should be provided for in any system1 civil or ecclesiastical1 and should not be used1 is incompatible with the known facts in human nature4 ,that the full power of the ,mormon priesthood is exercised is not a matter of doubt among well-informed people4 ,i shall then define priesthood to be that order of authoritative intelligences by which ,god regulates1 controls1 enlightens1 blesses or curses1 saves or condemns all beings4 ,to it under ,god all things are subservient in righteousness1 whether in heaven or hell4--,spencer's ,letters1 page #id4 ,men who hold the priesthood possess divine authority thus to act for ,god2 and by possessing part of ,god's power they are in reality part of ,god4 99 99 99 ,men who honor the priesthood in them1 honor ,god1 and those who reject it1 reject ,god4--,new ,witness for ,god1 page #ahg4 ,the priesthood is the authority delegated to men to act in the name of ,god1 and to have those acts approved of him4 ,whatever is done by this authority is as if ,god himself had done it4 ,the one holding the priesthood becomes an agent of the ,lord4 99 99 99 ,the curse of ,god on ,cain1 the flood1 the rejection and dispersion of ,israel1 the destruction of ,jerusalem--these are all typical instances of the judgments of ,god following the lack of reverence for his priesthood4 99 99 99 ,faith in the priesthood in general must be supplemented by a specific faith in those who hold the keys of the priesthood and preside in its various organizations1 ,priesthood without presidency would be unorganized and lacking in efficiency4 99 99 99 ,we cannot honor the priesthood if we do not honor those who hold its keys4 ,they are indeed the living oracles of our time1 and the voice of inspiration from them is as the voice of ,god to us4--,manual1 #aija-b1 part ,i1 pages #ha1 #hb4 ,there is also a tendency among the youth1 and ,i am sorry to say among some of the older ones1 to show but little regard for the sacredness of the holy priesthood4 ,what ,i mean by the holy priesthood is that authority which ,god has delegated to man by which he may speak the will of ,god as though the angels were here to speak it themselves2 by which men are empowered to bind on earth and it shall be bound in heaven1 and to loose on earth and it shall be loosed in heaven2 by which the words of men spoken in the exercise of that power become the word of the ,lord1 the law of ,god1 unto the people scripture and divine commands4 ,it is therefore not good that the ,latter-day ,saints and the children of ,latter-day ,saints should treat lightly this sacred principle of authority which has been revealed from the heavens in the dispensation in which we live4 ,it is the authority by which the ,lord ,almighty governs his people1 and by it in time to come he will govern the nations of the world4--,report of seventy-second conference1 page #b1 ,october #d-f1 #aija4 ,before all lands in east or west ,we love the land of ,zion best2 ,with ,god's choice gifts 'tis teeming4 ,there1 prophets1 seers1 as of old ,the mysteries of heaven unfold4 ,through holy priesthood streaming4 --,sunday ,school ,hymnal1 ,no4 #fa4 ,one other observation must be made before leave is taken of this part of the defense before the world4 ,it touches a matter which in importance dwarfs everything mentioned in the ,address4 ,apparently the foundation of the ,mormon ,church is in the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 the ,pearl of ,great ,price1 and the testimony of the ,living ,oracles1 delivered from time to time4 ,but whoever digs down to the lowermost foundation will find that1 at last1 everything rests upon the reported visions of ,joseph ,smith4 ,when any matter of vital importance is presented for the belief of mankind1 if that matter1 either in its nature or the circumstances attending it1 lies very much outside the ordinary1 a due regard for human intelligence demands that whatever testimony is produced in support of it shall be buttressed by corroborative evidence4 ,but here we have a system of religion which claims sole authority as being alone divinely accredited4 ,it asks for the acceptance of mankind on the ground of being so accredited4 ,it anathematizes all who finally reject it4 ,yet this religion1 making such an astonishing claim1 is founded upon the unsupported assertion of a young person whose probity was not yet so well established that his naked word would be taken concerning any matter transcending ordinary observation and experience2 and that assertion touches supernatural appearances1 and messages which1 if true1 are of the most profound importance to mankind1 and yet that assertion is wholly without corroborating evidence4 ,we are asked to believe that1 after seventeen centuries of apostasy on the part of his church1 and #agjj years of silence on his own part1 ,god broke this long silence at last with a message to a hitherto unbelieving world1 which would determine the destiny of mankind1 but that he so discredited human intelligence as to send that all-important message by an ambassador without credentials4 ,in short1 the ,mormon ,church has not yet given the world any satisfactory evidence that the foundation upon which it rests its enormous claim entitles that claim to any serious consideration4 ,here is the fatal destitution of the whole system4 ,and no defense that can be set up for the doctrines or practices of the church1 or for its history1 or for the character of its people1 however strong or adroit that defense may be1 can veil their mortal weakness4 ,attention is called in the ,address to plural marriages and polygamous living4 ,we have no means of knowing to what extent the practice of plural marriage has been discontinued in the ,mormon ,church1 since no records of such marriages are kept by the church that are accessible to the public4 ,that there have been instances of such marriages1 even since the agreement of the church to discontinue them1 we know2 that they cannot be celebrated without the sanction of the church1 through accredited officials1 is unquestioned2 that1 so far as the public knowledge goes1 no officials who may have celebrated such marriages have been disciplined therefor1 is certain4 ,the doctrine of plural marriage yet appears in the accepted standards of the church unchanged1 in face of the promise made by the president of the church that the ,woodruff manifesto should be printed1 in the later editions of such standards4 ,that the practice is not now as open or as common as in the days of ,brigham ,young may be conceded4 ,but that it is1 at most1 suspended by church decree1 and not abrogated1 is well understood here4 ,no denial was made of the practice of polygamous living4 ,the ,address admits that authoritative figures officially collected show #hig such male polygamists in the year #aijb4 ,the fact that later reports are not quoted leads to the reasonable belief that since that date the number of male polygamists has not diminished1 but rather has increased4 ,but even if this conclusion is not valid1 these figures given have a very grave significance4 ,we have this condition before us3 ,in a sect1 numbering at the outside some #djj1jjj souls1 many of whom--half or more--are children or mere adherents1 at the very least #b1fia persons are living in polygamy4 ,this would be true if each of the #hig male polygamists had only two consorts2 but1 since in many cases there are more than two1 the whole number of persons living in polygamy is considerably larger than the figures just named would indicate4 ,it seems quite probable that far more than #a1hjj families in this sect are polygamous families4 ,all of these people are living in violation of the law4 ,each one of them has a circle of relatives and friends1 most of whom will not only condone1 but will sympathize with the criminal4 ,these people are rearing children1 a majority of whom have been born under ban of the law4 ,moreover1 they are now maintaining their relations against the decree of the church1 as interpreted under oath by the church leaders1 and yet none of them have been subjected to church discipline for polygamous living4 ,what must reasonable people think of it when such a condition is approved and sustained by a church claiming to be the only church of ,christ in the earth--a church strong enough to control all conditions in the state1 political1 social and civil8 ,toleration of these criminals1 mercy and charity toward them1 is claimed on the ground3 ,first1 that toleration has been shown them in the past4 ,it is even said that the toleration under which the practice of plural marriage became firmly established binds the ,united ,states and its people1 if indeed they are not bound by considerations of mercy and wisdom1 to the exercise and patience and charity in dealing with this question4 ,second1 that wisdom in dealing with the matter in the future prescribes it4 ,but to this it must be replied that the toleration of former years was not the toleration of choice1 but the endurance of a reprobated condition while there were no adequate means at hand to correct it4 ,and1 in the next place1 when the church insists upon the doctrine of polygamy as divinely revealed and enjoined2 when the governing body of the church publicly honors those who practice it2 when its chief officials openly1 and with mutual approbation therefor1 live in it2 when the officials studiously refrain from any public act in restraint of it--when all this is true1 we must hold it to be doubtful whether the practice of polygamous living ever will die out under any system of toleration4 ,and thoughtful people will conclude1 in the light of these facts1 that the only mercy and charity which is logical is that which will1 with a strong hand1 defend society at large from the taint of such flagitious precepts1 examples and practices4 ,wisdom does not prescribe toleration toward other unlawful conduct2 nor does experience show that such a method of dealing with offenders is so conspicuously successful in restraining crime as to encourage that policy4 ,in addition to this1 when we consider the fact that men have lived in polygamous relations here for years without the fact being generally acknowledged1 or even known2 when the church teaches the doctrine of polygamy as a divinely-revealed principle1 such precept being supplemented by the powerful example of its highest officials2 and when the president of the church makes a virtue of his contumacy in this regard1 we must be pardoned if we declare that no sufficient evidence that polygamous living is dying out1 or is likely to die out1 has yet been produced4 ,for if ,i will1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts1 raise up seed unto me4 ,i will command my people2 otherwise they shall harken unto these things--7that is1 revelations forbidding polygamy74 ,thus we see that a man among the ,nephites1 by the law of ,god had no right to take more than one wife1 unless the ,lord should command1 for the purpose of raising up seed unto himself4 ,without such a command they were strictly limited to the one-wife doctrine4 99 99 99 ,so it is in this ,church of ,latter-day ,saints2 every man is strictly limited to one wife1 unless the ,lord1 through the president and prophet of the church1 gives a revelation permitting him to take more4--,orson ,pratt in ,the ,seer1 page #cj4 ,for1 behold1 ,i reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant2 and if you abide not that covenant then are you damned2 for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory4 99 99 99 ,and again1 as pertaining to the law of the priesthood1 if any man espouse a virgin and desire to espouse another1 and the first give her consent2 and if he espouse the second and they are virgins and have vowed to no other man1 then is he justified2 for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to none else2 and if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law1 he cannot commit adultery1 for they belong unto him2 and they are given unto him--therefore1 he is justified4--,doctrine and ,covenants1 chapter #acb4 ,from the foregoing revelation given through ,joseph the ,seer1 it will be seen that ,god has actually commanded some of his servants to take more wives4 99 99 ,showing still further that1 if they refuse to obey this command after having the law revealed to them1 they should be damned4 ,this revelation1 then1 makes it a matter of conscience among all the ,latter-day ,saints2 and they embrace it as a part and portion of their religion1 and verily believe that they cannot be saved and reject it4--,orson ,pratt in ,the ,seer1 ,january1 #ahec1 page #ad4 ,who would suppose that any man in this land of religious liberty would presume to say to his fellowman that he had no right to take such steps as he thought necessary to escape damnation4 ,or that congress would enact a law that would present the alternative to religious believers of being consigned to a penitentiary if they should attempt to obey a law of ,god which would deliver them from damnation4--,epistle of the first presidency1 ,october #f1 #ahhe4 ,in a signed article written by ,brigham ,h4 ,roberts1 one of the first seven presidents of the seventies of the ,mormon ,church1 for the ,improvement ,era of ,may1 #ahih1 are found the following statements as the conclusion of an argument on the righteousness of polygamy3 ,therefore1 ,i conclude that since ,god did approve of the plural marriage custom of the ancient patriarchs1 prophets and kings of ,israel1 it is not at all to be wondered at that1 in the dispensation of the fulness of time1 in which he has promised restitution of all things1 ,god should again establish that system of marriage4 ,and the fact of ,god's approval of plural marriage in ancient times is a complete defense of the righteousness of the marriage system introduced by revelation through the prophet1 ,joseph ,smith4 ,polygamy is not adultery1 for were it so considered1 then ,abraham1 ,jacob1 and the prophets who practiced it would not be allowed an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven1 and if polygamy is not adultery1 then it cannot be classed as a sin at all4 ,it appears to the writer that modern ,christians must either learn to tolerate polygamy or give up forever the glorious hope of resting in ,abraham's bosom4 ,that which he approves1 and so strikingly approves1 must be not only not bad1 but positively good1 pure and holy4--,improvement ,era1 ,may1 #ahih1 pages #dgb1 #dge1 #dgh1 #dhb4 ,we quote from the poem written by ,apostle ,orson ,whitney to the ,women of the ,everlasting ,covenant3 ,up with the guardian of social purity1 ,the marriage system of futurity-- ,asylum of reform and penitence2-- ,god-given home to homeless innocence2 ,and down with wayward ,rome's economy1 ,parent of nameless ills1 monogamy2 ,concomitant of empire crushing vice1 ,immolating virtue at the shrine of price1 ,let innocence no more be child of shame2 ,let nature's needs the laws of nature frame2 ,let marriage vows be honorable in all1 ,untrammelled by a monogamic wall ,of selfishness and rank hypocrisy1 ,the gift of ,pagan aristocracy4 --,apostle ,whitney's ,poems4 ,the declaration made by ,b4 ,h4 ,roberts concerning his determination to continue his polygamous living is of a piece with that made under oath by ,president ,joseph ,smith and ,apostle ,f4 ,m4 ,lyman4 ,mr4 ,roberts said3 ,these women have stood by me4 ,they are good and true women4 ,the law has said that ,i shall part from them4 99 99 99 ,but the law cannot free me from the obligations assumed before it spoke4 7,it spoke before he was born47 ,no power can do that2 even were the church that sanctioned these marriages and performed the ceremonies to turn its back upon us and say that the marriage is not valid now and that ,i must give these good and loyal women up--,i will be damned if ,i would4--,case of ,b4 ,h4 ,roberts of ,utah1 page #ac4 ,considerable space has been devoted in the ,address to a defense of the loyalty of the ,mormon ,church to civil government4 ,it is not recalled that any ,christian church in this country has found itself under a like necessity1 for the teachings and practices of the ,christian churches have never been such as to raise an issue between church authority and allegiance to civil statutes4 ,gentiles will bear willing testimony to the fact that the ,mormon people1 as a body1 are by no means naturally disposed to contest civil ordinances4 ,but it must be clear to all that there is much in their surroundings to contravene their obedience to civil government4 ,we may pass by the history of the church's conflict with the federal government1 which is yet well remembered1 and may mention these facts as bearing upon the point now under consideration3 ,that the most honored leaders of the church in the past have made an issue between the civil power on the one hand the church authority on the other2 that the president of the church today1 reverenced by his people as ,god's deputy on the earth1 is living in outlawry2 that a number of his chosen associates in the governing body of the church are lawbreakers2 that many of the most responsible officers of the church1 next to those just referred to1 are proscribed by the law2 that honors are conspicuously accorded by the highest authority in the church to persons who have the taint of this lawlessness upon them2 that these offenders against civil government are not called to account by any church authority for their offenses4 ,such conduct on the part of the leaders cannot be said to stimulate respect for civil authority1 but it must be held to be a stronger deterrent to obedience to the laws of society4 ,so that whatever credit the ,mormon people may have as a law-abiding people can scarcely be shared by the governing body of the church1 since the weight of their precepts and example is wholly against the validity of any claim to such credit4 ,this review is issued that the real doctrines1 practices and general spirit of the ,mormon ,church may be known4 ,whatever the intent of the ,address may have been1 the effect of it will certainly be to deceive all readers who are not intimately acquainted with the teachings and practices of the ,mormon ,church4 ,we are not unmindful of the fact that we shall be charged with persecution and misrepresentation in issuing this review4 ,but the publication of the truth can hardly be called persecution1 and if there be any charge of misrepresentation it must lie against the leaders of the ,mormon ,church1 whose own utterances we have quoted as sustaining what has herein been said about their teachings4 ,that there may be no misunderstanding of our contention in this paper1 we1 in conclusion1 very frankly declare that not only is the ,address to the ,world misleading to the general public1 but also that the teachings of the ,mormon ,church in ,gentile communities and through its missionaries are deceptive2 that the policy of the ,mormon leaders is to keep the people in entire subjection to the priesthood1 and that so these leaders seek to control political1 commercial and educational conditions in ,utah2 that their moral influence where such control is maintained is neither complimentary to or commensurate with their power2 that their influence is not only subversive of civil authority1 but also of reverence for ,god2 that these leaders associate ,joseph ,smith in dignity and honor with the most eminent of mortals1 if not indeed with ,christ ,himself2 that they claim for ,brigham ,young and ,joseph ,smith and other living oracles the same obedience that is claimed for the very word of ,god2 that whatever spirituality is found in the lives of individual members of the ,mormon ,church exists in spite of the examples and precepts of their leaders2 that the difficulty in the enforcement of the civil law1 wherever it affects the practice of polygamous living1 is well nigh unsurmountable2 that the practice of polygamous living was never held in higher esteem by the governing body of the church than now2 that until the practices of the present leaders of the ,mormon ,church are radically changed there can be no peace between them and pure ,christianity2 and that until the doctrines of the church are radically modified it can never establish a claim to be even a part of the church of ,jesus ,christ4 ,,iii4 ,,answer ,,to ,,ministerial ,,association',s ,,review4 ,,elder ,b4,h4 ,,roberts ,,foreword4 ,the following ,answer to the ,ministerial ,association's ,review of the ,address of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints to the ,world1 was delivered in a speech at two meetings of the ,mutual ,improvement ,association conference1 ,sunday afternoon and evening1 ,june #i1 #aijg1 in the ,mormon ,tabernacle1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah1 before an audience of between four and five thousand people4 ,the speaker expected to close his remarks with the afternoon meeting1 and therefore omitted certain matters that were intended to be discussed at the time the subject to which they were related was presented in the afternoon1 but which1 for lack of time1 as he then supposed1 went over to the evening session4 ,he was urged by those in charge of the ,conference to continue his remarks in the evening session1 which he did4 ,in this printed copy of the speech1 some of the remarks in the evening are brought over into their proper place1 and connected with the subjects to which they most properly belong1 and that were treated in the afternoon4 ,also the speaker has added some items that were outlined in his notes prepared for the occasion1 but not used either in the afternoon or evening4 ,in order that such new matter might be designated it is placed in brackets4 ,,iii4 ,today1 my brethren and sisters1 we convert this pulpit into a forum1 from which we propose a defense both of our faith and the ,church4 ,nor do we violate any of the proprieties in this change1 because when truth is to be defended and injustice resented1 then all place a temple1 and all seasons summer4 ,the occasion to which we address ourselves this afternoon arises out of these circumstances3 ,at the late general conference of the ,church1 the ,first ,presidency issued to the world an address4 ,submitting it to the general conference1 it was approved and endorsed by the ,saints assembled1 so that it became an address of the ,church of ,christ to the world4 ,of course1 as we might have anticipated1 this address met with adverse criticism1 and finally there was formulated against it an alleged review by the ,ministerial ,association of evangelical ministers in the state of ,utah4 ,represented in that association are the ,presbyterian1 ,congregationalist1 ,methodist1 ,baptist1 ,lutheran1 ,christian 7,campbellite7 and regular ,episcopal churches--so that practically the whole of ,protestant ,christendom is represented by these ministers who challenge the correctness and the candor of the address issued by the ,church to the world4 ,in our consideration of their review we will suppose the representatives of these churches present1 sitting right here indicating a place close by the stand in a body4 ,and ,i wish they were so present1 because there is nothing like talking it out face to face with these gentlemen2 and ,i doubt not but their presence in a body would be quite an inspiration to one in discussing the document they have submitted to us4 ,having1 then1 before us the circumstances out of which this occasion arises1 let us proceed to our task4 ,the first charge or criticism of the address of the ,church made by these gentlemen is to the effect that the doctrines of the ,church are not as fully proclaimed elsewhere as in ,utah2 all through the review1 in fact1 runs the innuendo that the ,church deceitfully teaches one doctrine at home and another abroad1 and that the address obscures much that is necessary to an intelligent judgment of ,mormonism4 ,hence these gentlemen propose to help the world to a fuller presentation of ,mormon doctrine and practice1 as set forth in their review of our address4 ,right here1 ,i wish to propose this question to these gentlemen3 ,the document they have issued quotes very copiously from our published ,church works4 ,i want to ask them1 on what books and utterances do they rely for this larger1 fuller proclamation of ,mormonism8 ,i find quoted the ,millennial ,star1 the ,journal of ,discourses1 the ,seer 7by ,orson ,pratt71 the ,improvement ,era1 the ,manuals of the ,young ,men's ,mutual ,improvement ,associations1 ,orson ,spencer's ,letters1 ,epistles of the ,first ,presidency of the ,church1 ,talmage's ,articles of ,faith1 and last1 and of course least1 some of my own works4 ,now where is the ,millennial ,star published8 ,in ,liverpool1 ,england4 ,where were the ,journals of ,discourses published8 ,in ,liverpool1 ,england4 ,where was the ,seer published8 ,in ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,does it not occur to you1 gentlemen1 since these are the works on which you chiefly rely for your larger view of ,mormon doctrine1 that we have published them elsewhere quite as fully as we have in ,utah4 ,the ,improvement ,era1 of course1 is published in ,salt ,lake ,city2 but two thousand copies of it are sent free to our missionaries abroad to use as tracts and to scatter everywhere in the world4 ,so with ,orson ,spencer's ,letters3 so with all our publications quoted by you1 except the ,seer1 of which more presently4 ,they are all sent broadcast1 and our elders use them very freely1 and you will find them in the hands of our friends abroad1 and from them they learn the doctrines of ,mormonism4 ,so that your practical charge that we preach one set of doctrines and principles in ,utah1 and quite another in the world1 and that we are trying to play the double game of having one doctrine for home consumption and another for proclamation abroad1 is as shallow as it is untrue4 ,one other thing4 ,i find in this review ten lengthy quotations from the ,seer which was published by ,orson ,pratt1 yet the ,seer by formal action of the ,first ,presidency and ,twelve ,apostles of the ,church was repudiated1 and ,elder ,orson ,pratt himself sanctioned the repudiation4 ,there was a long article published in the ,deseret ,news on the #bcrd of ,august1 #ahfe1 over the signatures of the ,first ,presidency and ,twelve setting forth that this work--the ,seer--together with some other writings of ,elder ,pratt1 were inaccurate4 ,in the course of that document1 after praising1 as well they might1 the great bulk of the work of this noted apostle1 they say3 ,but the ,seer1 the ,great ,first ,cause1 the article in the ,millennial ,star1 of ,oct4 #ae1 and ,nov4 #a1 #ahej 99 99 99 99 contain doctrine which we cannot sanction and which we have felt to disown1 so that the ,saints who now live1 and who may live hereafter1 may not be misled by our silence1 or be left to misinterpret it4 ,where these objectionable works or parts of works are bound in volumes1 or otherwise1 they should be cut out and destroyed4 ,and yet these gentlemen1 our reviewers1 who1 of course1 we must believe1 since they are ministers of the gospel1 and hence they are ministers of the truth and believe in fair dealing1 make ten long quotations from a repudiated work1 and one quotation only from a work that is accepted as standard in the ,church1 viz41 the ,doctrine and ,covenants6 ,for a long time the ,church has announced over and over again that her standard works in which the word of ,god is to be found1 and for which alone she stands1 are the ,bible1 the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 the ,pearl of ,great ,price4 ,all else is commentary1 and of a secondary character as to its authority1 containing much that is good1 much that illustrates the doctrines of the ,church1 and yet liable to have error in it for which the ,church does not stand4 ,well1 says one1 do you propose to repudiate the works of men holding your priesthood1 and who are supposed to speak and act under the inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit8 ,do you not destroy the effectiveness of your ,church ministry when you take this attitude8 ,not at all4 ,we merely make what is a proper distinction4 ,it would be a glorious thing for a man to so live that his life would touch the very life and ,spirit of ,god1 so that his spirit would blend with ,god's ,spirit1 under which circumstances there would be no error in his life or in his utterances at all4 ,that is a splendid thing to contemplate1 but when you take into account human weaknesses1 imperfection1 prejudice1 passion1 bias1 it is too much to hope for human nature that man will constantly thus walk linked with ,god4 ,and so we make this distinction between a man speaking sometimes under the influence of prejudice and pre-conceived notions1 and the utterances of a man who1 in behalf of the ,church of ,god1 and having the requisite authority1 and holding the requisite position1 may1 upon occasion1 lay aside all prejudice1 all pre-conception1 and stand ready and anxious to receive the divine impression of ,god's ,spirit that shall plead1 ,father1 thy will and thy word be made known now to thy people through the channel thou hast appointed4 ,there is a wide difference between men coming with the word of ,god thus obtained1 and their ordinary speech every day and on all kinds of occasions4 ,in thus insisting that only the word of ,god1 spoken by inspiration1 shall live and be binding upon the ,church1 we are but following the illustrious example of the ancient ,church of ,christ4 ,you do not have today all the ,christian documents of the first ,christian centuries4 ,these books that you have bound up1 and that you call the word of ,god1 ,holy ,bible1 were sifted out by a consensus of opinion in the churches running through several hundred years4 ,they endured the test of time4 ,but the great bulk of that which was uttered and written1 even by apostles and prominent servants of ,god in the primitive ,christian ,church1 the ,church rejected1 and out of the mass of chaff preserved these ,scriptures--the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,christian world up to this time is not quite decided as to all that should be accepted and all that should be rejected4 ,you ,protestant gentlemen repudiate several books called ,apocrypha which the ,catholic church accepts as of equal authority with the rest of the books of the ,old and ,new ,testament4 ,and so ,i say in this procedure of ours1 in refusing to accept only that which time and the inspiration of ,god shall demonstrate to be absolutely true1 we are but following the example of the ancient ,church of ,christ4 ,we move forward now in our investigation of this charge of yours4 ,you say of us1 that ,adding no spiritual truth to the aggregate of things already revealed 99 99 99 contributing nothing to reverence for ,god or to justice and mercy towards men1 ',mormonism' claims to be the only authorized church of ,christ on earth1 and sets up a wholly unbiblical test of salvation4 ,gentlemen1 you may not believe1 of course1 the claims of the ,mormon ,church1 but you cannot in truth say that we apply an unbiblical test of salvation4 ,i pray you think of it for a moment4 ,what is the claim made for ,joseph ,smith8 ,that he was a prophet sent of ,god with a divine message1 with a dispensation of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,now1 just for a moment1 just for the sake of the argument1 suppose that claim to be true1 is the test we apply1 at all1 much less wholly1 unbiblical8 ,may one reject ,god's message and stand uncondemned before ,god8 ,assuredly not4 ,what was the example ,jesus set8 ,this3 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved1 and he that believeth not shall be damned4 ,he was but proclaiming the message that ,god had given to him1 and he laid down this principle as connected with the authority and commission he had bestowed upon the apostles when sending them into the world3 ,he that receiveth you receiveth me1 and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me4 ,what do we do1 when we proclaim the divine message with which the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith was commissioned to the world but just apply this same principle8 ,nothing more than this1 and of course we could do nothing less4 ,as ,i remarked a moment ago1 you may refuse1 as you do1 to believe this message and testimony1 but you cannot say in truth that there is anything unbiblical in the principles on which we proceed to make this declaration to the world3 and1 by the way1 don't you claim the same thing for your message8 ,if you don't1 what does your message amount to8 ,are you not ministers of ,jesus ,christ8 ,have you not come with the gospel of ,jesus ,christ8 ,can men reject you and your doctrine and your message and still be secure in the favor of ,god8 ,gentlemen1 if you take that position1 ,i brand you as false teachers1 untrue servants--not representatives of the ,master4 ,you are weaker than water spilled upon the ground which one may not gather again1 if you come with a message one may reject with impunity4 ,you are talking an infinite deal of nonsense when you undertake criticism of this kind4 ,now we are told that because of the claims of ,mormonism it provokes searching investigation1 for the reason that it involves eternal reprobation of those who finally reject it4 ,gentlemen1 have you not juggled here a little with words8 ,and is it not just possible that a wrong impression may go out from your view of our ,address1 rather than from the ,address itself8 ,is there such a thing in ,mormonism as eternal reprobation as generally understood in the theological terminology of the world8 ,with the single exception of those who come to know the truth and then so far sin against it that they have no power of repentance nor desire for forgiveness--the sons of perdition1 which all our works teach will be comparatively few in number--does not ,mormonism1 aside from these few1 hold out a hope of salvation to all the children of men8 ,but of this we shall have more to say presently2 but the above in passing4 ,again1 this searching investigation is provoked because the claim of the ,mormon ,church to being the only authorized ,church of ,christ1 involves the validity of all the ,church ordinances and of all ministerial functions1 including the right to solemnize marriages as administered by the ,christian ,church from the second to the nineteenth century4 ,here we are approaching solid ground of controversy4 ,mormonism does deny that divine authority exists in the churches of the world1 the churches of men1 miscalled ,christian churches4 ,we do not blanch from the position4 ,we proclaim it2 although we do not wish to do so in any offensive way1 but we have to be witnesses for the truth4 ,and ,god has revealed that to be the truth4 ,mormonism is in the world because their was a real necessity for its coming into the world4 ,it did not come into existence through theological disputations1 because of differences of views about baptism1 or church government1 or the nature of ,deity1 or any of these things2 but there had been1 and mark it1 gentlemen1 a complete apostasy from ,god's truth by the world4 ,the ,church of ,christ as an organization1 and the gospel as a system of truth had been displaced by the institutions and systems of men1 consequently there was need of divine authority being again conferred upon man and a new dispensation of the gospel of ,christ given to the world4 ,it is our pride that ,mormonism is this restored gospel and ,church of ,christ4 ,i notice among this body of men ,i am addressing1 the members of this ,ministerial association1 the representative of the ,episcopal church1 a branch of the great ,english church4 ,he ought not to complain of this attitude of the ,mormon ,church1 for the reason that in one of the ,homilies of his church2 in the ,homily on the ,perils of ,idolatry1 it is expressly stated that ,laity and clergy1 learned and unlearned1 all ages and sects and degrees have been drowned in abominable idolatry1 most detested by ,god1 and damnable to man1 for #hjj years and more4 7,perils of ,idolatry1 p4 #c74 ,certainly ,mormonism does not proclaim the apostasy more harshly than that1 nor do we declare its universality more emphatically1 but ,i presume we are offensive to the representatives of this particular church1 the ,episcopal1 because we include him and his organization as among those who are in the apostasy and who have not the gospel of ,christ4 ,yet we are not harder on him or his church than he is upon the ,catholic and all the rest of the ,christian world previous to the establishment of the ,church of ,england under the patronage of ,king ,henry ,,viii of ,england1 of unsavory memory1 and we do have this advantage1 viz43 ,that if we proclaim a universal apostasy1 we also proclaim the restoration of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 and the renewal of divine authority1 the resumption of present-day and continuous revelation from ,god4 ,so we are in an infinitely better position1 as to the reasonableness of our attitude1 than are those who proclaim this apostasy and yet are without a renewal of a dispensation of the gospel to the world4 ,there is one thing particularly offensive1 in this ministerial review1 a misrepresentation put in the most offensive form4 ,not only do the reviewers set forth that we deny the existence of divine authority in their churches1 and the nonexistence of the church of ,christ for centuries in the earth1 but they say that our attitude involves the validity of all ministerial functions1 including the right to solemnize marriages4 ,they are not1 ,i take it1 responsible for the headlines of their review as they appeared in the public press1 but in order to make the attitude of the ,mormon ,church as offensive as it could be made1 the headline said1 ,gentile ,marriage ,ordinances ,illegal ,before ,god4 ,now in justice to us ,i think this matter should have been put fairly1 and the exact status of the matter given4 ,it should have appeared that we regard marriage as a civil as well as a religious contract1 and our attitude with reference to divine things nowhere involves us in a contradiction as to the validity of marriage as a civil contract1 nor as a relationship wholly sanctioned and approved by the divine favor and blessing of ,god in this world4 ,the extent to which we1 in any way1 in thought or word1 invalidate marriage ordinances is in saying that marriage contracts formed in this world1 either by civil authority or by the authority of sectarian churches1 do not extend the marriage covenant beyond the period of this life4 ,these gentlemen ought to have been a little more careful1 if not a little more honest in stating our position upon this question4 ,allow me to do it for them4 ,turning to the revelation on the subject of marriage1 this is to be found3 ,verily ,i say unto you that the conditions of this law are these3 ,all covenants1 contracts1 bonds1 obligations1 oaths1 vows1 performances1 connections1 associations1 or expectations1 that are not made and entered into1 and sealed1 by the holy spirit of promise of him who is anointed1 both as well for time and for all eternity1 and that too most holy1 by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed1 whom ,i have appointed on the earth to hold this power 99 99 99 are of no efficacy1 virtue1 or force1 in and after the resurrection from the dead2 for all contracts that are not made unto this end1 have an end when men are dead4 ,again1 ,and every thing that is in the world1 whether it be ordained of men1 by thrones1 or principalities1 or powers1 or things of name1 whatsoever they may be1 that are not by me1 or by my word1 saith the ,lord1 shall be thrown down1 and shall not remain after men are dead1 neither in nor after the resurrection1 saith the ,lord your ,god4 ,for whatsoever things remain1 are by me2 and whatsoever things are not by me1 shall be shaken and destroyed4 ,therefore1 if a man marry him a wife in the world1 and he marry her not by me1 nor by my word2 and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world1 and she with him1 their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead1 and when they are out of the world2 therefore1 they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world4 ,so far as any denial of the validity of marriages is concerned1 it relates only to denying their validity after the resurrection--not this side of it2 and1 gentlemen1 you ought not to complain of this1 because you yourselves1 in performing the marriage ceremony1 say1 ,i pronounce you man and wife until death does you part4 ,i think you ought not to take offense at what we say on this subject--we say your marriage ceremonies are of no binding effect in and after the resurrection1 you make no pretensions of marrying for eternity4 ,the fact is1 you scorn and ridicule it4 ,before leaving this group of propositions with which ,i am dealing1 ,i desire to say respecting this question of universal apostasy from the ,christian faith--we can sustain the truth of that declaration from ,scripture1 from history1 from the condition of the religious world at the opening of the nineteenth century4 ,we have no anxiety about it1 but we have not time on this occasion to enter into an argument on the justification of our attitude4 ,but1 gentlemen1 ,christian gentlemen1 what in reality is the difference between your attitude and ours in respect of the world at large1 and the existence of the gospel in the earth1 and consequences growing out of those respective attitudes8 ,you proclaim1 do you not1 that there is no other name given under heaven whereby men can be saved except the name of ,jesus ,christ8 ,you insist1 do you not1 that there must be acceptance of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 and do you not hold that those who do not accept this gospel cannot receive the benefits of its salvation8 ,now then1 after two thousand years of proselyting in the world1 under the most favorable circumstances1 what is the sum total of your achievements8 ,why1 less than one-third of the inhabitants of the earth are even nominally ,christians6 and what is your attitude toward ,god's children whom you have not converted4 ,why1 that they are lost4 ,that is the inevitable result of your attitude and doctrine4 ,or else you must say that men can be saved without the gospel of ,christ4 ,now the difference between your position and ours is simply this3 ,the proposition that you present to the world at large1 we present to you as well as to the rest of mankind--and you don't like your own medicine--with this exception1 and it is a grand exception1 one that goes far towards establishing the divine origin of this great latter-day work2 the exception is this3 that whereas1 your attitude and principles condemn the great bulk of the human family to everlasting perdition--and ,i am going to talk to you about perdition in a little while1 and point out what you mean by it--while you consign to eternal perdition1 ,i say1 the great bulk of our ,father's children1 we proclaim an everlasting gospel1 one that shall not only walk beside men through this life but through all the ages that are to come4 ,you say in your review that we contribute nothing to reverence for ,god1 or to justice or mercy toward men4 ,well1 here is one little item that ,mormonism adds to the idea of justice and mercy1 that is1 we hold that in any age1 now or a thousand years hence1 or five thousand or ten thousand years hence1 or ten million years hence--we hold that when an intelligence1 a man1 shall learn that it profiteth nothing to violate the law of ,god1 but that it profiteth everything to yield obedience to that law1 and repentance takes hold of him1 and he stretches out his hands toward ,god--through the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 the hand of ,god will find the man's hand and bring him unto salvation4 ,that is the difference between us1 and ,i leave you to judge which smacks most of the inspiration and truth of heaven4 ,we take up now another group of propositions3 ,it is complained by you1 gentlemen1 that the ,mormon ,church denies that the ,christian churches have been representing ,christ for #a1gjj years1 notwithstanding ,christian martyrdoms1 organized charities1 the reforms the churches have fostered1 the progress of mankind which ,christians have chiefly promoted4 ,i wish to explain briefly the attitude of the ,church1 with reference to this interregnum between the apostasy and the restoration of that gospel in the nineteenth century1 through our prophet4 ,our position is this3 ,while there was this universal apostasy1 while the ,church of ,christ as an organization was destroyed1 and replaced by the churches of men1 yet just as when the sun goes down1 there still remains light in the sky--so1 too1 notwithstanding this apostasy from the ,church1 there still were left fragments of truth among the children of men1 and some measure of truth thank ,god1 through his mercy1 has always remained with man1 not only with ,christians but with all ,god's children4 ,he has not left himself in any of the ages of the world without his witnesses1 and he has sanctified all generations of men with some measure of the truth2 therefore1 when we proclaim this apostasy from the ,christian religion and the destruction of the ,church of ,christ1 it does not follow that we hold that all truth1 that all virtue1 had departed from the world1 or that ,god had absolutely withdrawn from his creation4 ,not so4 ,the light of truth burned in the bosom of good men2 but it does not follow that because these fragments of truth remained there was necessarily the organized ,church of ,christ and divine authority in the world4 ,these fragments of the truth could remain in the so-called ,christian parts of the world1 as we now know them to exist in what is called the heathen world4 ,relative to the reforms you claim that your churches have fostered and the progress of mankind which ,christians have chiefly promoted1 you are aware1 gentlemen1 that there is a certain class of thinkers among you--,i mean in the ,christian world1 not among ,mormons--you are aware that there is a school of thinkers among men who will tell you to your teeth1 and they will come very nearly proving the truth of it1 that such progress in civilization1 in science1 in arts1 as the world has made in past ages1 has not been made because of your churches1 but in spite of them4 ,they hold that your organizations have been found quite as often against the progress of truth as standing in support of it4 ,taking the whole time range into account1 from the close of the second to the opening of the nineteenth century1 it would puzzle you to meet their evidence and argument4 ,it is claimed that the brevity of our ,address not only leaves much to be desired1 but that it is positively misleading4 ,first1 our reviewers claim that the address is misleading on the subject of revelation4 ,still these reviewers are able to quote from the ,address as follows3 ,the theology of our ,church is the theology taught by ,jesus ,christ and his apostles1 the theology of ,scripture and reason4 ,it not only acknowledges the sacredness of ancient ,scripture1 and the binding force of divinely inspired acts and utterances in ages past2 but also declares that ,god now speaks to man in this final gospel dispensation4 ,that seems quite explicit to me4 ,but1 commenting upon the passage1 the reviewers say3 ,under this declaration lies the claim of the ',mormon' ,church--constantly insisted upon in its congregation here and in surrounding regions--that the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 the ,pearl of ,great ,price1 together with the living oracles--i4e41 certain members of the priesthood--are divinely inspired and are1 therefore1 of equal authority with the ,bible4 ,this claim1 a knowledge of which is so necessary to even a tolerable understanding of their system of belief1 is not plainly and explicitly set forth in the declaration of doctrine contained in the ,address1 but it has repeated and urgent emphasis in their teachings in ',mormon' communities4 ,now1 be honest1 gentlemen1 is it not repeated everywhere with just as much emphasis as in ,mormon communities in ,utah8 ,isn't it a universal proclamation that we make to the world8 ,you know it is1 and you prove that it is from the very works you quote to establish the fact that we believe in that doctrine1 and which are of world-wide circulation4 ,it was a vile effort at misrepresentation on your part to make it appear otherwise4 ,but on the subject of revelation1 let us go to the ,address itself4 ,what is said upon the subject of revelation is found on pages three and four1 and fourteen and fifteen3 ,our religion is founded on the revelations of ,god1 99 99 99 ,it1 the ,church of ,christ not only acknowledges the sacredness of ancient ,scripture1 and the binding force of divinely-inspired acts and utterances in ages past2 but also declares that ,god now speaks to man in this final gospel dispensation4 ,at page #ad of the ,address this is said3 ,it is sometimes urged that the permanent realization of such a desire i4e41 to live in peace with our fellow citizens is impossible1 since the ,latter-day ,saints hold as a principle of their faith that ,god now reveals himself to man1 as in ancient times2 that the priesthood of the ,church constitute a body of men who have each for himself1 in the sphere in which he moves1 special right to such revelation2 that the president of the ,church is recognized as the only person through whom divine communication will come as law and doctrine to the religious body2 that such revelation may come at any time1 upon any subject1 spiritual or temporal1 as ,god wills2 and finally that1 in the mind of every faithful ,latter-day ,saint1 such revelation1 in whatsoever it counsels1 advises1 or commands1 is paramount4 ,now1 gentlemen1 will you tell me how we could be more frank or explicit on the subject of revelation8 ,and when you charge that in this document we have not dealt candidly with the subject of revelation1 why did you not quote this passage ,i have just read1 with the other passages that you have quoted8 ,were you not trying to do a little misleading on your own account8 ,did you deal quite fairly with the ,address when you failed to quote this very explicit passage just read8 ,complaint is made about our belief in ,living ,oracles in the ,church1 i4e41 certain members of the priesthood who are divinely inspired1 and who may interpret the revelations and the laws of the ,church4 ,well1 gentlemen1 why do you complain of that8 ,books do not make churches4 ,how came we by the ancient scriptures8 ,the ,old and the ,new ,testament1 ,i mean4 ,we are instructed in the ,scriptures that no scripture is of private interpretation1 but that holy men of ,god spake as they were moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost1 hence your ,old ,testament and your ,new ,testament4 ,they came into existence exactly in the same way that our scripture is coming into existence4 ,the living oracles make scripture2 scriptures do not make living oracles4 ,and that is what is the matter with you1 gentlemen2 you have been relying upon books instead of relying upon the fountain source of all wisdom1 truth and knowledge1 the inspiration and revelation of ,god to the human soul4 ,you are book-made teachers1 rather than ,god-made teachers4 ,that is the difference between the living oracles in the ,church of ,christ and those who speak as the ,scribes and ,pharisees were wont to speak4 ,the people in ancient times were able to discern the difference2 for they said of ,jesus that he spoke as one having authority1 and not as the ,scribes and the ,pharisees4 ,we are in harmony with the whole course of ,god's dealings with his children in this matter of developing his word in his ,church4 ,yes1 we have living oracles in the ,church1 thank ,god2 and when they speak as moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost their utterances are the very word of ,god2 and when the teachings and discourses of the elders of the ,church shall have been sifted and tried in the fire of time1 much that they have said will prove to be scripture1 and thus the ,church of ,christ of this dispensation shall make scriptures1 just as the ,church of ,christ of former dispensations has done4 ,now ,i read to you another passage from this review4 ,complaint is made against our address upon the ground that it treats very briefly--all too briefly1 the doctrines of the ,church4 ,i do not know but what it is open to just criticism on that ground2 for our doctrines are but stated1 as you may say1 in headlines4 ,i presume the ,presidency of the ,church did not think the occasion called for an elaborate exposition of the principles of our faith1 with chapter and verse given for warrant of the authority on which they rested4 ,but the ,church had been under the fire of severe criticism for a period of four years or more4 ,its doctrines had been assailed1 the practices of its people had been misrepresented1 their character traduced1 and their whole course of conduct reprobated and condemned4 ,taking these circumstances under advisement1 the ,presidency of the ,church thought1 ,i presume1 the time propitious for an utterance which would in outline tell the world what we believed1 and correct the misunderstanding that obtained respecting our past history and present position4 ,the address was not designed1 as ,i understand it1 to be a complete exposition of our faith1 but a declaration of our present attitude4 ,on the doctrine of the ,godhead these ,christian gentlemen1 our reviewers1 think that the statement of the ,address to the effect that we believe in the ,godhead1 comprising the three individual personages--,father1 ,son and ,holy ,ghost--is a declaration that will not perhaps suggest ,tritheism or materialism to ,christians unfamiliar with ,mormon theological terms4 ,but1 they continue1 when the full doctrine of the ,deity1 as taught in ',mormon' congregations1 is known1 it will at once be seen that no ,christian can accept it4 ,in fact1 they say1 the ',mormon' ,church teaches that ,god the ,father has a material body of flesh and bone2 that ,adam is the ,god of the human race2 that this ,adam-,god was physically begotten by another ,god2 that the ,gods were once as we are now2 that there is a great multiplicity of ,gods2 that ,jesus ,christ was physically begotten by the heavenly ,father of ,mary1 his wife2 that as we have a heavenly ,father1 so also we have a heavenly mother2 that ,jesus himself was married1 and was probably a polygamist4 ,let me say1 in treating this group of statements1 that these gentlemen nowhere support these allegations by citations from our authoritative works that the ,church accepts as binding in doctrine2 but they do quote the commentaries of men1 which often express only individual opinions4 ,i might dismiss this group of charges against the ,mormon ,church1 therefore1 by this statement of the case3 the ,church is not bound to defend any doctrine that is not explicitly found in the works of the ,church setting forth authoritatively her doctrines4 ,but ,i do not propose to dismiss the charges in any such fashion4 ,i propose to grapple with them1 and meet them1 ,i trust to your satisfaction and to the satisfaction of these gentlemen4 ,first1 as to ,god having a body of flesh and bone--being a material personage4 ,i want to find out what there is wrong1 unscriptural1 unphilosophical or immoral about that doctrine4 ,and for the purpose of this discussion1 ,i am going to put in contrast to our belief1 that ,god is a spirit inhabiting a body of flesh and bone--an exalted1 a perfected man1 if you will--the statement of the belief of these reviewers as to the nature of ,god4 ,and1 by the way1 they are so nearly at one upon this doctrine1 that the ,church of ,england's creed1 the statement of the ,episcopal church on the doctrine1 will be acceptable1 ,i doubt not1 to them all4 ,on this subject these gentlemen hold3 ,there is but one living and true ,god1 everlasting1 without body--and that term body1 by the way1 does not mean to deny that ,god has a body in fashion like man's2 but it means that he is not matter1 not material4 ,continuing then--without body1 parts or passions2 of infinite power1 wisdom and goodness1 the ,maker and ,preserver of all things1 both visible and invisible4 ,and in unity of this ,godhead there be three ,persons of one substance1 power and eternity3 the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost4 ,of ,jesus the creed says3 ,the ,son1 which is the ,word of the ,father1 begotten from everlasting of the ,father1 the very and eternal ,god1 and of one substance with the ,father1 took man's nature in the womb of the blessed virgin1 of her substance3 so that two whole and perfect natures1 that is to say1 the ,godhead and ,manhood1 were joined together in one ,person1 never to be divided1 whereof is one ,christ very ,god and very ,man4 ,again3 ,christ did truly rise again from death1 and took again his body1 with flesh1 bones1 and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature2 wherewith he ascended into heaven1 and there sitteth1 until he return to judge all men at the last day4 ,mark what is said here of ,jesus4 ,you say that the ,godhead and manhood in ,jesus were joined together in one person1 that is1 his spirit and his body are united1 never to be severed or disunited4 ,now ,i put to you this question3 ,is the ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,god8 ,yes1 you must answer4 ,then is not ,god an exalted man according to your creed8 ,listen--and this is your belief as expressed in your creed--,christ did truly rise again from death1 and took again his body1 with flesh1 bones1 and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature2 wherewith he ascended into heaven1 and there sitteth1 until he return to judge all men at the last day4 ,according to this statement of the matter1 ,jesus has not been dissolved into some spiritual1 immaterial essence1 and widely diffused throughout the universe as some spiritual presence4 ,no2 he is a substantial1 resurrected personage1 a united spirit and body2 and ,the ,godhead1 and ,manhood that are united in the ,christ--the humanity and the divinity--are never to be divided4 ,he is recognized and worshiped by you1 gentlemen1 as very ,god and very man4 ,this1 of course1 scarcely meets the description of the first paragraph of the creed used here1 where ,god is declared to be not matter1 that is without body1 parts or passions4 ,but then that contradiction is your affair1 your trouble1 not ours4 ,it is enough that ,i call your attention to the fact that the second part of your creed leads you closely to the ,mormon doctrine that ,god is an exalted1 perfected man1 since ,jesus1 according to your creed1 is ,god1 and yet a resurrected man sitting in heaven until his return to judge all men at the last day4 ,and now as to there being more ,gods than one4 ,we believe the ,scripture which says that ,jesus was the brightness of ,god's glory1 and the express image of his person 7,heb4 #a3c74 ,and as we know what kind of a person the ,christ is1 who possessed all the fulness of the ,godhead bodily2 and who1 when he declared that all power in heaven and in earth had been given unto him1 and he was in the act of sending his disciples into all the world to teach and baptize in the authority of the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,spirit--was a resurrected1 immortal man1 of spirit1 flesh and bone4 ,and since1 ,i say1 the scripture teaches that the ,son was the express image of the ,father's person1 we conclude that the ,father must be a personage of spirit1 flesh and bone1 just as the ,son1 ,jesus1 is4 ,indeed your ,athanasian creed says that such as the ,father is1 such is the ,son2 and of course1 it follows that1 such as the ,son is1 such is the ,father2 that is1 the ,father is a personage of spirit1 flesh and bone1 united in one person1 very ,god and very man1 just as ,jesus is4 ,and there are two separate personages1 each distinct from the other in person1 two individuals1 but both of the same divine nature2 and if two separate personages1 individuals1 may participate in the one divine nature1 it logically follows that a larger number than two or three may participate in that nature4 ,and hence the ,scriptures represent in many places the existence of a plurality of divine personages1 how many we do not know1 and it does not matter4 ,but we hear of ,god saying1 ,let us make man in our image2 the man has become as one of us1 knowing good and evil2 ,god standeth in the congregation of the ,mighty1 he judgeth among the ,gods4 99 99 99 ,i have said ,ye are ,gods1 and all of you are children of the most ,high4 ,the last a passage of the ,psalms1 quoted and defended by the ,savior as a justification of his own claim to sonship with ,god4 ,and now1 if the great archangel1 ,michael1 or ,adam1 is among that number of exalted1 divine souls1 what more fitting than that the father of the human race shall become the great1 presiding patriarch of our earth and its redeemed inhabitants2 and the one with whom our race would most immediately have to do8 ,what sacrilege is there in this thought8 ,is it not reasonable that it should be so8 ,of your nonsense of one being three1 and three being but one1 we will say nothing1 except to remark that you must reform your arithmetic1 if you expect sensible people to pay attention to your doctrines4 ,one other item in which we offend these reverend gentlemen is that we believe ,jesus had a ,father as well as a mother4 ,now1 gentlemen1 honestly1 is it any worse for him to have had a ,father than it is for him to have had a mother8 ,you concede that he had a mother2 that his body grew as yours did1 in the womb of his mother2 that he came forth of the womb by birth pains2 that he suckled at the breast of woman2 that through the months and years of infant weakness he was watched and guided by the hand of a loving mother4 ,tell me1 is it true1 that in your philosophy of things it is all right for ,jesus to have a mother1 but a terrible sin and blasphemy to think of him as having a father8 ,is not fatherhood as sacred and holy as motherhood8 ,listen1 people1 there is something else4 ,having objected to our idea of ,jesus having a father1 these peculiarly pious gentlemen turn now and object to our faith because we believe that we have for our spirits a heavenly mother as well as a heavenly father6 ,they quote1 in part1 that splendid hymn of ours on heavenly motherhood1 the great throbbing hunger of woman's soul1 and which was given to this world through the inspired mind of ,eliza ,r4 ,snow2 the hymn is known to us as ,o ,my ,father4 ,in the ,scripture we read3 ,we have had fathers of the flesh1 and we did give them reverence1 shall we not much rather be subject to the ,father of spirits and live8 ,so that we know we have had a father to our spirits2 but because we hold that the spirits of men have also a mother in heaven1 as well as a father1 behold these reviewers complain against us4 ,now1 observe the peculiar position of these critics3 ,it is all right for ,jesus to have a mother2 but it is all wrong for him to have a father4 ,on the other hand1 it is all right for men's spirits to have a ,father in heaven1 but our reviewers object to our doctrine of their also having a mother there4 ,i sometimes wonder what in the world is the matter with you1 gentlemen4 ,i am puzzled to classify your views1 or the kind of beings with which you people heaven4 ,one of your own number1 however1 has thrown some light upon that subject1 and has so classified you--saving me the trouble--as to enable us to understand to some extent your peculiar views4 ,i have a book here that ,i am going to use in this controversy4 ,it is a new one4 ,i got it three days ago1 and have read it nearly through in order to be prepared for this occasion4 ,it is the work of ,rev4 ,r4 ,j4 ,campbell1 of ,city ,temple1 ,london1 and it is a treatise on the ,new ,theology1 just now much talked of in ,europe4 ,he describes ministers of the gospel and gives them the classification referred to a moment since1 and which ,i think must needs be all right1 since it comes from a minister4 ,he takes the average business man of ,england1 naming him ,john ,smith1 for convenience1 and he says this about ,john3 ,john ,smith1 with whom we used to go to school1 and who has since developed into a stolid ,british man of business1 with few ideas and a tendency toward conservatism--,john is a stalwart1 honest1 commonplace kind of person1 of whom brilliant things were never prophesied and who has never been guilty of any4 ,his wife and children go to church on ,sundays4 ,john seldom goes himself1 because it bores him1 but he likes to know that religion is being attended to1 and he does not want to hear that his clergyman is attempting any daring flights4 ,he has a good-natured contempt for clergymen in general1 because he feels somewhat that1 like women1 they have to be treated with half-fictitious reverence1 but that they do not count for much in the ordinary affairs of life1 they are a sort of a third sex4 ,now1 ladies1 ,i ask you to remember1 in passing1 that ,i am reading the words of somebody else2 their are not my words4 ,the phrase half-fictitious reverence is not mine4 ,i think we ought to have real reverence for women2 no fictitious reverence at all4 ,the ministers are here in this passage described as a sort of third sex1 and ,i am inclined to think that is right2 for when a man in one case objects to a person having a father1 and in another case considers it altogether unholy for persons to have a mother1 ,i do not know how else to classify him but as a sort of third sex-kind of a man4 ,there seems to be objection in the review to the idea of the marriage relation existing in heaven and subsisting between divine beings4 ,loud complaint is made1 if you hold that the intelligences of heaven obey the law of marriage4 ,let me ask you1 ,christian gentlemen1 ,who instituted marriage8 ,you will answer1 ,god4 ,is it holy or unholy8 ,did ,god institute an unholy thing and command men to engage in it8 ,you will have to say that marriage is holy1 since ,god instituted it4 ,very good4 ,then if it is holy1 how do you make it out that it will be unholy for divine personages to practice it8 ,is it not just as good for divine personages as for you imperfect men8 ,can it be that your ideas of the relationship of the sexes are so impure that you must needs regard that association as so unholy as to be unworthy of divine beings8 ,let me read to you what a great ,english author--,jeremy ,taylor--says on this subject of1 marriage3 ,marriage is the mother of the world and preserves kingdoms1 and fills cities and churches1 and heaven itself4 ,like the useful bee1 it builds a house and gathers sweetness from every flower1 and labors and unites into societies and republics1 and sends out colonies1 and feeds the world with delicacies1 and obeys and keeps order1 and exercises many virtues and promotes the interest of mankind1 and is that state of good to which ,god hath designed the present constitution of the world4 ,now1 you prate to us about our belief1 or the belief of some of us at least1 that divine personages are in this holy relationship4 ,but tell me what it is that has been the great civilizing force of this and all other ages8 ,what is it that best tempers man1 and fits him for the society of his fellows and for holy communion with ,god8 ,there is no force within the experience of man1 that is so beneficial or ennobling to him as the love and devotion of a pure1 good woman2 and for woman there is nothing that is so sanctifying as the love of an upright1 honorable man1 whose arm protects her and whose love shields her from the evils of the world4 ,these relations1 blessed with the pledges of their affection in off-spring1 complete the circle of man's happiness1 and greatness1 and exaltation of spirit in this world4 ,it is the civilizing force that stands pre-eminent above all others4 ,and that which sanctifies man here in this world may be trusted not to degrade him in the eternities that are to come1 but1 on the contrary1 will contribute to his exaltation and his eternal glory4 ,that is our faith1 at least1 and we would not change it for all the sexless1 hermaphrodite existences that your warped minds paint in such glowing colors4 ,we offend again in our doctrine that men are of the same race with the divine personages we call ,gods4 ,great stress is laid upon the idea that we believe that as man is1 ,god once was1 and as ,god now is1 man may become4 ,the world usually shouts blasphemy and sacrilege at one when he talks of such a possibility4 ,but the world moves1 ,i am happy to say4 ,just now1 in ,england1 especially1 there is a thought-revolution under way4 ,some have declared that in importance and extent it is as great as was the revolution of the sixteenth century1 led by ,martin ,luther4 ,the present recognized leader of this movement is the ,rev4 ,r4 ,j4 ,campbell1 of the ,city ,temple1 ,london1 whose book ,i referred to a moment ago4 ,this ,new ,theology1 so-called1 has the outspoken support of the ,christian ,commonwealth1 of ,london1 a publication of wide influence4 ,a ,society for the ,encouragement of ,progressive ,religious ,thought has been organized to champion the ideas of the ,new ,theology4 ,mr4 ,campbell numbers among his champions ,dr4 ,john ,clifford1 the leading figure in the ,english ,baptist church1 also ,dr4 ,r4 ,f4 ,horton1 chairman of the ,london ,congregational ,union4 ,in ,america1 his sympathizers and opponents seem to be equally numerous4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,t4 ,stead1 of the ,review of ,reviews1 compares the present theological ardor in ,london with that which marked ,alexandria in the days of ,athanasius1 when fishmongers at their stalls discussed the doctrine of the trinity4 ,the strife of tongues has reached even to ,germany1 where ,prof4 ,harnack1 the eminent theologian1 interprets it as a proof that the formal theology of the creeds your creeds1 gentlemen1 is being gradually displaced by the vital theology of experience4 ,i want to read to you some key-words of this new theology which is making its way among all churches4 ,it is' not an organized movement4 ,no one appears to know whence it springs4 ,indeed1 it is spoken of as being one of those pulsations of the cosmic mind which moves over the people at intervals and proclaims some great truth4 ,now1 you will be astonished at the fundamental truth of this new movement1 and the great number of people who are accepting it as the theology of experience4 ,its fundamental principle is the recognition of the identity between human nature and the divine nature4 ,in proof of it1 ,i submit the following passages3 ,whence springs the deep-seated hostility of so man1 of the representatives of labor to the churches8 ,it can only be from the fact that organized religion has1 in the immediate past1 lost sight of its own fundamental1 the divineness of man4 7,rev4 ,r4 ,j4 ,campbell1 in ,hibbert ,journal1 ,april1 #aijg1 p4 #dhg47 ,when the man with a burdened conscience comes to us for relief1 let us tell him that we all bear the burden together1 and that until he becomes a ,christ all the love in the universe will come to his help and share his struggle4 ,his burden is ours1 the burden of the ,christ incarnate for the redemption of the world4 7,ibid1 p4 #dic47 ,the starting point in the ,new ,theology is belief in the immanence of ,god1 and the essential oneness of ,god and man4 99 99 99 ,we believe man to be a revelation of ,god1 and the universe one means to the self-manifestation of ,god4 99 99 99 99 ,we believe that there is no real distinction between humanity and the ,deity4 ,our being is the same as ,god's1 although our consciousness of it is limited4 99 99 99 ,the new theology holds that human nature should be interpreted in terms of its own highest nature1 therefore it reverences ,jesus ,christ4 ,jesus ,christ was divine1 'but so are we4' 99 99 99 ,every man is a potential ,christ1 or rather a manifestation of the eternal ,christ4 99 99 99 ,the new theology 99 99 99 is the gospel of the humanity of ,god and the divinity of man4 7,campbell1 ,london ,daily ,mail1 quoted in ,current ,literature1 ,april1 #aijg47 ,i shall continue to feel compelled to believe that the power which produced ,jesus must be at least equal to ,jesus1 so ,jesus becomes my gateway to the innermost of ,god4 ,when ,i look at him ,i say to myself1 ,god is that1 and if ,i can only get down to the truth about myself ,i shall find that ,i am too4 99 99 99 ,in him 7,jesus7 the humanity was divinity and divinity humanity4 99 99 99 ,but you make him only a man6 ,no1 reader1 ,i do not4 ,i make him the only man1 and there is a difference4 ,we have only seen perfect manhood once1 and that was the manhood of ,jesus4 ,the rest of us have got to get there4 99 99 99 ,we have to get rid of the dualism which will insist on putting humanity and ,deity into two separate categories4 ,unitarians used to declare that ,jesus was man1 not ,god4 ,trinitarianism maintained that he was ,god and man2 the older ,christian thought as well as the youngest regards him as ,god in man--,god manifest in the flesh4 ,but here emerges a great point of difference between the new theology on the one hand and traditional orthodoxy on the other4 ,the latter would restrict the description ',god manifest in the flesh' to ,jesus alone2 the new theology would extend it in a lesser degree to all humanity1 and would maintain that in the end it will be as true of every individual soul as it ever was of ,jesus4 ,indeed1 it is this belief that gives value and significance to the earthly mission of ,jesus--he came to show us what we potentially are4 7,the ,new ,theology1 ,campbell1 pp4 #hb1 #hc47 ,there is much more to the same effect1 which ,i now pass4 ,i am now going to read to you from a higher authority than ,mr4 ,campbell--from a man of science1 a man whose intellectual powers sway the religious thought of many thousands in ,great ,britain1 the thoughts of many more people than ,mr4 ,campbell sways4 ,i refer to ,sir ,oliver ,lodge1 who says in the ,hibbert ,journal1 one of the foremost publications in the world on the subject of theology and philosophy1 with reference to the divinity of ,jesus1 and the identity of the divine and human nature3 ,the conception of the ,godhead formed by some divine philosophers and mystics has quite rightly been so immeasurably vast1 though still assuredly utterly inadequate and necessarily beneath reality1 that the notion of a ,god revealed in human form--born1 suffering1 tormented1 killed--has been utterly incredible4 ',a crucified prophet1 yes2 but a crucified ,god6 ,i shudder at the blasphemy1' is a known quotation which ,i cannot now verify2 yet that apparent blasphemy is the soul of ,christianity4 ,it calls upon us to recognize and worship a crucified1 an executed ,god4 99 99 99 ,the world is full of men4 ,what the world wants is a ,god4 ,behold the ,god6 7referring of course1 to ,jesus17 ',the divinity of ,jesus' is the truth which now requires to be re-perceived1 to be illuminated afresh by new knowledge1 to be cleansed and revivified by the wholesome flood of skepticism which has poured over it2 it can be freed now from all trace of groveling superstition1 and can be recognized freely and enthusiastically2 the divinity of ,jesus1 7,mark you--'the divinity of ,jesus'7 and of all other noble and saintly souls1 in so far as they too have been inflamed by a spark of ,divinity--in so far as they too can be recognized as manifestations of the ,divine4 7,hibbert ,journal for ,april1 #aijf1 pp4 #fed-e47 ,that is the doctrine1 gentlemen1 that is sweeping the earth1 the divinity of ,jesus1 and the divinity of all other noble and saintly souls--the kinship of men and ,god4 ,that is ,mormonism1 and it was proclaimed by the great prophet of the nineteenth century1 half a century before these modern minds were awakened to its grandeur and to its uplifting power4 ,i rejoice to see it running in the earth to be glorified1 for in it ,i recognize the very root principle of all religion and out of it grow all the relations that link us with all that is pure1 uplifting and divine4 ,now1 do not misunderstand me4 ,there is much nonsense in this ,new ,theology2 but this root principle of it is true1 and it is in accord with the principles that ,joseph ,smith proclaimed years ago4 ,the doctrine of the immanence of ,god in the world1 by which we mean the universe and the divinity of man1 instead of its having its origin some fifteen or twenty years ago1 and now finding expression in the beautiful diction of ,mr4 ,campbell and ,sir ,oliver ,lodge and others1 it was taught by the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 at least over seventy years ago4 ,concerning the immanence of ,god1 he taught the following in #ahcb3 ,he first represents that the spirit of ,christ is in all and through all things1 the light of truth2 which truth shineth4 ,then he adds3 ,this is the light of ,christ4 ,as also he is in the sun1 and the light of the sun1 and the power thereof by which it was made4 ,as also he is in the moon1 and is the light of the moon1 and the power thereof by which it was made4 ,as also the light of the stars1 and the power thereof by which they were made4 ,and the earth also1 and the power thereof1 even the earth upon which you stand4 ,and the light which now shineth1 which giveth you light1 is through him who enlighteneth your eyes1 which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings2 which light proceedeth forth from the presence of ,god to fill the immensity of space4 ,the light which is in all things2 which giveth life to all things2 which is the law by which all things are governed2 even the power of ,god who sitteth upon his throne1 who is in the bosom of eternity1 who is in the midst of all things4 ,the prophet further declared1 in #ahcc1 that the elements are eternal1 and spirit and element inseparably connected receive a fullness of joy4 ,the elements are the tabernacle of ,god2 yea1 man is the tabernacle of ,god1 even temples4 ,again1 ,i say1 there is much in the so-called ,new ,theology which we cannot accept1 such as the denial of the atonement1 its treatment of the ,scriptures and the like1 but in so far as these fundamental principles of it are concerned--the immanence of ,god in the world1 and the identity of the race of man and divine beings--there can be no question as to their accuracy4 ,and those ,christian people who are not accepting these ideas are not moving forward with the far-flung thought-line of ,god's revelations on these matters4 ,we next come to the subject of priesthood4 ,it is declared by the reviewers that the teaching of the ,church upon this important doctrine is not candidly set forth in our ,address4 ,then they give us a long line of quotations1 most of them from the ,seer1 upon the subject of priesthood2 and insist that the priesthood involves the possession and exercise of arbitrary power in all things1 in things both spiritual and temporal4 ,i read to you a passage or two from the ,address on the subject of priesthood that you may see the injustice of this charge3 ,we affirm that to administer in the ordinances of the gospel1 the authority must be given of ,god2 and that this authority is the power of the holy priesthood4 ,we affirm that through the ministration of immortal personages1 the holy priesthood has been conferred upon men in the present age1 and that under this divine authority the ,church of ,christ has been organized4 ,the reviewers quote this far1 and then stop to remark--but without returning to quote again from the ,address--so it is declared2 but the teaching of the ,church on this important doctrine is not herein candidly set forth4 ,then why did not you reviewers go to another part of the document where the matter is more explicitly set forth and quote that8 ,following the fragment you do quote occurs this passage which declares the express purposes for which the priesthood was given3 ,we proclaim the objects of this organization to be1 the preaching of the gospel in all the world1 the gathering of scattered ,israel1 and the preparation of a people for the coming of the ,lord4 ,but you reviewers say this power extends not only to things spiritual1 but to secular matters as well4 ,within certain limitations1 granted2 and the acknowledgment of the fact is found in the ,address itself which you charge with being uncandid4 ,here is the passage3 ,that the ,church claims the right to counsel and advise her members in temporal as well as in spiritual affairs is admitted4 ,leading ,church officials1 men of practical experience in pioneer life1 have aided the people in establishing settlements throughout the inter-mountain west1 and have given them1 gratuitously1 the benefit of their broader knowledge of things1 through counsel and direction1 which the people have followed to their advantage2 and both the wisdom of the leaders and the good sense of the people are vindicated in the results achieved4 ,all this has been done without the exercise of arbitrary power4 ,it has resulted from wise counsels1 persuasively given and willingly followed4 ,but you insist that there is tyranny and arbitrary ruler-ship over a community which indorses the priesthood's high claims4 ,i deny the existence of such tyranny as a fact among the ,mormon people who indorse the priesthood's high claims2 and ,i deny the existence of arbitrary power as a doctrine of the ,church1 and so does the ,address which you pretend to review4 ,here is the passage3 ,we deny the existence of arbitrary power in the ,church why didn't you gentlemen quote that2 and this because its government is moral government purely1 and its forces are applied through kindness1 reason1 and persuasion4 ,government by consent of the governed is the rule of the ,church4 ,following is a summary of the word of the ,lord1 setting forth the principles on which the ,church government is to be administered3 ,the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven1 and the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness4 ,that they may be conferred upon men1 it is true2 but when they undertake to cover their sins1 or gratify their pride1 their vain ambition1 or exercise control1 or dominion1 or compulsion1 upon the souls of the children of men1 in any degree of unrighteousness1 the ,spirit of the ,lord is grieved2 and when it is withdrawn1 amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man4 ,no power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood1 only by persuasion1 by longsuffering1 by gentleness1 and meekness1 and by love unfeigned2 by kindness1 and pure knowledge1 which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy and without guile4 ,gentlemen1 those are our principles4 ,why didn't you quote them fairly and fully1 instead of charging arbitrary power1 when it is expressly denied by what we regard as the very word of ,god8 ,honestly1 now1 did you deal fairly with us when you came to this part of your review8 ,but1 you say1 given the power of the ',mormon' priesthood1 that it should not be used is incompatible with the known facts of human nature4 ,well1 if it does attempt arbitrary power1 it will be in violation of our principles1 and not in harmony with them2 and that fact furnishes a basis for the correction of any abuses that may arise4 ,and while it is true that here and there1 throughout a long experience1 there may have been individual instances of the exercise of arbitrary rule in the ,church1 yet speaking for the priesthood of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 as a whole1 ,i challenge you to duplicate the same honorable conduct anywhere within the experience of men1 where those entrusted with power have so uniformly abstained from abusing it while exercising the functions of government4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints love their leaders1 living and dead1 and not without cause1 ,i assure you2 for these men have labored in season and out of season1 persuading1 counseling1 advising1 and guarding the interests of their people with an unselfishness that tells us something of the love of ,god1 and that without effort at personal aggrandizement or enrichment4 ,the lives and labors of the priesthood are a vindication of its divine origin and spirit4 ,the review further says that when once the ,church's claim for its priesthood is allowed1 the claim of jurisdiction in civil matters logically follows4 ,but1 gentlemen1 why did you not point out the fact1 or at least admit it in some form1 that the address you were reviewing emphatically excepted out of its jurisdiction the sphere of civil government8 ,you could have edified those whom you are so anxious to enlighten with such passages as these3 ,the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of the ,church1 and in this light ye shall hold them forth4 ,that is to say1 no law or rule enacted1 or revelation received by the ,church1 has been promulgated for the state4 ,such laws and revelations as have been given are solely for the government of the ,church4 ,on the subject of the relations of the ,church and the ,state the ,address says3 ,the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints holds to the doctrine of the separation of church and state2 the non-interference of church authority in political matters2 and the absolute freedom and independence of the individual in the performance of his political duties4 ,if1 at any time1 there has been conduct at variance with this doctrine1 it has been in violation of the well-settled principles and policy of the ,church4 ,we declare that from principle and policy1 we favor3 ,the absolute separation of church and state2 ,no domination of the state by the ,church2 ,no church interference with the functions of the state2 ,no state interference with the functions of the church1 or with the free exercise of religion2 ,the absolute freedom of the individual from the domination of ecclesiastical authority in political affairs2 ,the equality of all churches before the law4 ,again ,i read from the review1 and this time ,i deal with a passage which the reviewers themselves say dwarfs everything mentioned in the ,address4 ,we shall see what comes of it3 ,apparently the foundation of the ',mormon' ,church is in the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 the ,pearl of ,great ,price1 and the testimony of the living oracles delivered from time to time4 ,but whoever digs down to the lowermost foundation will find that1 at last1 everything rests upon the reported visions of ,joseph ,smith4 ,when any matter of vital importance is presented for the belief of mankind1 if that matter1 either in its nature or the circumstances attending it1 lies very much outside the ordinary1 a due regard for human intelligence demands that1 whatever testimony is produced in support of it shall be buttressed by corroborative evidence4 ,but here we have a system of religion which claims sole authority as being alone divinely accredited4 ,it asks for the acceptance of mankind on the ground of being so accredited4 ,it anathematizes all who finally reject it4 ,yet this religion1 making such an astonishing claim1 is founded upon the unsupported assertion of a young person whose probity was never so well established that his naked word would be taken concerning any matter transcending ordinary observation and experience2 and that assertion touches supernatural appearances1 and messages which1 if true1 are of the most profound importance to mankind2 and yet that assertion is wholly without corroborative evidence4 ,gentlemen--,christian gentlemen--you who are such sticklers for candor--have you spoken truly here1 and in a matter which you say dwarfs everything else mentioned in the ,address8 ,what of the testimony of three certain witnesses1 who claim that they stood with ,joseph ,smith wrapt in open vision1 in the light of day2 who give their most solemn asseveration that a holy angel came into their presence on that occasion1 laid before them certain ancient documents1 turned over the leaves1 conversed with them1 and at the same time they heard the voice of ,god saying that the translation of the ,book of ,mormon by ,joseph ,smith was true1 and commanded them to bear witness of it to all the world--which they did1 over their own signatures1 and that testimony is printed in every edition of the ,book of ,mormon8 ,what of the testimony of eight other witnesses1 to whom ,joseph ,smith handed the book of plates1 and they handled and hefted them1 and passed them one to the other1 and examined the engravings thereon2 and they gave their testimony to the world to this effect1 which testimony has been published with every edition of the ,book of ,mormon given to the world4 ,did you overlook this corroborative testimony8 ,is it true that you gave so slight attention to the subject you were reviewing that you could make a misstatement of the kind just mentioned8 ,were you so unacquainted with it8 ,must we think you so dull8 ,if we acquit you of stupidity1 what then8 ,must we not think of you as uttering falsehood8 ,what of the testimony of ,oliver ,cowdery1 who stood wrapt in vision in the ,kirtland temple with ,joseph ,smith8 ,and of ,sidney ,rigdon1 wrapt in vision with ,joseph ,smith1 from which resulted their conjoint testimony concerning that grandest of revelations ever given to man on the doctrine of the future degrees of glory in which men will live in the eternities8 ,i do not desire to use harsh language2 ,i will not say that you wilfully1 maliciously1 ponderously and atrociously lied2 because while all that might be true1 one would be accused of harshness if he said it2 but ,i will say that you have economized the truth1 and you may settle it with your own consciences4 ,our subject increases in interest as you get into it1 and perhaps it is well it is so1 else your interest might falter4 ,we come now to a very interesting topic--that of polygamy4 ,this is the darling theme of the reviewers1 and so we will not slight it by saying nothing about it4 ,i had best read what they say on this point3 ,we have no means of knowing to what extent the practice of plural marriage has been discontinued in the ',mormon' ,church1 since no records of such marriages are kept by the ,church that are accessible to the public4 ,that there have been instances of such marriages ever since the agreement of the ,church to discontinue them1 we know2 that they cannot be celebrated without the sanction of the ,church accredited officials1 is unquestioned2 that1 so far as the public knowledge goes1 no officials who may have celebrated such marriages have been disciplined therefor is certain4 ,throughout one cannot help believing that these gentlemen are not quite candid with reference to this subject4 ,i do not believe that in the ,state of ,utah there is any one1 in the ,church or out of it1 who does not believe that the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints has stopped the practice of1 or sanctioning and performing plural marriages4 ,i am of the opinion that everybody is settled in his conviction in relation to that matter4 ,it requires time for the settlement of such questions as those involved in the system of plural marriage1 as once practiced in the ,church4 ,no proclamation is at first understood4 ,differences of opinion and variety of interpretation are bound to exist concerning matters of this description4 ,and when the announcement was made in ,president ,woodruff's manifesto of the discontinuance of plural marriage1 and the advice was given that our people should contract no marriages contrary to the law1 the question arose in the minds of some whether that prohibition was not limited to marriages within the ,united ,states1 and whether by refraining from contracting such marriages within the ,united ,states would not fulfill the covenant and agreement implied in the manifesto4 ,the matter was discussed pro and con4 ,ultimately1 however1 the conclusion was inevitable that the manifesto forbade plural marriages in all the world2 because the ,church is not a local ,church3 it is not the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints for the ,united ,states alone2 but it is a world-wide ,church2 and when its general conference speaks1 it speaks for the entire ,church in all the world4 ,hence1 ,i say1 the conclusion was inevitable that plural marriages were everywhere forbidden2 and when some men held tenaciously to the view that that was not the case1 but that the ,church fulfilled her agreement to discontinue plural marriage by abstaining from performing plural marriages within the ,united ,states--when that view was persisted in1 ,i say1 there was but one thing left1 and that was to conclude that such persons were out of harmony with the ,church4 ,two of the twelve apostles held that view2 they were declared by their associates to be out of harmony with their brethren in these matters1 they tendered their resignations which were accepted2 and since that time there has been no question in the ,church1 or out of it1 as to where the ,church stands on the subject of discontinuing plural marriages1 and ,i do not believe that there is any doubt on that subject existing in the minds of the gentlemen who formulated this review4 ,in confirmation of this ,i submit the letter of resignation of ,john ,w4 ,taylor3 ,,salt ,,lake ,,city1 ,,october #bh1 #aije4 ,to the ,council of the ,twelve ,apostles3 ,,dear ,,brethren3--,i hereby tender to you my resignation as a member of the council of the twelve apostles1 as it is clear to me that ,i have been out of harmony with you on some very important matters which have apparently brought reproach upon the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,i wish to state in the first place that ,i have not violated the laws of the ,united ,states1 nor of the ,state of ,utah1 in relation to polygamous or plural marriages2 also that the authorities of the ,church have not directed or authorized me to do so1 or to do anything contrary to the rules of the ,church as adopted by that body4 ,but ,i find that ,i have been out of harmony with the said authorities as to the scope and meaning of the manifesto issued by ,president ,woodruff and adopted by the general conference1 on ,october #f1 #ahij1 and also as to the meaning of the last clause of the petition for amnesty to ,president ,benjamin ,harrison in ,december1 #ahia4 ,i have always believed that the government of the ,united ,states had jurisdiction only with its own boundaries1 and that the term 'laws of the land' in the manifesto meant merely the laws of the ,united ,states4 ,i find now that this opinion is different to that expressed by the ,church authorities1 who have declared that the prohibition against plural marriages extended to every place and to every part of the ,church4 ,it is doubtless true that this view of the matter has been given by ,president ,woodruff and others1 but ,i have never taken that as binding upon me or the ,church1 because it such interpretation was never presented for adoption by 'common consent1' as was the manifesto itself1 and ,i have disputed its authority as a law or a rule of the ,church4 ,i acknowledge that ,i received a request from ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 by letter1 to appear as a witness in the ,reed ,smoot case before the ,senate committee on ,privileges and ,elections1 but ,i declined to do so because1 while ,i recognized his right to direct me in ,church affairs1 ,i did not think his authority extended to civil affairs to the extent that ,i should expose my family concerns and be questioned and be held up to public ignominy as some of my brethren were before that body1 and ,i still hold the same views upon that matter4 ,inasmuch as ,i have not been in harmony with my brethren on these subjects1 and ,i have been called in question concerning them1 ,i now submit to their discipline1 and1 to save further controversy1 tender this my resignation1 and hope for such clemency in my case as they may deem right and just and merciful4 ,your brother1 7,signed7 ,,john ,w4 ,,taylor4 ,the explanation accompanying the resignation of ,elder ,cowley was of similar import4 ,another complaint of our reviewers is that polygamy is only abrogated as to practice1 and that belief in the divinity of the principle is still held by the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,well1 gentlemen1 what of it8 ,whose business is it8 ,do you hold that you may enter the sacred precincts of the mind and uproot our opinions8 ,your law gives you the right to punish overt acts2 but you have no law and no right to enter the domain of conscience and interfere with what is held there as the truth4 ,hands off here6 ,our belief is our own4 ,we have a right to our opinions4 ,if you don't believe them1 that is nothing to us1 we do4 ,and if you have not succeeded in converting us1 we can't help that4 ,you have got all you deserve out of this controversy on our marriage system4 ,properly this was a question which belonged to the dominion of reason1 scripture and polemics4 ,you should have convinced us1 as ministers of ,christ1 from the word of ,god and from the nature of the things involved1 that the principle itself was untrue4 ,but you were not content to leave it to the arbitrament of discussion and reason2 you must needs play upon the prejudices of the masses and induce them to belabor ,congress with their petitions until your inimical legislation was put upon the statute books2 and the crusade against the practice of our marriage system was declared1 and those who practiced it were raided with unabated vigor for years4 ,we yielded at last to superior force1 not to your arguments1 because we successfully met them4 ,you remember the occasion1 do you not1 of the chaplain of the ,senate of the ,united ,states coming to this very forum1 and here discussing the question1 ,does the ,bible ,sanction ,polygamy8 ,that your champion was vanquished in the contest is evidenced from the fact that we publish as a campaign document both sides of the ,pratt-,newman discussion4 ,if you have not convinced us of the incorrectness of our principles1 it must be because of the lameness of your reasoning1 the weakness of your argument1 and you must be content with the result so long as we do not carry into practice that principle which we believe4 ,we have a right to our belief in that or any other doctrine as abstract principles1 whether our belief suits you or not1 and we have the right to freely express that belief1 and if you don't like it1 you may go hang4 ,again the review says3 ,no denial is made of the practice of polygamous living4 ,the ',address' admits that authoritative figures officially collected show #hig male polygamists in the year #aijb4 ,the fact that later reports are not quoted leads to the reasonable belief that since that date the number of male polygamists has not diminished but rather increased4 ,it is true the address brings down the figures no further than #hig in #aijb2 but the address does say and many of these have since passed away4 ,besides1 there was a statement made upon the floor of the ,senate of the ,united ,states1 based upon official figures1 to the effect that the number had been reduced to at least #ejj4 ,here is the passage3 ,careful statistics have been taken and preserved1 and will be found in the testimony1 which show that this number has gradually decreased until there was at the time the testimony closed before the ,senate committee on ,privileges and ,elections having in charge the ,smoot case not to exceed five hundred such households in existence4--7,congressional ,record1 p4 #cbfi47 ,now1 gentlemen1 here was an opportunity for you to exercise a little generosity instead of juggling with alleged conditions in ,utah1 so as to express your belief that these cases of polygamous living have increased rather than diminished1 you could have called attention to what were the facts in the case--that it was said upon the floor of the ,senate of the ,united ,states that the reduction had been to #ejj1 and that time would soon obliterate this question from among our problems4 ,let us discuss for a moment this subject of polygamous living4 ,it is doubtless a difficult problem4 ,it has been difficult for some few men to discern the line of duty in the matter2 but1 thank ,god1 the most of our brethren have not found it difficult to determine what their duty was in the premises4 ,notwithstanding that through interpretations the meaning of the ,manifesto has been made to cover polygamous living as well as new marriages2 and logically1 however much it may have been misunderstood1 that conclusion was inevitable2 and it is conceded that the law of the land forbids the continuance of these relations--yet1 in the face of these conditions1 men have concluded that their moral obligations to2 their families demanded that they should be true to the relationships into which they had entered in good faith1 and under what they regarded as the sanctions of the law of ,god4 ,you1 gentlemen of the ,ministerial ,association do me the honor to quote some words of mine uttered seven years ago1 while in attendance upon ,congress1 and trying to maintain the seat that had been given me by the suffrages of the people of my state4 ,i wish now to repeat what ,i said then1 though in better form1 because the words ,i uttered at that time were somewhat garbled1 by the report made of them--not intentionally garbled1 by ,mr4 ,arthur ,mc,ewen1 who reported them4 ,i will say that for him1 because ,i believe it1 and he is since and recently dead4 ,but so far as ,i am concerned1 ,i stand exactly where ,i did seven years ago1 namely1 that though the ,church proclaimed against the continuance of that relationship contracted under her sanctions1 though the state by statute proclaimed against it1 neither ,church nor state can dissolve the moral obligations ,i feel ,i am under to discharge what ,i regard as a moral duty4 ,i ask you1 gentlemen1 to consider this proposition4 ,what prompts this adherence to these relationships by myself and other men in our ,church8 ,you must concede that the most of those involved in these relations have passed middle life4 ,they have entered upon the period of the sere and yellow leaf4 ,you cannot say their conduct is prompted by passion or lust2 for the heyday in the blood is cooled and waits upon the judgment4 ,what is it then that prompts so many men and women in the ,mormon ,church to remain true to those relations entered upon in plural marriage8 ,they look into each other's faces--the bloom of youth has passed1 the brightness of the eye is somewhat dimmed1 the suppleness of the form has passed away4 ,but these men and women have lived their lives under circumstances that tend to endear men and women to each other4 ,the trials of life1 even under ordinary circumstances1 result in that2 but when what they regard as oppression and danger surround them1 it is calculated all the more to draw them more closely to each other in their affections4 ,these men and women have endured all sorts of trials for each other in addition to the ordinary trials of life4 ,they1 as well as monogamists1 have stood hands clasped by open graves1 and have known the purifying effects of great sorrows4 ,in addition to such experiences1 many of the men have endured exile and imprisonment1 and wives have been exiled from their homes1 their kindred and their friends1 and have cast their lot among strangers1 rather than to sever the ties by which they were bound to their husbands2 and back of it all stood the conviction that they were doing ,god's service--upholding a principle that he had revealed1 and entrusted to them for vindication and making it honorable among men4 ,these are facts well known in this community4 ,these men and women were not of the criminal element3 their conduct was not prompted by a desire to defy law2 they were acting and are acting now from the highest and noblest motives--religious conviction of duty4 ,and so ,i say1 for one of this number--for myself--,i stand exactly as ,i have always stood upon this question of fulfilling the obligation these relationships have imposed2 and ,i shall1 so far as possible1 still respond to the dictates of honor4 ,i shall read my duty by the light of that conscience ,god gives me--,i shall respond to the voice of love and honor1 and you reviewers may make the most of it4 ,you will say1 such an attitude is inconsistent with the utterances of the ,church leaders before the courts1 and especially before the ,senate ,committee on ,privileges and ,elections4 ,so be it then4 ,it is an inconsistency that has the promptings of honor back of it1 and under such circumstances1 for one1 ,i shall trust ,god to forgive such inconsistency4 ,it is said by you gentlemen that no apology can white-wash the outlawry of ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4 ,gentlemen1 his conduct needs no apology1 his honor needs no vindication1 his position needs no defense2 it needs only to be stated4 ,and as you have not stated it1 ,i will2 or1 what is better1 ,i will let him state it for himself4 ,on a recent occasion1 before the court in this city1 ,president ,smith said these noble words3 ,in the tacit1 general understanding that was had in #ahij1 and the years subsequent thereto1 regarding what were classed as the old cases of cohabitation1 ,i have appreciated the magnanimity of the ,american people in not enforcing a policy that in their minds was unnecessarily harsh1 but which assigned the settlement of this difficult problem to the onward progress of time4 ,since the years #ahij a large percentage of the polygamous families have ceased to exist1 until now the number within the jurisdiction of this court is small1 and marriages in violation of the law have been and now are prohibited4 ,in view of this situation1 which has fixed with certainty a result that can easily be measured up1 the family relations in the old cases of that time have been generally left undisturbed4 ,so far as my own case is concerned1 ,i1 like others who had entered into solemn religious obligations1 sought to the best of my ability to comply with all requirements pertaining to the trying position in which we were placed4 ,i have felt secure in the protection of that magnanimous sentiment which was extended as an olive branch in #ahij and subsequent years to those old cases of plural family relationships which came within its purview1 as did mine4 ,when ,i accepted the manifesto issued by ,president ,woodruff ,i did not understand that ,i would be expected to abandon and discard my wives4 ,knowing the sacred covenants and obligations which ,i had assumed by reason of these marriages1 ,i have conscientiously tried to discharge the responsibilities attending them without being offensive to anyone4 ,i have never flaunted my family relations before the public1 nor have ,i felt a spirit of defiance against the law2 but1 on the contrary1 ,i have always desired to be a law-abiding citizen4 ,in considering the trying position in which ,i have been placed1 ,i trust that your honor will exercise such leniency in your sentence as law and justice will permit4 ,i say that ,joseph ,f4 ,smith's position needs only to be stated to the world1 and the manhood of ,america will applaud his attitude1 long-haired ministerial associations and short-haired women's organizations to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,but what is the use of talking in this strain to you gentlemen8 ,this is a question for statesmen1 and you cannot be accused of possessing any of those qualities4 ,that1 however1 is perhaps your misfortune1 not your fault4 ,when ,i take into account the intellectual and physical capital with which you start in life1 ,i sometimes marvel that you have done so well4 ,your vocation is not always left to your own choice4 ,the position is frequently chosen for you by your parents1 having in view your physical and intellectual endowments4 ,the ministry is generally recognized as a genteel sort of profession4 ,it promises a certain social standing4 ,it secures you from the dust and sweat and physical toil of a mechanic's life1 and from the brain-sweat of secular professional life and struggle4 ,it takes you out of the turmoil of trade and commerce1 and out of the fierce contests of political life1 and from the dangers of a career in army and in navy4 ,then1 you know1 as a class you were not physically strong2 a larger proportion of your number are consumptives1 neurotics1 anemics1 paranoiacs1 and the like1 than in any other of the professions2 and so this genteel profession is quite frequently selected for you by your parents1 and for the reasons here set forth4 ,there are individual exceptions1 of course1 but ,i am dealing with you as a class4 ,after your calling is selected for you1 you pass into the schools1 colleges and universities1 and there you follow a rather kid-glove course of study4 ,you will not need much of mathematics1 so you pay little attention to that subject2 you will need more of belles lettres1 of moral and metaphysical philosophy1 of languages and rhetoric1 and eloquence4 ,so your studies run along those lines1 and after completing this course you step from your colleges into pulpits to instruct the world1 at the same time knowing less about that world than any other class of men whatsoever4 ,then1 going into that world1 you are soon sequestrated into a very narrow portion of it4 ,as a rule1 you have to deal most with christenings1 with weddings1 with funerals2 but you shine most at social functions1 more especially at pink teas4 ,so that1 all things considered1 neither by your original endowments nor by your environments nor by your training are you prepared to meet the broad questions that concern humanity4 ,as was stated in the passage ,i read from ,mr4 ,campbell's book a while ago1 your class do not count for much in the ordinary affairs of life4 ,on practical questions you are relegated to the rear1 and your influence in community life grows less and ever less with the passing years4 ,do you think ,i overstate the case8 ,then let me quote to you what one of your own number says of you--again ,mr4 ,campbell in his up-to-date book before quoted4 ,before giving the quotation1 however1 let me disclaim the existence of any personal animosity towards you4 ,all that ,i say is meant in the very best of feeling4 ,i speak not from malice concerning you1 but from experience4 ,i have been meeting your class1 gentlemen1 for now thirty years2 and have had controversies of various kinds with it during that time1 and ,i know you as a class quite thoroughly4 ,i speak from experience1 not malice1 and comparing you as a class with other classes of men whom ,i have known1 it is just a plain1 solemn truth that you are1 as a class1 narrow1 bigoted1 intolerant1 petty2 and ,i say that in the very best of feeling4 ,and now the passage of ,mr4 ,campbell's book4 ,speaking of the decline of organized ,christianity and its ministry1 he says3 ,for a generation or more in every part of ,christendom there has been a steady drift away from organized religion as represented by the churches1 and the question is being seriously asked whether ,christianity can much longer hold its own4 ,protestant controversialists frequently draw attention to the decline of church-going in ,latin countries as evidence of the decay of sacerdotalism1 particularly in the church of ,rome4 ,but outside ,latin countries it is not one whit more noticeable in the church of ,rome than in any other church4 ,the masses of the people on the one hand and the cultured classes on the other are becoming increasingly alienated from the religion of the churches4 ,a ,london daily paper made a religious census some years ago and demonstrated that about one-fifth of the population of the metropolis attended public worship1 and this was a generous estimate4 ,women1 who are more emotional1 more reverent1 and more amenable to external authority than men1 usually form the majority of the worshipers at an ordinary service4 ,mr4 ,charles ,booth in his great work on the ,life and ,labor of the ,people in ,london asserts that the churches are practically without influence of any kind on the communal life4 ,this ,i believe to be an exaggeration1 but it will hardly be denied that the average working1 business1 or professional man looks upon the churches almost with indifference4 ,in many cases this indifference passes into hostility or contempt4 ,intelligent men take little notice of preacher and sermons1 and the theologically-minded layman is such a rarity as to be note-worthy4 ,most significant of all1 perhaps1 is the fact that much of the moral earnestness of the nation and of social redemptive effort exists outside the churches altogether4 99 99 99 ,the plain1 bald fact remains that the churches as such are counting for less and less in civilization in general and our own nation in particular4 ,one of the ablest of our rising young members of parliament1 a man of strong religious convictions and social sympathies1 recently declared that we were witnessing the melancholy spectacle of a whole civilization breaking away from the faith out of which it grew4 ,as ,i remarked1 ,i desired to read that passage to you1 that you may know that my charge that the people are slipping away from the influences of the churches and the ministry was not inconsiderately made4 ,of course1 the decline in the influence of the churches marks also the decline in the influence of the ministry1 hence the pertinency of this quotation4 ,what is said by this authority concerning conditions in ,england is equally and more emphatically true of our own country than it is of ,england4 ,that is1 the decline of the influence of the ministry and churches in the ,united ,states is more marked than in ,england4 ,ministers1 then1 don't count for much when it comes to dealing with practical questions4 ,and the conditions that have and do exist in ,utah1 and that come down to us out of a remarkable past connected with our former plural marriages are practical questions4 ,questions for statesmen1 not for sectarian priests and their trundle-bed notion of things4 ,it is a question for men of blood and brains1 and when it was referred to such a body of men not long since--the ,senate of the ,united ,states--they at least refused to take the radical steps you suggested4 ,through four long years you raked the country as with a fine-toothed comb to gather up your evidence and to convince the ,united ,states ,senate that they ought to follow your dictation1 to assail the ,latter-day ,saints1 and to break up and terrify1 as a few years ago our community was broken up and terrified by a severe1 rigid and1 ,i may say1 cruel administration of this law against polygamous living2 and after you have done your best1 submitted your evidence--employed the best counsel you could find1 and after you have awakened all the prejudices to which you could appeal1 the court has turned you down1 gentlemen6 ,you could not move that body to adopt your view of the case4 ,i made some remarks this afternoon upon the subject of the toleration for those conditions respecting polygamous living that have come to us out of the past4 ,i do not desire to be understood as standing in any defiant attitude against the public sentiment of our state or of our nation4 ,the fact of the matter is1 these ministerial friends of ours are disposed to make mountains out of mole-hills1 and are representing to the world as conditions existing here things that do not exist4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints are not a law-defying body of people1 but on the contrary they have manifested an obedience and respect for law1 and you shall find no better order or a more universal acquiescence in and obedience to law than you find here in the settlements of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,we believe in law and in order and in being subject to kings and presidents1 in honoring and magnifying the law2 but the conditions here in ,utah are unusual in respect of this one matter of polygamous living4 ,the conditions1 however1 are well understood by our non-,mormon friends2 and but for the agitation of these ministerial meddlers and a few disreputable and disgruntled politicians1 the peculiar conditions which confront the community1 and in which some of the best men of the community are involved1 would go to their settlement along the lines in which they are being settled1 namely3 by the termination of these relations in death as1 one by one1 the parties pass out of existence to the grave4 ,now1 in order to convince you that ,i am right in this view of the case ,i shall read an extract from the testimony of a prominent citizen of our state1 a non-,mormon1 who ,i believe1 better than anyone else1 in the testimony he gave before the committee on ,privileges and ,elections of the ,senate1 in the ,smoot case1 described conditions in ,utah as they are4 ,he analyzed the situation here and told the truth in respect of it4 ,i shall read his testimony--never mind who he is just for the present1 but let me read to you what he said before the committee4 ,keep in mind that he is a non-,mormon and one not at all prejudiced in favor of the ,latter-day ,saints3 ,the ,chairman said3 ,will you state why it is that those who live in polygamous cohabitation today are not prosecuted8 ,the witness3 ,i will do so as well as ,i can1 and ,i simply state here the views1 as ,i know them1 of what are termed the 'old guard' of the ,liberal party1 ,republicans and ,democrats1 who fought the ,church party in the days when it was a power4 ,those men have felt1 and still feel1 that if the ,church will only stop new plural marriages and will allow this matter to die out and pass away1 they will not interfere with them4 ,first of all1 of course we want peace in ,utah4 ,we would like to be like the rest of the country4 ,we want to make of it a state like the states of the rest of the ,union4 ,we want the ',mormon' people to be like the rest of the ,american people2 but we realize that there is a condition there which the people of the east do not--and1 ,i presume1 cannot--understand4 ,you cannot make people who have been brought up under our system of government and our system of marriage believe that folks can sincerely and honestly believe that it is right to have more than one wife1 and yet those people believe it4 ,they are a ,god-fearing people1 and it has been a part of their faith and their life4 ,now1 to the eastern people their manner of living is looked upon as immoral4 ,of course it is1 viewed from their standpoint4 ,viewed from the standpoint of a ',mormon' it is not4 ,the ',mormon' wives are as sincere in polygamy as the ',mormon' men1 and they have no more hesitation in declaring that they are one of several wives of a man than a good woman in the east has in declaring that she is the single wife of a man4 ,there is that condition4 ,there are those people-- ,senator ,hopkins interrupted to say3 ,do you mean to say that a ',mormon' woman will as readily become a plural wife as she would a first wife8 ,the witness3 ,those who are sincere in the ',mormon' faith--who are good ,mormons1 so called--,i think would just as readily become plural wives 7that has been my experience7 as they would become the first wife4 ,that condition exists4 ,there is a question for statesmen to solve4 ,you will remember that is what ,i said to these ministerial gentlemen this afternoon4 ,the witness continued3 ,we have not known what was best to do4 ,it has been discussed1 and people would say that such and such a man ought to be prosecuted4 ,then they would consider whether anything would be gained2 whether we would not delay instead of hastening the time that we hope to live to see2 whether the institution would not flourish by reason of what they would term persecution4 ,and so1 notwithstanding a protest has been sent down here to you1 ,i will say to you the people have acquiesced in the condition that exists4 ,mr4 ,van ,colt1 an ,attorney3 ,you mean the ,gentiles8 ,the witness3 ,yes1 the ,gentiles4 ,the witness who gave that testimony was ,judge ,o4 ,w4 ,powers1 and you know1 and all ,utah knows1 that he spoke the truth4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,martin ,miller writing to the ,newark 7,new ,jersey7 ,news1 represents ,rabbi ,louis ,g4 ,reynolds as holding the views expressed in the accompanying quotation on conditions in ,utah3 ,i found a very prominent former ,newarker1 in the person of ,rabbi ,louis ,g4 ,reynolds1 of the ,synagogue ,b'nai ,israel here4 ,he was rabbi of the ,oheb ,shalem ,synagogue1 ,newark1 from #ahib to '#if4 ,there is a ,jewish population of about #ejj in ,salt ,lake ,city1 said ,rabbi ,reynolds4 ,aside from that particular feature of their creed1 polygamy1 ,i think the ',mormons' are a very good people4 ,everything indicates that polygamy is dying out and that the ,church means to obey the law4 ,aside from polygamy1 ,i am of the opinion that in morals the ',mormons' will average higher than the ,gentiles who live here4 ,the records show that the ',mormons' furnish a very small quota of the vice of the city4 ,as a rule1 they are a temperate people4 ,if ,senator ,smoot is unseated1 would the influence of the ',mormons' in the state and nation be diminished8 ,i inquired4 ,not in the least2 it would make them feel their persecution more than now and cause them to have less faith in the fairness of the government4 ,they know the government cannot be fooled to any great extent1 and that polygamy must go4 ,now that the tendency on the part of the ',mormons' is to abandon polygamy1 the purposes of the government in making better ,americans of the ',mormon' people than they are now will be better subserved by allowing the influential men among the ',mormons' to help the government bring about the desired end4 ,i say this with ,senator ,smoot in mind1 and in view of the believed fact among every class in ,utah that he is not a polygamist4 ,he is one of the most level-headed businessmen in ,utah1 and is exceedingly popular with all classes4 ,polygamy was deeply rooted4 ,the people for the most part were born in it4 ,why humiliate these innocent victims by persecuting them unnecessarily when they show an inclination to rid themselves and the country of the blot8 ,the ,united ,states is a conciliatory and humane government4 ,i was born in ,russia and can appreciate this government4 ,it is the kind of a government that begets loyalty in its subjects4 ,will these erring children of ,utah1 who in all probability are not now contracting any new polygamous marriages1 be better citizens if they are hounded and misrepresented by agitators1 or if they are fairly but firmly dealt with by the government and given a reasonable chance to prove their good intentions and their good citizenship8 ,there is a very strong element throughout the country that takes absolutely no stock in this ecclesiastical warfare that is being made from ,salt ,lake ,city against the ',mormons4' ,it has been plainly demonstrated very recently in the case of one minister here who carried on a bitter crusade1 that was worse than a waste of energy1 that such methods are reactive in the extreme4 ,these statements are thoughtful and fair2 and no one acquainted with existing conditions can doubt their truthfulness4 ,and why have they1 and why do they1 the non-,mormons1 acquiesce in these conditions1 and tacitly consent that this question should be settled by the grave4 ,first1 because they recognize the honesty and the purity of the lives of the people who are involved in the ,mormon system of marriage2 and they know that it was the promptings of a religious duty that involved them in that system1 and not criminal instincts nor worldly or ungodly lust4 ,that is what they know to begin with--and that the people in these mountains were contending for the persistence--and they hoped the triumph--of what to them was a religious principle4 ,that is why honorable non-,mormons respect honorable and upright ,mormons who are doing their duty as ,god gives them the light to see that duty4 ,and1 moreover1 their minds doubtless go back to the settlement of this question by the ,constitutional convention of this state of which1 perhaps some of you will remember1 ,i was a member4 ,the people of the ,united ,states1 speaking through the ,congress of the ,united ,states1 demanded of the people of ,utah1 as a condition precedent to statehood1 that their ,constitution should provide ,that polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited4 ,when the ,constitutional convention met that proposition--desiring to meet it in good faith1 they not only made the constitutional declaration that polygamous or plural marriages should forever be prohibited1 but they also in order to make that effective1 took the territorial law--which was but a copy of the ,congressional law1 which defined polygamous or plural marriages and prescribed for that offense the penalties1 the fines and imprisonments1 and which also defined polygamous living and prescribed its penalties4 ,the constitutional convention1 ,i say1 took that enactment and cut it square in two1 adopting the part that defined the offense of polygamous or plural marriages1 and prescribed its punishments1 and made it1 with its penalties1 part of the ,constitution2 but the part of the law relating to polygamous living or unlawful cohabitation1 they left out entirely4 ,the question was brought up on the floor of the convention1 and debated in open session4 ,the leader of this movement1 who advocated the adoption of this part of the law for the ,constitution--for it was rather an unusual proceeding in constitution making1 intended1 however1 in good part1 to meet a very unusual condition2 the question was put to him in substance3 ,if you thus cut the law in two1 and prohibit polygamous or plural marriages but say nothing about unlawful cohabitation or polygamous living1 will not the inference be--will not the conclusion be1 that you do not intend to include unlawful cohabitation in the offenses defined and made punishable under this constitutional provision8 ,the answer was that such would be the implication--that the intent was to leave the offense out4 ,that was not only the inference1 but it was the understanding--say what men will--in that convention4 ,the record bears out the statement ,i make of it1 because it was not done in a corner1 or in the dark1 it was out in the open1 and some of those who now join you reverend gentlemen in this agitation against men who are seeking1 under hard conditions1 to respond to the promptings of duty and conscience--some of those who now join you in your clamor1 were parties to and sanctioned that settlement in the constitutional convention4 #a ,footnote #a3 ,this subject is discussed circumstantially and at length in my reply to ,senator ,kearns' ,u4,s4 senate speech1--,defense of the ,faith and the ,saints1 ,vol4 ,i1 pp4 #bji-bah4 ,the subject of ,mormon loyalty is briefly discussed in this review1 and apparently the only way you reviewers could meet the treatment of the subject was by a sneer4 ,you say1 ,it is not recalled that any ,christian ,church in this country has found itself under a like necessity4 ,that is1 to avow and defend its loyalty to the government4 ,very true1 gentlemen1 but do you recall that any other church that has been assailed with misrepresentation and charges of disloyalty as the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints has been8 ,and so1 being assailed1 we necessarily make defense4 ,i pass the rest that could be said on that subject1 excepting this1 that when you refer to the conflict we had with the general government during territorial days1 ,i take you to witness that the controversy was not of our making1 but it was the result in part of your sectarian agitation1 your arousing a popular sentiment1 exercising church influence upon ,congress which led that body to enact laws against a principle of our religion4 ,we contested those laws for every inch of the ground1 until the court of final appeal pronounced judgment on the controversy4 ,was not that our right8 ,and does it necessarily involve us in or leave us open to the charge of disloyalty1 because we thus contended for religious freedom--the right to practice what to us was part of our religion8 ,let us remind you1 gentlemen1 that had the people of the first ,christian age1 and the people of the sixteenth century followed your idea of immediately surrendering when religious principle was attacked1 there would have been no ,christian religion at all1 there would have been no such thing as ,protestant sects4 ,we contested the grounds legally1 and fought as hard as we could for a religious principle2 that is the head and front of our offending4 ,these gentlemen ,reviewers express two fears4 ,one is that they will be charged1 because of issuing this review1 with misrepresentation4 ,well1 ,i don't wonder at that1 and ,i think we have proven that you have misrepresented4 ,but they also fear that we will charge them with persecution4 ,gentlemen1 we acquit you of the intention of persecution4 ,when the ,revs4 ,phineas ,ewing1 ,dixon1 ,cavanaugh1 ,hunter1 ,bogart1 ,isaac ,mc,coy1 ,riley1 ,pixley1 ,woods and others carried on an agitation in ,missouri against ,mormonism and the ,mormons that resulted in burning hundreds of our homes and driving our people--including women and children1 remember--to bivouac out in the wilderness at an inclement season of the year2 when the mob incited by these reverends1 your prototypes1 gentlemen1 laid waste our fields and gardens1 stripped our people of their earthly possessions1 keeping up that agitation until twelve thousand or fifteen thousand people were driven from the state of ,missouri1 dispossessed of several hundred thousand acres of land--two hundred and fifty thousand acres1 to be exact--which they had entered1 and rendered them homeless--we might call1 we do call1 that persecution4 ,when the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,levi ,williams led the mob that shot to death ,joseph ,smith and his brother ,hyrum ,smith in ,carthage prison1 and when the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,s4 ,brockman led the forces against ,nauvoo1 after the great body of the people had withdrawn from that city1 and expelled the aged1 the widow and the fatherless1 and laid waste the property of the people--we think we are justified in calling that persecution1 of which right reverend gentlemen were the chief instigators4 ,and when in this territory some years ago one wave of agitation followed another1 of which your class1 and some of you1 were chief movers1 until a reign of terror was produced1 and a regime was established under which men guilty at most of a misdemeanor1 could nevertheless be imprisoned for a term of years covering a lifetime1 and fined to the exhaustion of all they possessed1 under the beautiful scheme of segregating the offense into numerous counts in each indictment2 and when in that reign of terror women were compelled to clasp their little ones to their breasts and go out among strangers1 exiled from their homes--we might be inclined to call that persecution4 ,but our experience has been such that we scorn to call such attacks as this review of yours persecution4 ,it does not rise1 gentlemen1 ,i assure you1 to that bad eminence4 ,so we acquit you of any intent in your review to persecute us4 ,you need not fear that such a charge will be made1 we are not so thin-skinned as all that4 ,besides1 gentlemen1 your power is no longer equal to your malice1 and so we do not believe you will ever be able to persecute us again4 ,and now ,i want to turn reviewer myself a while4 ,i want to review some things which the ministers of the association before us stand for1 at least some of them stand for what ,i shall refer to2 and ,i only regret that we can't take up each one in turn and examine his doctrines4 ,but we all proceed1 as far as we can1 on this occasion4 ,i turn reviewer because ,i want to show our young people who are represented here1 that these gentlemen1 standing for such principles as their church creeds represent are scarcely in a position to make an assault upon our doctrines on any score of inconsistency or repulsiveness2 and second1 by placing our doctrine in contrast with theirs1 ,i desire to show the youth of ,israel1 whose representatives are here1 the greatness and grandeur and the divinity of those principles for which their fathers have stood1 and for which we stand1 for the ensign given into the hands of our fathers we will sustain and carry to still greater heights of success4 ,of the doctrine of the ,godhead1 taught and advocated by the sectarian world1 ,i have already said something and pointed out the inconsistency of these ministers1 holding ,jesus to be divine--nay more1 to be ,deity1 and yet proclaiming against our views of ,god being a personage of tabernacle1 a personage of flesh and bone as well as of spirit--in a word1 an exalted1 a perfected man--,christ ,jesus resurrected from the dead and possessing all power in heaven and in earth4 ,i shall leave them1 of course1 to patch up the contradictions of their creeds on that subject1 ,i am not concerned about them4 ,and now1 to turn to another portion of the creed1 held at least by the ,presbyterian ministers before us1 and by some other members of the ,ministerial ,association--our reviewers4 ,i read from the ,westminster ,confession of ,faith1 chapter iii1 section #c4 ,by the decree of ,god1 for the manifestation of his glory1 some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life1 and others foreordained to everlasting death4 ,sec4 #d4--,these angels and men1 thus predestinated and foreordained1 are particularly and unchangeably designed1 and their number is so certain and definite1 that it cannot be either increased or diminished4 ,sec4 #e4--,those of mankind that are predestinated unto life1 ,god1 before the foundation of the world was laid1 according to his eternal and immutable purpose and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will1 hath chosen in ,christ unto everlasting glory1 out of his mere free grace and love1 without any foresight of faith or good works1 or perseverance in either of them1 or any other thing in the creature as conditions1 or causes moving him thereunto2 and all to the praise of his glorious grace4 ,now listen to this3 ,sec4 #g4--,the rest of mankind1 ,god was pleased according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will1 whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth1 for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures1 to pass by1 and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin1 to the praise of his glorious justice4 ,that is to say1 that though all mankind be sinners1 and it must be conceded that all men sin1 yet out of this mass of sinners some are rescued from the consequences of that sin by the pure grace of ,god1 and without any co-operating act of theirs1 they are rescued from the consequence of that sin by the decree of ,god4 ,whereas1 others of that mass of sinners1 by the decree of ,god1 are relegated eternally to condemnation1 to reprobation1 and what that means we shall see presently--but in the face of this doctrine1 where appears the justice of ,god1 or mercy of ,god either8 ,but the end is not yet4 ,sec4 #d 7chapter x47 ,others not elected1 although they may be called by the ministry of the ,word1 and may have some common operations of the ,spirit1 yet they never truly come unto ,christ1 and therefore cannot be saved2 much less can men not professing the ,christian religion be saved in any other way whatsoever1 be they ever so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature and the law of that religion they do profess2 and to assert and maintain that they may1 is very pernicious1 and to be detested4 ,now1 on these sections from the ,presbyterian creed1 ,i read to you the comment of a very high authority in that church who deals with this creed1 the ,rev4 ,a4 ,a4 ,hodge4 ,this work is designed for the schools and colleges of the ,presbyterian church4 ,this is his comment on the articles of the creed3 ,this section 99 99 99 teaches the following propositions3 ,that the non-elect will certainly fail of salvation4 99 99 99 ,that the diligent profession and honest practice of neither natural religion1 nor of any other religion than pure ,christianity1 can in the least avail or promote the salvation of the soul1 is evident from the essential principles of the gospel4 99 99 99 ,that in the case of sane adult persons a knowledge of ,christ and a voluntary acceptance of him is essential in order to a personal interest in his salvation4 99 99 99 99 ,god has certainly revealed no purpose to save any except those who hearing the gospel1 obey4 99 99 99 ,whatever lies beyond this circle of sanctified means is unrevealed1 unpromised1 uncovenanted4 ,the heathen in mass1 with no single definite and unquestionable exception on record1 are evidently strangers to ,god1 and going down to death in an unsaved condition4 ,the presumed possibility of being saved without a knowledge of ,christ remains1 after #a1hjj years1 a possibility illustrated by no example4 ,that means1 then1 that the great bulk of ,god's children have been created only that they may be food for the flames of the sectarian hell1 because orthodox ,christian sects allow of no means of salvation beyond the proclamation and acceptance of the gospel in this world4 ,but we shall not arrive at an understanding and the enormity of these creeds--we shall have no conception of their abomination until we learn something about the sectarian idea of hell and the continuation of the punishment of those who do not accept ,christ4 ,those who have not heard of ,christ are1 by these creeds1 placed in the same category as those who have heard of him1 who have heard his gospel and rejected it2 for they neither are nor can be1 according to the teachings of orthodox ,christianity1 subjects of salvation4 ,but before taking that matter up1 let me read to you another section from the creed3 ,sec4 #aaa1 7chapter #aj47 ,elect infants1 dying in infancy1 are regenerated and saved by ,christ through the ,spirit1 who worketh when1 and where1 and how he pleaseth4 ,so also are all other elect persons1 who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the ,word4 ,this has been a very troublesome part of the creed to our ,presbyterian friends4 ,it has been understood to at least imply the possibility of some infants not being among the elect and therefore subject to damnation1 just like the non-elect who grow up to maturity1 a view most shocking to most people including--to their honor be it said--most ,presbyterians4 ,the interpretation of this section of the creed by the ,presbyterian church is1 that all infants are among the elect6 ,if this was the thought in the minds who wrote the creed1 what a pity they did not say1 ,all infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by ,christ1 instead of saying elect infants1 etc4 ,what a world of controversy it would have saved6 ,however1 gentlemen1 your interpretation is that all infants are of the elect1 and therefore saved1 and ,i will accept your interpretation because ,i believe you have a right to your own interpretation4 ,but say1 by the way of whisper1 and in confidence1 ,i can make it extremely interesting1 if not difficult for you to make good your interpretation both by reason of the implication that must fairly be conceded exists in the language of the section against your contention1 as also from very respectable authorities ,i can quote1 on the history of the controversy4 ,but we let that pass1 and will concede your right to say what your creed means4 ,especially so since1 the abomination of your creed may be established without pressing this point4 ,why should you ,presbyterians be so particular to declare against the damnation of infants1 when the promulgation of the doctrine of the damnation of a good man1 because he is not of the elect1 is just as outrageous as the damnation of an innocent babe8 ,in some respects of the case it is even worse4 ,here we will say1 is a man who throughout his life has made every effort to realize in his living the lofty ideal of possessing clean hands and a pure heart2 who entertains only aspirations that are noble1 and performs deeds only that are honorable2 who in the relationships of life1 as son1 brother1 husband1 father and citizen1 discharges with reasonable fidelity1 all his duties in these relations1 and1 as nearly as a man can while under the effects of the fall1 and pestered with human inclinations to perversity1 leads what is recognized as a virtuous life4 ,yet1 if not of the elect1 this man is doomed eternally1 and his struggling for the attainment of his lofty ideals and his noble life1 avail him nothing in the way of warding off damnation2 because1 forsooth1 he is not of the elect1 and hence must perish everlastingly4 ,the questions here being considered were once presented to ,dr4 ,francis ,l4 ,patten1 president of ,princeton university1 and a stalwart ,presbyterian defender of the creed1 in a rather unique1 not to say personal manner1 by a correspondent of one of our great eastern journals1 and as it helps one to get a view of the doctrines here considered from close range1 ,i quote it3 ,interviewer3 ,but if it would be unjust to take an infant from the world and resign it to everlasting torture1 is it not equally unjust that those of us who have lived and suffered and struggled with life's battles should be eternally doomed because we happen not to be among the elect8 ,is it fair or just1 or consistent1 with the workings of a religion built upon a foundation of eternal love1 that some of us shall be born into the world under a spiritual ban1 compelled to go through the battle1 with the certainty of no reward for honors or efforts1 predestined for hell1 as the elect1 for no effort or worth of their own1 are predestined for heaven8 ,that is the doctrine of election1 is it not8 ,that is the doctrine of election1 repeated ,dr4 ,patten4 ,and you believe it8 ,i do1 was the prompt response1 wholly and unreservedly4 ,and you think it just8 ,i think it is not for me to pass judgment upon the working of ,god4 ,is that a fair answer1 or artful dodging8 ,again the interviewer asked3 ,do you believe there may be near and dear ones of yours1 reaching out1 perhaps1 for all that is noblest and best in life1 struggling each day to gain the mastery over self1 striving to attain purity of purpose to conquer weakness and inferior motives1 who1 when it is all over and the battle has been won1 and won hard1 will be cast into everlasting torment because they weren't lucky enough to be elected before they were born8 ,i have never had the question brought before me in that way1 ,dr4 ,patten replied evasively4 ,but it is before you now1 ,i persisted4 ,well1 replied the doctor1 slowly1 ,i should say that any one who could strive so hard after the good must be one of the elect4 ,the extracts from the ,confession of ,faith dispose of that theory1 ,i said4 ',good works do not avail unless one has been chosen4' ,that sounds very like the reasoning of ,jonathan ,edwards on the subject of infant damnation and baptism1 when he said that an infant1 if one of the elect1 would have the opportunity for baptism2 and that while all infants who were baptized would not be saved1 all who were not baptized were damned1 as they could not have been of the elect6 ,but1 as ,i remarked awhile ago1 no one can begin to appreciate the abomination of these creeds1 these doctrines1 until he has some conception of what is meant by orthodox damnation4 ,now here is a picture of ,god's wrath and vengeance upon men4 ,it is a passage1--a noted one--taken from the works of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,jonathan ,edwards1 and he is addressing himself to sinners4 ,now1 ,i cannot help but believe that though men are sinners--notwithstanding that fact--,i cannot help but believe that ,god still has some compassion in his heart for his children1 sinners though they be4 ,indeed1 if that be not true1 then it seems to me despair must settle down like a black pall upon humanity2 for if ,god loves only those who have remained without sin1 how very few of his children he loves6 ,while ,god cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance1 ,i believe that he can have and does have infinite compassion for the sinner4 ,he will never call your sin righteousness4 ,he will never compound a sin and say that it is less than it is4 ,always and everywhere ,god's law will stand pronounced against sin2 but while he stands thus committed irrevocably against sin in all its forms1 ,i believe that his heart goes out in compassion to men who sin1 and he will save them from their sins as soon as they repent4 ,when they repent he will forgive1 and you will find1 my friends1 that the forgiveness of ,god is effective2 it is worth something4 ,it will blot out the sin1 and cause it to be no more held against one who has repented4 ,but now to this description of damnation by ,edwards1 who as ,i think gives quite a contrary view of ,god from that ,i have been presenting3 ,the ,god that holds you over the pit of hell1 much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire1 abhors you1 and is dreadfully provoked4 99 99 99 ,you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes than the most hateful1 venomous serpent is in ours4 99 99 99 ,you hang by a slender thread1 with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it4 99 99 99 ,if you cry to ,god to pity you1 he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case that he will only tread you under foot4 99 99 99 ,he will crush out your blood and make it fly1 and it shall be sprinkled on his garments so as to stain all his raiment4 ,what think you of this picture of ,god1 who is supposed to be a ,god of infinite compassion1 youth of ,israel8 ,was it not about time1 since these conceptions here set forth by ,edwards sprang from the creeds of men--was it not about time when such beliefs prevailed1 that some messenger should come from heaven declaring that such creeds are an abomination in the sight of ,god8 ,let us go on3 ,unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering1 and there are innumerable places in this covering so weak that they will not bear their weight1 and these places are not seen6 ,i believe that is cruel4 ,i think they ought to show us such places at least2 so that if we had the disposition we could possibly avoid them4 ,of all the mean things on earth1 that can be done1 it seems to me1 would be to lead one along the path where the pitfalls are covered4 ,i would not like to believe that such a thing as that could exist in the moral economy of ,god4 ,again3 ,your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead and to tend downward with great weight and pressure toward hell2 and1 if ,god should let you go1 you would immediately sink1 and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf1 and your healthy constitution1 and your own care and prudence1 and best contrivance1 and all your righteousness1 would have no more influence to uphold you1 and keep you out of hell than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock4 99 99 99 ,the wrath of ,god is like great waters that are dammed for the present2 they increase more and more1 and rise higher and higher1 till an outlet is given2 and the longer the stream is stopped the more rapid and mighty is its course when once it is let loose4 ,thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted state1 if you continue in it2 the infinite might and majesty and terribleness of the omnipotent ,god shall be magnified upon you in the ineffable strength of your torments2 you shall be tormented in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the ,lamb2 and1 when you shall be in this state of suffering1 the glorious inhabitants of heaven shall go forth and look on the awful spectacle that they may see what the wrath and fierceness of the ,almighty is2 and when they have seen it1 they will fall down and adore that great power and majesty4 ,elsewhere it is said in effect that the saintly souls in heaven will not be troubled over the misfortunes and sufferings of the damned1 but their very sufferings will increase the happiness of the glorified saints4 ,the ,lord deliver us from all such conceptions of either ,god or the saints4 ,again ,i quote3 ,it is everlasting wrath4 ,it would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of ,almighty ,god one moment2 but you must suffer it to all eternity2 there will be no end to this exquisite1 horrible misery2 when you look forward you shall see a long forever1 a boundless duration before you1 which will swallow up your thoughts and amaze your soul6 ,well1 we stand amazed now1 that anyone could have such conceptions of ,god and such treatment of his children as this4 ,but to continue the quotation3 ,you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance1 and end1 any mitigation1 any rest at all2 you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages1 millions of millions of ages1 in wrestling and conflicting with this ,almighty1 merciless vengeance2 and then1 when you have so done1 when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner1 you will know that all is but a point to what remains4 ,so that your punishment will indeed be infinite4 ,that is what awaits those who are not of the elect2 that is the fate that awaits the heathen1 and without hope of redemption4 ,again ,i say1 young people1 youth of ,israel1 if ,god should ever speak to man at a time when such ideas obtained1 when such creeds and teachings were in existence1 would not the first word uttered be one repudiating these creeds and the institutions1 the organizations1 built upon these foundations1 these creeds of men8 ,would not ,god's first word denounce these creeds as an abomination8 ,of course1 it would4 ,humanity in its sober senses would be disappointed else4 ,joseph ,smith was entirely right--or rather ,god was4 ,the first thing needful was to brush aside the rubbish of the creeds that traduce the character of ,god and banish all the qualities of mercy and justice from the attributes of ,god1 and his moral government of the world4 ,hence this message called ,mormonism--this message from ,god--began with a denunciation of these creeds4 ,god said they were an abomination in his sight1 and ,i do not doubt it one moment4 ,how could they be otherwise8 ,one of the best things that can be said about our reviewers here before us1 is that they are better than their creeds4 ,they do not say much about them4 ,they know the people don't believe them2 and a preacher's influence among men is in exact proportion to the distance he leaves these creeds behind him--to the depth of oblivion in which he buries them4 ,i am tempted to believe some times that our reviewers1 bad as they are--,i mean that as a pleasantry--they are still too good to believe these creeds4 ,what if they do1 at their ordination1 have to declare that they adopt the creed as their faith6 ,i still believe that down in their hearts they do not believe them6 ,well1 one may say1 this may be a tribute to their goodness of heart1 but what of their sincerity1 what of their honesty8 ,i hope the inquirer will not press that point1 ,i refer it to the gentlemen most immediately concerned--to our reviewers4 ,the fact is1 speaking of these matters in a general way--light1 thank ,god6 has come into the world and dispelled the gloomy prospects of the future as pictured by these creeds of men4 ,it is a great relief to the world1 brought about1 to a large extent1 by the revelations of ,god to ,joseph ,smith4 ,part of the complaint of our ,reviewers is to the effect that ,mormonism adds no spiritual truth to the aggregate of things already revealed2 that ,mormonism contributes nothing to reverence for ,god1 or to justice and mercy toward men4 ,the complete answer to all this is the fact that ,mormonism enthrones again in the conceptions of men the true doctrine in respect of ,god4 ,it enthrones in the conceptions of men the ,god of the ,bible4 ,it proclaims once more the high station of man2 in that it recognizes and proclaims him the brother of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 as being of the same nature as ,jesus and his ,father2 it opens up the pathway of progress1 and points to the possibility of man rising to the same exaltation1 and participating in the same glory as ,jesus ,christ and the ,father4 ,it banishes the injustice which the creeds of men would fix in the moral and spiritual economy of ,god1 and unfolds anew to the conceptions of men the fact that1 while ,god stands forever committed against sin1 his love and compassion for his children endure forever1 that his gospel is an everlasting gospel4 ,mormonism teaches to the world a larger hope than it before knew4 ,it proclaims the possibility of salvation for all the children of men1 and that so long as time endures the gospel will endure2 that so long as men can be brought to repentance1 the means of their salvation shall be at hand in the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,these are some things that ,mormonism does for the world4 ,these are some of the doctrines which it has proclaimed and emphasized1 and which are finding their way among and are being accepted by the children of men4 ,moreover1 the elements are so forming that it will yet be possible for a nation to be born to the knowledge of the gospel in a day4 ,mormonism is not going to fail4 ,this work has taken such root and hold in the world that it cannot be moved4 ,we have passed the day when we stand in any danger from persecution by violent means4 ,we stand today largely secure from the natural effects of the misrepresentations that you gentlemen of the ,ministerial association fulminate against us4 ,this ,church of ,christ is beginning to come unto its own4 ,i hear in fancy the tramping of thousands upon thousands of the servants of ,god among the nations of the earth1 making proclamation of these grand truths of the gospel4 ,i hear men casting up accounts1 and searching out the where and the whence of the truths they have learned in this generation2 and as they go on with the reckoning1 they will find that these truths were revealed from ,god1 of which his ,church1 and also we ourselves have the high honor of being witnesses4 ,youth of ,israel1 be proud of the station which ,god has given you4 ,be fervent in faith2 be high-minded in your aspirations1 for there remaineth for ,zion a glory1 a development1 a recognition in this world that shall more than repay our fathers for all the scenes of turmoil1 strife and labor through which they passed in establishing and maintaining this great work4 ,they shall have joy in their posterity1 too2 for we1 their sons1 will carry the burdens laid upon them2 and ,zion shall triumph2 and the gospel shall be proclaimed and accepted2 and the children of men shall be saved2 and ,god shall be glorified4 ,and now a parting word respecting our conference ,address and this ministerial review of it4 ,the ,address was conservative in tone1 truthful in statement1 conciliatory in spirit1 and intended to form a basis of a right understanding of the attitude of the ,church4 ,it explained the past2 it expressed the intention of strict adherence to its obligation to discontinue plural marriages--and with that1 in time1 would pass away polygamous living--and declared its intention to abstain from interference in politics4 ,that this was the spirit and intent of the ,address cannot be questioned by those who have read it4 ,it was a fair basis of understanding and settlement of our local difficulties4 ,and in what spirit was it met1 at least by this ,ministerial association8 ,by pretended distrust of its most solemn asseverations2 by misrepresentation and unfair criticism2 by sly innuendo of evil intentions on our part2 by a hunting for a basis1 not of justice1 reconciliation and friendship1 but the hunting of a basis for future agitation1 turmoil and strife2 and for what8 ,sectarian and political advantage1 is the only answer2 unless you add sectarian hate of a rival institution4 ,what can ,mormons do in the presence of such conditions8 ,i can tell you what one ,mormon will do4 ,he will teach these reviewing gentlemen that the reviews will not be all on one side4 ,that he himself will turn reviewer4 ,and so far as the theological part of the controversy is concerned1 these gentlemen shall have war if they want it--war to the knife1 and the knife to the hilt1 and that on every platform in the state4 ,mormonism here can hold its own4 ,it does not have to apologize for its doctrines nor repudiate its principles4 ,its representatives stand ready1 willing and able to vindicate its doctrines2 and they have some knowledge of the nonsense and weakness of the reviewers' creeds4 ,pardon our seeming boastings1 gentlemen1 but in the language of ,paul1 ye have compelled us4 ,turning from you reviewers to all the people of the state of ,utah1 ,i can say to them irrespective of their creeds or political faith1 that ,i have the utmost confidence in their fairness1 in their native sense of justice1 and love of square dealing2 in their manhood and love of honor4 ,and ,i know that they know that this local agitation by the ,ministerial association1 and disgruntled politicians1 who cannot ride into seats of political preferment by virtue of the exercise of ,church influence in politics1 which they feign to denounce1 but which they would gladly use to their own advantage1 could they but fawn or frighten it into supporting them--,i say ,i know that the people of ,utah know that this agitation is unjust2 conceived in spite and vengeance2 brought forth of malice2 and nurtured by hate4 ,no conditions existing in ,utah justify it4 ,the spectres that are conjured up from the vasty deep to give warrant to this unseeming agitation are but foul creations of diseased animals1 phantoms of disordered imaginations4 ,fellow citizens of ,utah1 in my humble judgment1 if we have regard to those things which concern our welfare1 our well-being at home1 our standing abroad1 our interests in all that concerns us1 we will discourage these agitators1 and say1 as we can say1 to the troubled waves of our social and civil strife1 peace1 be still4 ,,part ,,iii4 ,joseph ,smith's ,doctrines ,vindicated4 ,,foreword4 ,the discourses which make up ,part ,,iii1 deal with some of the doctrines advanced in the revelations received by ,joseph ,smith1 and in his discourses1 which at the time they were brought forth subjected him to the cry of false prophet1 and even of fallen prophet on the part of some of his former disciples1 pagan and blasphemy4 ,slowly1 however1 with the passing of successive decades1 and building up a new and a less offensive terminology than the ,prophet knew1 a change has come over the religious and philosophical thought of the world1 until today many of those doctrines advanced by ,joseph ,smith1 the ,mormon ,prophet--without any intention of doing so1 and indeed without any knowledge that they were doing so--are now being taught by leading minds and in some of our very highest institutions of learning4 ,it is to point out this startling fact that the following three discourses are presented4 ,i4 ,,the ,,first ,,message ,,of ,,mormonism ,,vindicated4 ,a discourse in the ,tabernacle1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,sunday afternoon1 ,august #h1 #aiji4 ,reported by ,f4 ,w4 ,otterstrom4 ,the ,national ,annual ,encampment ,of the ,grand ,army of the ,republic was held in ,salt ,lake ,city in ,august1 #aiji1 and many of the veterans of that organization were present at the ,tabernacle services on the occasion of this discourse being delivered and hence the reference to them in the closing paragraphs4 ,i4 ,i presume1 my brethren and sisters1 that a very large portion of this magnificent audience is made up of those who are strangers within the gates of our city2 and ,i doubt not but what1 prompted by curiosity and interest1 our friends are here in the hope of learning something about the faith of the ,latter-day ,saints whom1 perhaps1 many of them regard as a strange people4 ,for my own part1 if ,i could1 ,i would like to respond to this curiosity or interest of our friends1 by setting forth what message ,mormonism has for them and for the world4 ,i would like to speak1 if ,i could1 the choicest word that we have for them and mankind2 but ,i stand appalled at the task that such a proposition presents to me1 and ,i frankly confess my own inability to meet such an issue unless there shall be divine assistance rendered and ,god shall help by the inspiration of his ,spirit4 ,if he help1 then of course we shall not fail2 and if we do not fail1 then to him let us accord praise and honor and glory1 since success will be through his help4 ,in order to get this message of ours before you1 my friends1 it is necessary to refer to a little history connected with this movement called ,mormonism4 ,perhaps many of you are aware of the fact--since many of you are well advanced in years--many of you are acquainted with the fact that in the early decades of the nineteenth century there was great agitation in respect of religion throughout the ,united ,states and parts of ,europe2 but more especially in that part of our own country known as the ,western ,reserve--northern ,ohio2 also in western ,new ,york2 and the states of ,kentucky and ,tennessee4 ,in these sections of our country there seemed to be a great spiritual awakening--or1 at least1 so it was regarded at that time--and religious excitement existed everywhere4 ,it existed to such an extent in some localities that even the ordinary pursuits of industry were interrupted while people assembled in great camp meetings to hear noted ministers exhort and expound in respect of religion4 ,this great religious revival extended into western ,new ,york where the family of ,joseph ,smith lived1 near ,palmyra1 in that state4 ,his family had been religiously inclined for generations before his birth2 and when this religious agitation of which ,i am speaking reached ,palmyra1 the family of ,joseph ,smith was affected by it4 ,this young man1 then about fifteen years of age1 was also influenced by it2 but his mind was sore troubled because of the divisions and contentions existing among the various sects of religion4 ,there were cries of ,lo here and ,lo there1 as to ,christ and religion2 and even when union revival meetings were held1 and the time came for the converts made by united effort to divide off into the various sects1 then much of the good feeling that had prevailed seemed to be dissipated1 and contentions and jealousies predominated4 ,this young man1 ,joseph ,smith1 observed these divisions1 and it seems as if the question of ,paul to the schismatically inclined ,corinthians reached him1 asking this stern question3 ,is ,christ divided8 ,will ,god teach one group of men one set of principles and order of church government and ordinances1 and then teach another principles diametrically opposed8 ,is ,god the author of confusion8 ,and there was borne in upon his soul the thought that all was not well with the religions world4 ,in the midst of these reflections he came upon the ,scripture which after a fashion may be regarded as one of the historical corner stones of ,mormonism1 namely3 ,if any of you lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god who giveth liberally to all men and upbraideth not1 and it shall be given him4 ,,joseph ,,smith',s ,,first ,,vision4 ,joseph ,smith informs us that this ,scripture became1 to his soul1 the very voice of ,god4 ,in the light of it he reviewed the situation1 and finally came to this conclusion1 that if ever man was perplexed he was2 if ever man lacked wisdom1 he lacked it2 if any man knew not what to do1 he was that person4 ,he had confidence in the ,scriptures4 ,the teachings of a sainted mother and of a ,christian father had instilled that faith into his heart2 and hence he decided1 in child-like confidence1 to go to ,god with this query3 ,which out of all these sects is right8 ,which the true ,church of ,christ8 ,which shall ,i join8 ,having concluded to put these questions to the ,infinite ,mind--to ,god--he retired to a grove not far removed from his father's house--still standing1 by the way1 unmarred by the hand of man4 ,on attempting to engage in prayer1 however1 he found himself overcome by a spirit of darkness1 and his tongue bound that he could not utter his thought4 ,as he was about to abandon himself to seeming destruction1 he beheld descending towards him a great1 white pillar of light1 and as it rested upon him the darkness was dispelled1 and lo6 in the midst of the light1 which exceeded the brightness of the sun at noon-day1 he beheld two personages1 resembling each other2 and one calling him by name1 and pointing to the other1 said3 ,joseph1 this is my beloved ,son2 hear ,him4 ,it speaks well for the intellectual texture of this boy's mind1 that in the midst of these unusual circumstances he could still hold to the great thought that had brought him to this issue2 and to the presence in which he stood4 ,to the person to whom he was directed ,joseph ,smith put the question3 ,which of these sects is thy church1 and which shall ,i join8 ,now1 my friends1 bear1 ,i pray you1 for a moment1 with the seeming harshness of the reply that was made to that great inquiry4 ,the personage whom he addressed said to him in reply1 that all the churches were wrong2 that he must join none of them2 that their creeds were an abomination in ,his sight2 that those professors were all corrupt2 that they drew near to him with their lips but their hearts were far from him2 that they taught for doctrine the commandments of men1 having a form of ,godliness but denying the power thereof4 ,he was again expressly commanded to go not after them1 at the same time receiving a promise that the fulness of the gospel should at some future time be made known unto him4 ,that was a tremendous message to deliver to a world that supposed itself to be living in the full blaze of ,christian glory6 ,it was enough to appall the stoutest heart to be called upon to deliver it6 ,but1 my friends1 ,mormonism would have no right to existence unless such was the condition of the world4 ,of churches and creeds there were already enough2 and unless there was some great1 fundamental reason why a new message should be sent to the world1 then ,mormonism has no right to exist at all4 ,the vision closed1 and the boy went with it to his friends1 and out of it has grown what the world calls ,mormonism4 ,now1 let us talk about the substance of this vision a little while and see if we can not soften the seeming harshness with which this message of ,mormonism begins3 ,the churches are wrong4 ,but1 my friends1 the people then living were not responsible for those conditions4 ,they had inherited them4 ,generations ago men had transgressed the laws1 changed the ordinances1 broken the everlasting covenant of the gospel1 and formulated creeds which failed to grasp or record truly the central truths of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 the nature of ,god1 the relationship of man to ,deity1 or the purpose of man's earth existence4 ,the false notions and doctrines that obtained respecting these matters our generation inherited from preceding generations4 ,it was a case of the fathers eating sour grapes1 and the children's teeth being set on edge4 ,,creeds ,,are ,,an ,,abomination4 ,the creeds are an abomination1 and the professors are all corrupt6 ,that is a severe arraignment of ,christendom4 ,do we mean by it that the whole of ,christendom is corrupt8 ,that virtue was fled8 ,of course1 in a certain sense1 all men have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god4 ,there is none that doeth wholly good1 no1 not one4 ,all flesh is corrupt before ,god1 in that it has in it an inclination to evil--a concupiscence to sinful ways4 ,but that is not the matter in question here4 ,no1 my friends1 we do not mean to say that all ,christendom is corrupt1 or that virtue has fled from the earth4 ,i pray you regard the language more closely3 ,the creeds are an abomination2 the professors are corrupt2 they teach for doctrine the commandments of men4 ,it is the professors that are alluded to here as being corrupt1 not necessarily the confessors1 of the creeds2 the professors the teachers of the creeds are corrupt4 ,what1 then1 do you arraign the whole ,christian ministry as being corrupt8 ,by no means4 ,we are ready to believe that many of them like their followers are men who strive earnestly for the truth1 and desire the uplifting of humanity2 but those who1 in the ages gone by1 could formulate such creeds as exist in ,christendom1 expressing such beliefs about ,god and about man1 and the relationship of ,god to man2 those who could formulate creeds that would eternally damn innocent infants2 or that could forever close the doors of mercy against the vast majority of the children of ,god--as well those who have died in ignorance of revealed truth1 as those who died in the knowledge of it but rejected it--in the awful dogmas of eternal punishment--men who could formulate such creeds as these certainly had minds that had gone awry1 that were corrupted1 so they would not or could not see the truth4 ,so you see the harshness of this message of ours narrows down considerably when you get to analyzing it4 ,these creed-formulators were teaching for doctrine the commandments of men2 they drew near to the ,lord with their lips1 but their hearts were far removed from him1 they had reduced religion to forms of godliness merely4 ,the ground had to be cleared of the theological rubbish that had accumulated through the ages1 that the living rocks might appear1 on which ,god should found his ,church in very deed2 and thus our message had to begin with this declaration concerning the status of ,christendom4 ,,god',s ,,first ,,message ,,confirmed4 ,now something singular has happened in our time1 in our day1 within the past few years1 and more especially within the past year4 ,ninety years have passed away since this first message of ,god though ,joseph ,smith was given to the world declaring the churches wrong2 but1 mark you1 we did not sit in judgment upon the world's creeds and religions and religious teachers4 ,we have not assumed to do that4 ,neither did ,joseph ,smith1 he confessed his own inability to judge the matter1 hence he went to ,god for wisdom4 ,we think it would have been beyond the capacity of human wisdom to determine which of the sects or churches were acceptable to ,god2 ,or say which was his ,church2 but ,god was competent to sit in judgment1 and he sat in judgment1 and announced the conclusion1 and made ,joseph ,smith and the ,church of ,christ1 that grew out of his message--,god made them the heralds of this judgment of his to the inhabitants of the earth4 ,but1 to return to what ,i was about to remark1--after ninety years have elapsed1 something remarkable occurs1 and that is a wonderful confirmation of this seemingly harsh message with which our prophet began his life's work4 ,there is at present going on in the great ,catholic church--that church which holds within her communion more than one half of all the ,christians of the world--within her great organization is going on what is called the ,modernist movement4 ,that movement1 briefly told is this3 a demand is made on the part of many of her scholars and theologians for wider intellectual liberty1 and that the church shall come out of the darkness of the creeds and symbols of the dark ages and live in harmony with the new truths that have been developed through the inspiration of ,god operating upon the minds of modern men1 of our present-day scientists and philosophers4 ,in order to be exact in the statement of the matter1 permit me to read to you something of the program that is suggested by this modernist movement within the ,catholic church2 and let no one esteem it as a light thing1 as a mere crackling of thorns beneath the pot4 ,rome does not so regard it1 ,i can tell you4 ,we are assured by a writer in the ,north ,american ,review for ,june of this year that this revolution within the ,church of ,rome is one of the mightiest revolutions since that one led by ,martin ,luther in the sixteenth century4 ,the ,catholic church has already noted the importance that she attaches to it by issuing what is known as the ,encyclical ,letter on ,modernism by the present pope of the ,roman church1 a document filling about one hundred printed pages1 in which the errors1 or supposed errors1 of the modernists are detailed and reviewed from the standpoint of the orthodox within the ,catholic church4 ,in each diocese a committee of vigilance is appointed to keep watch that whether in pamphlet1 or book1 or speech1 any prelate or curate of the church should presume to be in sympathy with this movement1 he might be instantly reported and silenced4 ,some of the most gifted men within the church have been driven into retirement from official life2 others have been silenced2 some have been dismissed from chairs of instruction in ,catholic institutions of learning2 and everywhere the bishops are called upon to exercise the utmost vigilance to keep down the throbbing1 intellectual life of this movement4 ,newman ,smyth in ,scribners for ,february of the present year gives the following account of the vatican's efforts at suppression of modernism3 ,the vatican has succeeded in putting out a few scholarly periodicals2 in their places others more popular have appeared4 ,it has persuaded some enlightened teachers to relapse into the obedience of silence for a season1 yet without actual recantation of their opinions2 others it has forced to stand by their own conscientious intelligence before the whole world4 ,it has prohibited the publication of some ,italian magazines1 only to increase their circulation4 ,it forbade the faithful to read the ',program of the ,modernists1' and a new and enlarged edition was called for by the public4 ,it enjoined the ,bavarian bishops to see to it that the people read the 'catechism and good books1' and it obtained from the civil authority of ,innsbruck the confiscation of a lecture by a modernist professor of canonical law1 only to cause forty-three editions of it to be issued within a short time1 and to lead many thousand liberal ,german students to organize a strike in behalf of the freedom of academic teaching4 ,the index of prohibited writings increases2 but it cannot keep up with the modernist press4 ,in short1 the ,encyclical ,pascendi1 which aimed to destroy by a blow a heresy of the schools1 has succeeded in creating a literature of it for the people4 ,it commands the utmost vigilance in every diocese in searching out modernist ideas2 and in ,rome itself1 under the very shadow of the vatican1 a scientific-religious publishing society has been established1 and its issues1 increasing in power as well as in number1 are now to be found scattered through many lands4 ,besides all this1 account should be taken of the number of secular journals which are in sympathy1 more or less avowed1 with the modernists4 ,an ecclesiastical authority which in former times could bind peoples and humble kings1 has yet to show whether it is mightier than the power of a free press in a free state4 ,to the ,encyclical letter that was issued by ,pope ,pius1 the modernists themselves have made a most bold and fearless answer1 and have published it1 in connection with the ,pope's ,encyclical to the world4 7,see ,program of ,modernism1 ,putman's ,sons1 #aijh47 ,this movement1 by the way1 is described as a clear call for the rejuvenation of ,roman ,catholicism4 ,the modernists believe that the church1 the ,roman ,catholic church1 can harmonize its teachings with the thought of this present age1 that the most ancient church can survive by becoming the most modern4 ,the ambitious designs of the modernists may further be learned by the following questions they propound1 and answers they make to them3 ,at this moment 7#aijh7 pregnant with all sorts of moral revolution1 when the intellectual world1 still alienated from ,christ and his ,church1 progresses in a hundred ways towards some undefinable renewal of spirit1 we ask ourselves frankly1 ,is there in the ,catholic church1 in that great organism in which the religious spirit of the gospel has come to embody itself--is there a power of conquest or simply a conservative instinct8 ,does she still hide in the secret complexities of her wonderful organization1 capacities for winning adherents1 or is her vitality threatened by the germs of a speedy decay8 ,is her mission henceforth to be limited to a suspicious vigilance over the rude and simple faith of her rapidly-dwindling followers1 or will she rouse herself to the reacquisition of that social influence which she has lost through long years of listless self-isolation8 ,for ourselves we have long since answered this critical question4 ,we have ever watched the aspirations of the contemporary mind with sympathetic interest2 our hearts have beaten in unison with its glowing enthusiasm for the new ideals of universal brotherhood2 and we have seen in all its movements the symptoms of a glorious revival of religion4 99 99 99 ,speaking the language of our age and thinking its thought we have tried to bring it into touch with the teachings of ,catholicism1 that through such contact their profound mutual affinities might be made evident4 ,we cannot believe that the church will ultimately reject our program as mischievous4 ,i only want to present these statements to you and ask this question3 ,why is this rejuvenation of the ,catholic church demanded8 ,why this demand to forsake symbol and creed of the middle ages in order to come into harmony with modern truth as it has been developed by modern thought and science8 ,do not the questions pre-suppose that the church complained against is wrong in creed and doctrine and attitude towards progress8 ,i may not go further into a discussion of this ,catholic situation1 because ,i want to call your attention to still more startling things in the ,protestant world1 especially in our own country4 ,,reform ,,in ,,protestantism4 ,there has been running through the current numbers of the ,cosmopolitan magazine a series of articles by ,harold ,bolce on the trend of university teaching in ,america4 ,some two years ago1 ,mr4 ,bolce blocked out an itinerary for himself1 having no less an object than a visit to leading universities throughout the ,united ,states1 with a view to becoming acquainted with the trend of university teaching1 and more especially with reference to economic1 social1 philosophical and religious subjects4 ,as a result of that investigation he reports his visit through four articles of this magazine4 ,i shall call your attention to what is said simply upon the trend of religious teaching within the universities4 ,i read the following extracts from the ,august number of the ,cosmopolitan4 ,the article is prefaced with a note from the editor in which he says3 ,it has been shown in the series of articles beginning with ',blasting at the ,rock of ,ages' that our great universities repudiate the dogma and orthodox of the established church and proclaim a new religion divested of ,biblical and church creed4 ,why do the most profound scholars in our institutions of learning undertake this revolutionary work8 ,what do they hope to accomplish8 99 99 99 ,the answer is here4 ,the schoolmen have placed ,christianity in a scholars' crucible4 ,they are determined upon reducing sacred institutions to scientific tests4 ,the college men approach the subject with the greatest reverence4 ,it is false to characterize them as atheists or iconoclasts4 ,they assert that what we need is not less of ,god but more of ,god4 ,they prophesy the introduction into the world of a system of belief superior to the ,christianity of the ages4 ,such is the editorial conception of the trend of teaching in our universities1 on this subject1 with ,mr4 ,bolce's articles before them4 ,and now from the article itself4 ,i read the following3 ,instead of living in harmony with ,god1 the church1 the colleges say1 has set up a celestial czar1 a conception which has been an injury to man1 because it has given him a sense of weakness1 inferiority and fear4 ,that is the arraignment of the colleges against the teachings of the churches as to their conceptions of ,god4 ,now mark you1 ,the colleges say that the church1 through its fear of new truth1 has at all times been an obstacle to progress4 ,is not that a remarkable thing to say of the church of ,jesus ,christ that in reality ought to be in the very vanguard in the pursuit of truth and in the conservation of it8 ,dr4 ,andrew ,d4 ,white1 formerly ,president of ,cornell university1 says that the church in its apprehension of the progress of learning persecuted ,roger ,bacon1 and by so doing did more harm to ,christianity and the world than has been done as a result of all the efforts of all the atheists who have ever lived4 ,professor ,borden ,p4 ,bowne1 of ,boston university1 ,professor ,frank ,sargent ,hoffman of ,union ,college1 and scores of others1 say that the church is the last to come into the possession of truth2 that it often lags behind1 even in the matter of the progressive conscience of the time2 that it has had to recede from its position in every field of science2 and that it is still receding and must continue to make way for the progress of truth in spiritual matters4 ,for many professors assert that the church1 as revealed by the outcry over the disclosures of what the universities teach1 is still engaged in the effort to strangle thought4 ,and as the opposition to truth1 as it is claimed1 is still the role of religious bodies1 the inescapable duty of unfettered institutions of learning is to give the world a new revelation4 ,joseph ,smith proclaimed that need ninety years before these professors awoke to the realization of the need of a new revelation4 ,but to continue3 ,the professors believe that civilization is under the domination of many false doctrines1 and that the fact that these are held sacred is no reason why they should be preserved4 ,not only do these professors--scores of them1 remember--hold that the church is wrong now1 but they hold that it has been wrong for ages4 ,listen to this3 ,the present crusade of the colleges is surcharged with the conviction that the churches and church thought are not only behind the times but that they have1 throughout the centuries1 been an obstacle to human advance1 and are even now the last barrier keeping man out of his true spiritual kingdom4 ,they say that man has earned the right to know the truth1 the truth that it will make him free2 and that man's ignorance of his power in a world of spirit1 where he could1 if he would1 be master1 with all the harmony1 health1 happiness and abundance that that mastery implies1 is the secret of the centuries of travail1 hatred1 wars and crimes that have cursed the world4 ,i shall trouble you to read but one more extract3 ,this1 then1 is the announced justification of the college arraignment of many cherished institutions4 ,the old indictment drawn up by irreverent critics against the church1 is repeated with a new force and a new meaning4 ,it is pointed out that it was religious ,jerusalem1 not pagan ,rome1 that clamored for the crucifixion4 ,motley and ,draper and other historians have been cited in support of the teaching that the church in many ages murdered more people than it saved3 ,and these victims were burned alive1 strangled or beheaded1 not for crimes committed1 but in some cases for reading the ,scriptures1 or looking askance at a graven image1 or smiling at an idolatrous procession as it passed4 99 99 99 ,but the college men are not blind to what the church has accomplished4 ,in this phase of the subject they are peculiarly catholic4 ,but it is taught now in practically all the departments of philosophy in the great universities that a new revelation is quickening this age1 and that it is not only the right but the duty of the colleges to stand1 if they can1 as interpreters of the acceptable year of the ,lord4 ,prof4 ,r4 ,m4 ,wenley of the ,university of ,michigan teaches that we have every reason to anticipate great changes in ,christianity4 ,the world of thought is in progress of such profound alteration that orthodox belief can scarcely escape the transforming effects of the new idea of ,god4 ,hundreds of thousands of young men and young women in ,america are coming under the influence of the new university philosophy1 and instead of being apologetic for the teaching that the ,god of the colleges is greater than the ,god of the church1 the university philosophers look forward with composure and even elation to the ultimate surrender of what they regard as discredited beliefs4 ,in relation to the methods adopted by the churches for imparting religious truths1 and enforcing religious living--the revival method more especially2 and be it remembered that of late years many of the extravagances of this method have been eliminated since the boyhood days of ,joseph ,smith4 ,of this method of the churches1 ,mr4 ,bolce represents the universities as holding the following view3 ,professor ,boris ,sidis of the ,pathological ,institute of ,new ,york1 who recently concluded a series of psychological experiments at ,harvard1 is ruthlessly arrayed against popular religion as expressed in revivals1 and his findings have been endorsed by ,prof4 ,william ,james in an introduction to the former's published report4 ,if there is in ,american university teaching a more fearless doctrine than the following as put forth by ,prof4 ,sidis and countenanced by ,harvard's leading philosopher1 ,i have not yet encountered it3 ',well may ,president ,jordan of ,stanford university exclaim3 ',whisky1 cocaine and alcohol bring temporary insanity1 and so does a revival of religion--one of those religious revivals in which men lose their reason and self-control4 ,this is simply a form of drunkenness no more worthy ,of respect than the drunkenness that lies in the gutter6' ,professor ,jordan1 comments the ,harvard psychologist as a result of his investigations1 was too mild in his expression4 ,religious revivalism is a social blame2 it is more dangerous to the life of society than drunkenness4 ,as a sot1 man falls below the brute2 as a revivalist he sinks lower than the sot4--7,cosmopolitan for ,july1 #aiji47 ,now1 my friends1 after that1 do not complain of harshness in the message that ,joseph ,smith was commissioned to give to the world ninety years ago8 ,he never said anything nearly so harsh as the ,american universities are now saying about the churches4 ,it seems to me as if ,god had called from the high seats of learning throughout our land the most intellectual class in the world to confirm the truth of the message of ,his prophet4 ,the world despised the word of an unlearned youth upon this subject1 albeit coming with a message from ,god--from the ,highest ,intelligence4 ,what will they say now to the testimony of the learned--which confirms the message of ,joseph ,smith8 ,,what ,,mormonism ,,affirms4 ,i do not want to take all the time1 however1 in discussing this negative part of our message4 ,i desire to say something affirmatively1 something that will dispel the gloom that this first part of our message is likely to impress upon the minds of those who contemplate it4 ,in the affirmative part of our message we come to you with these glad tidings3 ,god has again spoken4 ,he has renewed1 so to speak1 official relationships with the world4 ,at that time when men supposed that ,god had spoken ,his last word in revelation2 at that time1 when it was supposed angels would no more visit the earth2 at that time when men concluded that the volume of revelation was completed and forever closed--in the very darkest hour of these great errors1 lo1 the heavens open6 angels visit the earth2 the ,american volume of ,scripture1 the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,scripture1 of the old inhabitants of ,america1 before they fell into anarchy and barbarism1 when they were learned and enlightened1 when they had communion with ,god and ,christ1 and received the gospel--their record is brought forth to be a witness for ,god2 a witness to ,his justice1 to ,his mercy2 it came as a protest against the dark and awful thought that ,god could possibly leave a hemisphere to perish in ignorance of his mind and of his will1 and of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ6 ,in the moment when these thoughts had crystallized into dogma1 ,god brushed them aside1 renewed revelation1 gave a new dispensation of the gospel to the children of men1 restored divine authority1 re-established the ,church of ,christ1 deposited with her his revealed truth1 and gave her commission to make proclamation of it to all the inhabitants of the earth--to every nation1 and kindred1 and tongue and people2 giving warning that the kingdom of ,god was at hand4 ,our message comes then with the announcement of these great truths2 and ,mormonism is this restored gospel of the ,christ1 this re-established ,church of ,christ1 or nothing4 ,it is not a new gospel1 my friends1 not a new religion4 ,but the old gospel1 the old religion and the ,church of ,christ coming forth under a new dispensation4 ,we1 equally with you of other ,christian persuasions1 believe there is no other name given under heaven whereby men may be saved except the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 ,jesus the ,christ4 ,therefore to us there can be but the one true gospel and one true ,church4 ,not only this1 but our message goes further4 ,it comes to you with the glad tidings that ,god is still in the world1 not apart from it1 not standing aloof in unsympathetic observation of the creation of his hands--but he is in it4 ,what men name divine immanence4 ,his spirit permeates all the elements4 ,he is in the sun1 the light of the sun1 and the power thereof by which it was created4 ,he is in the moon1 and the light of the moon1 and the power thereof by which it was made4 ,also he is in the many blazing suns that we call fixed stars1 and the power by which they were created4 ,he is the light which is in all things1 which giveth life to all things2 which is the law by which all things are governed--even the power of ,god4 ,that is1 to say1 ,god through and by his ,spirit is immanent in the world--in his world--the universe4 ,the elements--the stuffs we call matter are eternal3 and element united with spirit may attain to a fulness of joy2 when separated they can not attain to a fulness of glory1 nor answer the end of their existence4 ,in this view the elements are the very tabernacle of ,god2 or1 as some of your scientists put it1 the material universe is but the garment of ,god4 ,under that garment is the living1 throbbing1 sympathetic ,god1 in whom we live1 and move1 and have our being4 ,god is in his world reconciling it unto himself1 and working out his sovereign will4 ,but chiefly ,god by his ,spirit may be in man1 if man will but have it so4 ,yea1 man may be1 and often is the tabernacle of ,god1 even temples4 ,there may be such an indwelling of ,god in man that ,god is very near to him and not afar off4 ,your life1 my friends1 and mine1 may touch the life of ,god2 his rich spiritual grace and life may pour into our poor lives1 making them rich in deed--who1 then1 shall talk of failure6 ,but let us see clearly here4 ,while our message proclaims ,god to be immanent in the world by his ,spirit1 and pre-eminently so in man--yet also does our message proclaim ,god to be a person4 ,god1 my friends1 with the ,latter-day ,saints1 is not a mere abstraction1 an empty word without objective reality2 a merely spiritual essence or influence2 but1 on the contrary1 ,god is a person in the sense that he is an individual4 ,he is revealed to us through ,jesus ,christ4 ,we believe in that revelation of ,god that is to be read in the life and character of the ,nazarene--the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,to us he is the very image and likeness of ,god2 nay1 as the ,christ was and now is1 so ,god is6 ,the ,christ you remember stood in his resurrected immortal body before his disciples1 out on the ,mount in ,galilee1 where he had appointed a meeting with them4 ,as he stood there1 in all the glory of a resurrected1 immortal personage1 no more subject to death1 he said to them3 ,all power is given unto me1 in earth and in heaven4 ,go1 therefore1 and teach all nations1 baptizing them in the name of the ,father and of the ,son and of the ,holy ,ghost1 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever ,i have commanded you1 and lo6 ,i am with you always to the end of the world4 ,as the ,christ thus stood before his disciples he was ,god manifested in the flesh4 ,and as the ,son is1 so we are assured1 is the ,father--a glorious mighty intelligence of tangible reality1 as much so as the ,christ was there on the mount in all his resurrected glory--a being whose heart throbs in sympathy with his children4 ,for his children6 ,yes1 friends2 this ,mormon message bids us proclaim that the children of men are also the children of ,god1 essence of his essence1 and nature of his nature4 ,our message proclaims man divine1 as also it proclaims ,god human--,god and man of one and the same race6 ,but ,god relatively to man1 perfect2 man1 fallen and imperfect in his present estate1 yet an heir of salvation and a child of ,god destined to become like his ,father and ,elder ,brother1 the ,christ4 ,you see ,i was right in saying that ,god is no mere abstraction with us1 but a real personal being with whom we sustain very definite relations--the relation of child to father1 with all the sympathies that grow out of the conception of that relationship4 ,,immortality ,,of ,,man4 ,one other thing that our message is burdened with is the immortality of man--a proper immortality1 not merely and alone a continuation of conscious being after death1 not merely a prolongation of life1 but a pre-existence of life and intelligence before we tabernacled in the flesh4 ,our habitation was with ,god before we came to this earth4 ,in our first1 primeval childhood we lived in his presence1 and have come forth from his presence merely to gain an experience in the midst of the conditions that prevail in this world of ours4 ,we believe in and teach the immortality of man2 an immortality that stretches backward before birth as well as forward after death4 ,our message also proclaims the persistence of the individual4 ,there is something in you1 my friends1 according to this ,mormon message to the world--there is something in all of us1 that was not created3 and that will not die4 ,something that is indestructible and uncreatable2 a something that must live1 because it can not be destroyed--the soul1 the intelligence of man4 ,that entity1 that intelligence--you--will not be absorbed1 and lose its identity4 ,you1 friend1 as an intelligence1 and as a man shall live through all eternities4 ,you1 friend1 shall accumulate experiences and grow in grace and knowledge1 and power1 and might and dominion1 until you attain unto something that is worthy to be called divine--a son of ,god indeed6 ,on the day that you1 our visitors1 members of the ,grand ,army of the ,republic--on the day that you parade the streets of our city1 our ,zion1 and we shall note you as you go by--perhaps1 with feeble footsteps and bowed forms1 not with the elastic step of youth as when you responded to your country's call when the great ,republic was in danger6--,we shall look upon you on that day and note1 perhaps1 in our thought1 the contrast4 ,we shall think of you1 my friends1 in sympathetic mood2 and we shall contemplate the time when these aged forms of yours shall put on immortality--when even these bodies shall give forth in the resurrection the vital elements essential to the manifestation of your spirits1 in all the eternities to come4 ,our message1 friends1 reaffirms the reality of the resurrection from the dead4 ,we are commissioned to say that though a man die1 yet shall he live1 and that eternally4 ,christ is our warrant for the reality of the resurrection of all men4 ,you1 then shall live again--aye and in immortal youth1 and possessed of all the high powers of a glorious manhood4 ,you will meet again the comrades and the old commanders beyond the heights1 to hold your camp-fires and recount the glories of your victories for the preservation of our great nation4 ,we shall think of you in this spirit as you march by1 and our sympathies will go out to you1 but we shall regard you as the children of ,god--immortal men6 not only in history1 but in reality4 ,and what may not be accomplished in eternity1 friends1 under these circumstances8 ,what may we not all accomplish in such a state as our gospel gives hope to believe in1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord8 ,think of eternity in which to live1 with ,god for your friend1 with good men for your associates1 and eternity in which to work out the problems of existence--eternity6--its shining plane stretching out illimitably before you--,i say1 what may you not hope to achieve8 ,at least development1 intellectual1 spiritual2 at least growth1 moral growth--soul growth1 until at last1 citizenship in the kingdom of ,god1 sonship to ,god1 and brotherhood with all divine ,intelligences4 ,you see1 then1 my friends1 this message of ,mormonism1 beginning so harshly1 to what music it leads us6 to what harmonies6 ,we stand here1 with you1 panoplied in this faith1 in these hopes1 in this spirit of charity for the world4 ,our message is optimistic2 we have glad tidings for the world1 not a message of dole and damnation1 but of assurance1 of hope1 and encouragement1 an uplifting message4 ,mormonism proclaims the coming of a brighter day for the world--the long-promised millennium with the reign of the ,christ-- ,the morning breaks1 the shadows flee6 ,lo1 ,zion's standard is unfurled6 ,the dawning of a brighter day ,majestic rises on the world4 ,the clouds of error disappear ,before the rays of truth divine2 ,the glory1 bursting from afar1 ,wide o'er the nations soon will shine4 ,god grant it1 for ,christ's sake4 ,amen4 ,,ii4 ,,other ,,doctrines ,,of ,,joseph ,,smith ,,vindicated ,,by ,,colleges4 ,i4 ,men the ,avatars of ,god4 #a ,footnote #a3 ,the word avatar comes from the ,sanskrit word avatara1 and in ,hindu mythology meant an incarnation2 a manifestation of ,deity4 ,this discourse was delivered in the ,salt ,lake ,tabernacle1 ,nov4 #ba1 #aiji4 ,early in the month of ,august1 of the year #aiji1 ,i had the pleasure of addressing a congregation from this stand2 and when the remarks ,i made on that occasion were published1 those who had the publication in charge entitled them1 ,the ,message of ',mormonism4' ,in part the remarks covered a review of a series of articles published in the ,cosmopolitan ,magazine during the early summer months1 in which ,mr4 ,harold ,bolce gave the result of a two years' itinerary through the universities of the ,united ,states1 pointing out the trend of religious and philosophical thought among the professors of these universities4 ,on that occasion ,i called attention to the fact that the first great message that ,joseph ,smith delivered to the world3 namely1 that all the churches were wrong1 and their creeds an abomination unto the ,lord1 received wonderful confirmation from the utterances of these professors quoted in the articles ,i name4 ,that occasion in ,august did not warrant a complete or exhaustive review of these articles1 nor did it afford the opportunity1 for sheer lack of time1 to indicate all or even the chief points at which modern educated thought sustained utterances of the great modern prophet4 ,it is this theme which ,i desire to renew and discuss on the present occasion4 ,the question which ,i now propose to take up will prove to you1 ,i think1 that it is useless for the world to decry some of the fundamental doctrines announced by the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 on the ground that they were the utterances of an uneducated1 obscure and ignorant youth--since1 ,i believe1 ,i shall be able to show you that from some of the highest seats of learning in the land there comes pronounced confirmation of many things our prophet taught2 and hence that his utterances on the doctrine to be considered were not born of ignorance1 but of inspiration from ,god4 ,in the ,cosmopolitan for ,july1 #aiji1 in the editorial review of ,mr4 ,bolce's article1 is this utterance3 ,many university teachers1 while subscribing to doctrines akin to those of ,christian ,science1 ,new ,thought1 and the ,emanuel movement1 are in favor of studying the forces of the spiritual world in a cold1 scientific manner4 ,orthodox ,christian dogma is regarded as at variance with its own principles and is interpreted in a new and revolutionary light4 ,the professors' philosophy is purged of mysticism and blind faith4 ,by moving their young students1 they believe they will move the world1 and so they are directing their energies to the scientific interpretation of those forces which are marvelously transforming our contemporary age4 ,mr4 ,bolce himself1 in further explanation of the attitude of many of the educators in the universities1 represents ,professor ,james ,c4 ,monaghan1 recently of ,notre ,dame ,university1 and formerly of the ,university of ,wisconsin1 as telling his classes1 in regard to the adage there is room at the top1 that there is no top1 that progress--particularly spiritual progress--is eternal4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints will readily recognize that statement as in harmony with ,mormon doctrine4 ,continuing1 ,mr4 ,bolce says3 ,friends of the college philosophers insist that if there is a gulf between them and the people1 it is because the masses have not yet crossed over into the life of progress and spiritual liberty4 ,it is simply that the professors from the standpoint of their followers1 are inviting mankind again into the fields to which the prophets beckoned the world centuries ago4 ,the choice1 it is declared1 is either backward to the brute1 or forward to the superman4 ,i think that the ,latter-day ,saints will also recognize in that a note of ,mormonism--because they believe that whatever man may be today1 whatever his excellence may be--even the excellence of the most highly developed men--we believe that there are heights beyond those which he has now attained1 to which it is possible for him to mount4 ,i merely wanted to read those two paragraphs for the purpose of presenting the attitude of the professors1 in a general way1 in regard to the creeds of men and the existing ,christian ,churches4 ,i now call your attention to some few doctrines that our prophet taught in respect of man4 ,of course1 you who are familiar with ,christian teaching of three-quarters of a century ago1 will recall the fact that it was quite customary to represent man as a quite inferior1 insignificant1 poor worm of the dust2 and the phraseology applied to him was that he was a creature conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity4 ,referring to these ideas as something engrafted upon ,christianity1 yet foreign to its genius1 ,professor ,g4 ,h4 ,howison of the ,university of ,california1 in his contribution to the book ,conceptions of ,god 7#aijb7 and speaking of those who hold and taught such views1 says3 ,their monotonous theme was the inevitable greatness of the ,supreme ,being and the utter littleness of man4 ,their tradition lay like a pall upon the human spirit--nay1 it lies upon it to this day1 and it smothers now1 as it smothered then1 the voice that answers there to the call of ,jesus4 7p4 #if47 ,when the prophet proceeded with the deliverance of his message to the world1 he departed from this view as to the essential baseness of the nature of man1 and proceeded to proclaim him to be a son of ,god1 not only through some means of adoption1 but by the very nature of him4 ,he proclaimed him to be an eternal intelligence as to his spirit1 and that after the experience of the resurrection from the dead1 he would be an immortal personage1 a prince of heaven1 an heir to all that ,god possesses1 and a joint heir with ,jesus ,christ1 capable of infinite progress and of amazing possibilities4 ,on one occasion--to be more specific1 in #ahdd--while discoursing upon the subject of man and his spirit1 he propounded this question3 ,the mind of man1 the immortal spirit--where did it come from8 ,all learned men and doctors of divinity say that ,god created it in the beginning1 but it is not so4 ,the very idea lessens man in my estimation4 ,i do not believe the doctrine2 ,i know better4 ,hear it1 all ye ends of the world6 for ,god has told me so4 ,if you don't believe me1 it will not make the truth without effect4 99 99 99 ,we say that ,god himself is a self-existent being4 ,who told you so8 ,it is correct enough1 but who told you that man did not exist in like manner1 upon the same principle8 ,god made a tabernacle and put man's spirit in it1 and it became a living soul4 99 99 99 99 ,it does not say in the ,hebrew that ,god created the spirit of man2 it says ,god made man out of the earth and put in him ,adam's spirit1 and so became a living soul4 ,the mind or the intelligence which man possesses is co-eternal with ,god himself4 99 99 99 ,god himself does not create himself4 ,intelligence is eternal1 and exists upon a self-existent principle2 it is a spirit from age to age1 and there is no creation about it4 ,the spirit of man is not a created being1 it existed from eternity1 and will exist to eternity4 ,such was the prophet's teaching upon this subject4 ,i might1 however1 supplement the above statement by quoting one of the revelations that also bears upon this theme4 ,the ,christian world are ready to accord to the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 an existence co-eternal with ,god2 and indeed would consider it unorthodox to hold any other view than the co-eternity of the ,son with the ,father2 and they quote in support of this view the very beautiful preface to ,john's gospel2 namely1 ,in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god4 ,the same was in the beginning with ,god4 99 99 99 99 ,in him was life1 and the life was the light of men4 ,and then later it is explained that this ,word became flesh and dwelt among us1 and we beheld his glory2 the glory as of the ,only ,begotten of the ,father1 full of grace and of truth4 ,all orthodox ,christians believe that this passage establishes the co-eternity of the ,christ with the ,father4 ,now1 that is a very great doctrine2 but ,i desire to show you that1 excellent as it is1 the ,lord in our dispensation has added another truth to that one by what is said in the revelation from which ,i now read4 ,jesus ,christ is represented as speaking3 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,i was in the beginning with the ,father1 and am the first-born4 ,now1 mark you--addressing the several brethren who were present when this revelation was received--,ye were also in the beginning with the ,father2 that which is spirit1 even the spirit of truth4 ,meaning that part of man that is spirit1 that intelligence1 that thing within man that is conscious of its own existence1 and of other existences2 that has power to will and to direct and to do things2 that thing within man that reasons and reflects and has memory2 that being who1 most emphatically1 is you1 yourself1 and not the house1 merely1 in which you live2 that1 too1 was in the beginning with the ,father4 ,and now the revelation broadens the truth beyond those to whom the ,christ directly spoke at the time the revelation was given2 for in a subsequent verse it says3 ,man1 undoubtedly meaning the race-- ,man was also in the beginning with ,god4 ,intelligence1 or the light of truth1 was not created or made1 neither indeed can be4 ,all truth is independent in that sphere in which ,god has placed it1 to act for itself1 as all intelligence also1 otherwise there is no existence4 ,behold1 here is the agency of man1 and here is the condemnation of man1 because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them1 and they receive not the light4 ,and every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation1 ,for man is spirit4 ,the elements are eternal1 and spirit and element1 inseparably connected1 receiveth a fulness of joy2 ,and when separated1 man cannot receive a fulness of joy4 ,the elements are the tabernacle of ,god2 yea1 man is the tabernacle of ,god1 even temples4 ,that is bold doctrine4 ,when our prophet came with this splendid message to the world1 he was met with the cry of ,blasphemy1 blasphemy6 ,three-quarters of a century have now passed away since these utterances were first given to the world2 and ,i want to show you what men in the highest seats of learning have to say with respect to principles that are either identical with these1 or closely analogous to them1 though1 of course1 the learned men whom ,i quote may not be aware even of the existence of these revealed truths given to the world by ,joseph ,smith4 ,they are not1 of course1 consciously bearing any testimony to the doctrines announced by our prophet2 but they are bearing unconscious testimony to the truth2 and ,i am glad to see the truth grow1 whether by direct or indirect means4 ,sometimes ,i think that the indirect means that ,god is using for disseminating his truths are more potent and far-reaching1 perhaps1 than the direct means which we are seeking to use1 and that ,god is using through his ,church4 ,but now to this record and what our learned men are saying on principles identical with or analogous to these4 ,professor ,howison1 whom ,i before quoted1 says3 ,son of man1 thou art the son of ,god4 ,rouse heart6 put on the garments of thy majesty1 and realize thy equal1 thy free1 thy immortal membership in the ,eternal ,order6 7,conceptions of ,god1 p4 #if47 ,professor ,robert ,kennedy ,duncan1 in the concluding pages of his ,the ,new ,knowledge1 7#aije7 says3 ,still another conception of the new knowledge is that of the vast stores of inter-elemental energy of which we live but on the fringe--a store of energy so great that every breath we draw has within it sufficient power to drive the workshops of the world4 ,man will tap this energy some day1 somehow4 99 99 99 ,but now that we know1 or think we know1 of this infinite treasure-house of inter-elemental energy lying latent for the hand of the future man to use1 it is neither difficult nor fanatical to believe that beings who are now latent in our thoughts and hidden in our loins shall stand upon this earth as one stands upon a footstool1 and shall laugh and reach out their hands amidst the stars4 99 99 99 ',in the beginning ,god created1' and in the midst of his creation he set down man with a little spark of the ,godhead in him to make him to strive to know--and in the striving to grow and to progress to some great1 worthy1 unknown end in this world4 ,he gave him hands to do1 a will to drive1 and senses to apprehend--just a working equipment3 and so he has won his way1 so far1 out of the horrible conditions of pre-history4 ,i have been presenting to you in my discourse the words of our prophet4 ,mr4 ,bolce represents the professors of our ,american universities as saying3 ,the professors see in man1 and in man alone1 the consciousness and power destined to sway the affairs of the world4 ,professor ,munsterberg insists that the world we will is the reality1 and that the least creature of all mortals 'has more dignity and value than even an ,almighty ,god1' as that being is popularly conceived4 99 99 99 ,it is declared by the professors that if divine energy is divisible and man's spirit inferior to ,god's1 the eternal future of the soul is unalluring4 ,christianity so teaches1 they say1 and is of all philosophies the most pessimistic4 ,forever in its scheme man is to be an underling4 ,not only that1 but uncountable billions of souls--worms of the dust--are created doomed to perpetual despair2 while a fortunate remnant's highest felicity is to gather around the throne of a superior and august ,god and chant his praises4 ,then follows this contrast with the above view3 ,opposed to this conception is the new psychology that teaches that the spirit of man is the highest conscious expression of the infinite1 and that by invoking the powers--the divine forces--resident in the human1 all that humanity desires may be accomplished4 ,thus complete does the divinity of man's spirit appear to these philosophers4 ,continuing1 these views are expressed3 ,the colleges in teaching this faith take ground with those who believe that in the emancipation and fruition of modern thought greater works than ,christ did will be performed4 ,it is1 therefore1 to rid the modern mind of this deadening effect of what they deem to be paralyzing superstitions that the professors attack orthodox dogmas4 ,far from deriding the forces of the spirit1 the colleges proclaim that the laws of divine energy are the most important study confronting modern man4 ,the professors take their stand with ,professor ,slater of ,chicago ,university whom ,i heard emphasize with marked sincerity that the 'name of ,jesus is not written but plowed into the history of the world4' ,yet in their determination to approach the ,god-idea as scientists1 they consider themselves more reverent than the great body of church people who1 they believe1 are indulging in idolatrous prostration and ritual4 ,in still stronger confirmation of ,joseph ,smith's doctrine1 in language more direct1 is the following utterance from ,professor ,herrick1 of ,dennison ,university1 who says3 ,focused in the mind of man1 therefore1 are the dynamic forces of the universe4 ,beyond and above our most daring calculation is the potency of thought6 ,and in the following allegorical words1 the ,scientist explained how the mind of man1 assuming and asserting its power may absorb the fire of creative energy4 ',the wood disappears in the grate1 but the genial warmth pervades the room1 invades our blood1 quickens our pulse1 wakens vital action1 and finally is wrought into the history of our life4' ,if we keep in mind this picture of an element becoming transfused by natural processes into human life and happiness1 it is not difficult to understand the scientific interpretation of prayer1 of ,new ,thought1 of ,christian ,science1 of the ,emmanuel ,movement1 and similar forces marvelously transforming our contemporary age4 ,as scientists1 not as communicants at old altars1 many scholars have allied themselves with the forces of spiritual health and healing4 ,and yet when the ,prophet ,joseph and the first elders of the ,church taught that the world today was entitled to the enjoyment of the same spiritual gifts1 of forces that characterized the ,church of ,christ in the early ,christian centuries1 by which the sick were healed1 the lame made to walk1 and the power of prophecy and revelation enjoyed1--they were classed as presumptuous persons1 and generally discredited2 indeed one of the complaints against the ,saints when settling in ,jackson county1 ,missouri--#ahca-ahcc--was that ,these pretended to communications and revelations direct from heaven1 to heal the sick by the laying on of hands1 and1 in short1 to perform all the wonder-working miracles wrought by the inspired apostles and prophets of old4 99 99 99 ,they openly blaspheme the most high ,god1 and cast contempt on his holy religion by pretending to receive revelations direct from heaven1 by pretending to speak in unknown tongues1 by direct inspiration1 and by diverse pretenses derogatory of ,god and religion1 and to the utter subversion of human reason4 ,this is from a document put into circulation by the ,jackson county anti-,mormon mob1 in the summer of #ahcc 7,evening and ,morning ,star for ,december1 #ahcc74 ,but now we find1 according to ,mr4 ,bolce's representation1 professors in universities asserting their faith in the possibility of this spiritual force operating at present among the children of men1 and incidentally1 our author remarks1 ,these men are not dreamers2 they are of solid mental mould4 ,as a result of man awakening to the consciousness of these indwelling forces1 our author says3 ',human society1 for the first time in history1 is coming to itself1' says ,professor ,edmund ,j4 ,james1 'and is becoming conscious of definite ends and purposes toward which it is striving2 of the possibility of setting up certain ideals toward which it can ever struggle4' ,and now that man has discovered that there resides in his nature a spirit of energy that is divine1 the colleges say1 and that he can summon it to work his will1 the potency and future operation of this psychic force no man can compute4 ,science having found a way through psychology to ,god1 the opportunities for the race1 through invoking in the human consciousness the brooding spirit that fills all space1 are absolutely infinite4 ,science1 therefore1 is demonstrating along new lines1 or at least is claiming to demonstrate1 that man is ,god made manifest6 ,more than seventy-five years before this utterance of the scientist1 however1 there went ringing down the corridors of time these words of our prophet3 ,the elements are the tabernacle of ,god2 yea1 man is the tabernacle of ,god1 even temples6 ,continuing1 ,mr4 ,bolce concludes his article on this theme in the following terms3 ,and modern philosophy1 as set forth in ,american universities1 holds this incarnation not as a fanciful and merely beautiful ideal1 but as a working and understandable principle in the soul of humanity4 ,the professors1 therefore1 who are digging what they believe to be graves for dead dogmas1 stand as exponents of the teaching that man is the embodiment and conscious expression of the force that guides all life and holds all matter in its course4 ,man has begun the cycle of that triumphal daring prophesied by ancient seers1 and which appealed so potently to the imagination of ,poe4 ,not merely in religious rhetoric but in reality the schoolmen say1 is man the avatar of ,god4 ,that is to say1 man is the incarnation of ,god1 the incarnation of a divine spirit2 his spirit is one with the ,infinite ,spirit1 even the spirit and essence of ,god4 ,let no one hereafter say1 when viewing the teachings of ,joseph ,smith in reference to the divinity of man's spirit1 that his doctrines are merely the utterance of an ignorant1 unlettered man1 since the doctrines he taught three-quarters of a century ago1 now receive this splendid1 though unconscious vindication1 through the utterances of the most learned men of our country and age4 ,,ii4 ,the ,existence of a ,plurality of ,divine ,intelligences--,gods4 ,the trend of teaching by professors in universities of ,america is supporting the ideas expressed by ,joseph ,smith in relation to ,deity2 not by direct affirmation1 of course1 but by natural implication1 they sustain his doctrines in relation to ,deity4 ,let me call your attention to what the prophet taught on the subject of ,deity1 by quoting one paragraph from a discourse delivered by him in #ahdd4 ,i think this one paragraph presents in one view the essential things the prophet had to say about ,god3 ,what sort of a being was ,god in the beginning8 ,open your ears and hear1 all ye ends of the earth4 99 99 99 ,god himself was once as we are now1 and is an exalted man1 and sits enthroned in yonder heavens4 ,that is the great secret4 ,if the veil was rent today1 and the great ,god who upholds this world in its orbit1 and who upholds all worlds and things by his power1 was to make himself visible--,i say if we were to see him today1 you would see him like a man in form1 like yourself in all the present image and very form as a man3 for ,adam was created in the very fashion1 image1 and likeness of ,god1 and received instructions from and walked and talked and conversed with him1 as one man talks and communes with another4 ,this doctrine met with the cry of ,blasphemy6 even more pronouncedly than the ,prophet's doctrine respecting the divinity of man4 ,the general conception of orthodox ,christendom in relation to ,god was that he was an incorporeal being1 that he was without body2 by which they meant that he was not matter2 that he was immaterial and without form4 ,they adopted the old pagan idea that ,god was without parts1 without passions2 that he was without quality1 as a matter of fact1 if these other descriptions of him were true4 ,what is the inevitable outgrowth of the doctrines of these professors in our universities1 from what was said in part ,,ii1 of this treatise8 ,it is that there is in man a divine spirit3 that man is ,god manifested in the flesh4 ,from this1 the question very naturally arises3 ,do men as such become immortal8 ,are there any means by which men may become eternal entities--as spirits and bodies inseparably connected--immortal individuals8 ,if so1 would they be any less incarnations of a divine spirit in their immortal state than they are now as mortals8 ,the answer is obvious2 and if only it be admitted that man1 as man1 may become immortal1 then the doctrine of ,joseph ,smith respecting ,god receives strong support by necessary implication from the aforesaid teachers of the universities2 for if it be true1 as we now are assured it is by these teachers1 that man is ,god made manifest2 that focused in the mind of man are all the dynamic forces of the universe--then truly it is that such doctrines cannot be far removed from the bold announcement of ,joseph ,smith1 that ,god himself was once as we are now1 and is an exalted man1 and sits enthroned in yonder heavens4 ,to make complete the support of ,joseph ,smith's doctrines from the teachings of the universities1 it only becomes necessary to say that the individual man persists2 that he becomes as man1 body and spirit1 immortal4 ,let these declarations be made3 ,the spirit in man is divine--he is an incarnation of ,god2 man will become immortal4 ,say this and then the whole doctrine of ,joseph ,smith1 both as to man and as to ,god1 receives perfect support from the trend of university teachings1 as represented by ,mr4 ,bolce's papers here being discussed2 and there is no escaping that conclusion4 ,hold to the first proposition1 namely1 that the spirit of man is divine1 then the question resolves itself merely into this3 ,is there such a thing as resurrection from the dead for man8 ,the ,christ answers1 ,yes2 and proclaims himself to be the resurrection and the life2 and the first fruits of the resurrection4 ,paul most eloquently argues for the reality of the resurrection from the dead2 indeed1 his whole ministry had this as its foundation4 ,you will remember how he argues the question in the #aeth chapter of ,first ,corinthians2 wherein he masses the ,christian testimony for the resurrection of the ,christ2 and after massing it he then declares that if ,christ was not raised from the dead then the faith of the ,saints was vain1 and men were still in their sins1 and were without hope in the world2 for it is 'only through ,christ that men might hope for the resurrection from the dead4 ,not only does the ,christ and ,paul argue for this great fact yet to be realized in man's experience1 but you will find very many ,christian philosophers who are contending today for the same truth4 ,among these is one who is among the first scientists of the ,english speaking people of today1 ,sir ,oliver ,lodge who1 in speaking upon the subject of the resurrection1 in his recent work1 ,science and ,immortality1 says3 ,it is clear that ,christianity1 both by its doctrines and its ceremonies1 rightly emphasizes the material aspect of existence4 ,for it is founded upon the idea of incarnation2 and its belief in some sort of bodily resurrection is based on the idea that every real personal existence must have a double aspect1 not spiritual alone1 nor physical alone1 but in some way both4 ,such an opinion1 in a refined form1 is common to many systems of philosophy1 and is by no means out of harmony with science4 ,that is the declaration of one of the foremost scientists of our day4 ,continuing he says3 ,christianity1 therefore1 reasonably supplements the mere survival of a discarnate spirit1 a homeless wanderer or melancholy ghost1 with the warm and comfortable clothing of something that may legitimately be spoken of as a body2 that is to say1 it postulates a supersensually appreciable vehicle or mode of manifestation1 fitted to subserve the needs of terrestrial life2 an ethereal or other entity constituting the persistent 'other aspect1' and fulfilling some of the functions which the atoms of terrestrial matter are constrained to fulfill now4 ,and we may assume1 as consonant with or even as part of ,christianity1 the doctrine of the dignity and sacramental character of some physical or quasi-material counterpart of every spiritual essence4 ,in other words1 ,sir ,oliver evidently believes in something equivalent to the resurrection of man2 that there will be some sort of quasi-material substance that shall form the future clothing of man's spirit1 suitable to the future states of its existence and experiences4 ,now1 my friends1 the point is this3 ,if our professors1 as we see they do1 insist that there is incarnate in man a divine spirit1 and we get men through the veil of death1 and they become immortal men1 possessing immortal tabernacles1 what have you here but the superman of the professors1 or the exalted man of ,joseph ,smith's doctrine8 ,and if we postulate for these immortals1 as both ,joseph ,smith and the professors do1 a limitless opportunity for progress and development1 then indeed it is not impossible that man may approach1 somewhat even to the excellence of his ,father1 and of his elder brother1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,this brings me to the consideration of another thought in connection with ,joseph ,smith's doctrine1 namely1 the doctrine that there is a plurality of divine intelligences in the universe--,lords many and ,gods many1 as ,paul would say4 ,it was supposed that ,joseph ,smith was guilty of great blasphemy when he announced to the world that in the great vision of ,god1 given to him1 he beheld two personages1 each resembling the other1 and that they spake to him2 and one said to the other1 calling the prophet by name1 ,this is my beloved ,son2 hear him4 ,since ,joseph represented that there were two divine personages--,father and ,son--separate and distinct1 one from the other1 he was charged with having uttered a great blasphemy4 ,such a statement was at variance with the orthodox conception of ,deity4 ,it had been held in the creeds of men--notwithstanding they professed belief in ,god the ,father1 and ,god the ,son1 and ,god the ,holy ,spirit--that somehow or other the three persons of the ,godhead were but one essence or substance2 were but one entity1 and not three separate and distinct personages or individuals4 ,but if the doctrine considered in part ,,ii of this treatise be true as to the spirit in man being divine2 and if that spirit goes through the resurrection and becomes an immortal personage--still divine--what is the result8 ,the result must be that there are a multitude of divine intelligences2 which is only another way of saying with ,paul1 and ,joseph ,smith1 that there are ,lords many and ,gods many4 ,and so the inevitable result of the teachings in our universities leads to the support of this doctrine that was announced to the world by the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 that there are a multitude of divine intelligences in the heavens--spirits and angels and arch-angels2 and ,gods who meet in solemn councils--,david's congregation of the mighty1 where ,god judgeth among the ,gods to generate the wisdom that is present through the universe that has been brought from chaos into cosmos by the wisdom and power of these divine intelligences4 ,but as pertaining to us1 there is one ,godhead appointed to preside from among these intelligences--the ,father1 the ,son and the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and this ,godhead1 or grand presidency1 does preside over our world and the spheres that are associated with it3 with our earth and its heavens4 ,this doctrine of the existence of a plurality of divine intelligences has further support by a very eminent professor--no less a personage than ,professor ,james1 late of ,harvard university4 ,within the year1 his lectures before ,oxford university1 ,england1 have been published1 and this work bears the title ,a ,pluralistic ,universe4 ,the outcome of ,professor ,james' learned discussion of all the questions involved in this subject is to the effect that instead of the universe being1 as he satirically speaks of it1 when referring to the monistic view of it--a solid block1 it is a pluralistic universe4 ,one of his passages runs as follows3 ,i propose to you that we should discuss the question of ,god1 without entangling ourselves in advance in the monistic assumption4 ,is it probable that there is a superhuman consciousness at all1 in the first place8 ,when that is settled1 the further question whether its form be monistic or pluralistic is in order4 7page #bie74 ,this question as to their being a superhuman consciousness the professor decides in the affirmative as at least probable2 and then he announces that the only way to escape from the inconsistencies of other theories is to be frankly pluralistic and assume that the superhuman consciousness1 however vast it may be1 has itself an external envelopment1 and consequently is finite 7page #caa 74 ,the line of least resistance1 then1 as it seems to me1 he adds1 both in theology and philosophy1 is to accept1 along with the superhuman consciousness1 the notion that it is not all-embracing1 the notion1 in other words1 that there is a ,god1 but that he is finite1 either in power or in knowledge1 or in both at once4 ,these1 ,i need hardly tell you1 are the terms in which common men have usually carried on their active commerce with ,god2 and the monistic perfections that make the notion of him so paradoxical practically and morally are the colder addition of remote professorial minds1 operating in distans upon conceptual substitutes for him alone 7page #caa74 ,professor ,james also explains that present day ,monism carefully repudiates complicity with ,spinozistic ,monism1 in that1 it explains1 the many get dissolved in the one and lost1 whereas in the improved1 idealistic form they get preserved in all their manyness as the one's eternal object4 ,the absolute itself is thus represented by absolutists as having a pluralistic object4 ,but if even the absolute has to have a pluralistic vision1 why should we ourselves hesitate to be pluralists on our own sole account8 ,why should we envolve our 'many' with the 'one' that brings so much poison in its train8 7,page #caa47 ,addressing himself directly to ,oxford men on the movement of late towards pluralistic conceptions of the universe1 professor ,james says3 ,if ,oxford men could be ignorant of anything1 it might almost seem that they had remained ignorant of the great empirical movement towards a pluralistic panpsychic view of the universe1 into which our own generation has been drawn1 and which threatens to short-circuit their methods entirely and become their religious rival unless they are willing to make themselves its' allies 7page #cac74 ,the professor also insists that by taking the system of the world pluralistically we banish what he calls our foreignness--by which ,i understand him to mean our apartness from the world 7i4e41 universe74 ,we are indeed internal parts of ,god1 and not external creations1 on any possible reading of the panpsychic system4 ,yet because ,god is not the absolute1 but is himself a part when the system is conceived pluralistically1 his functions can be taken as not wholly dissimilar to those of the other smaller parts1--as similar to our functions1 consequently4 ',having an environment1 being in time1 and working out a history just like ourselves1 he escapes from the foreignness from all that is human1 of the static1 timeless1 perfect absolute4 99 99 99 99 ,no matter what the content of the universe may be1 if you only allow that it is many everywhere and always1 that nothing real escapes from having an environment1 so far from defeating its rationality1 as the absolutists so unanimously pretend1 you leave it in possession of the maximum amount of rationality practically obtainable by our minds4 ,your relations with it1 intellectual1 emotional and active1 remain fluent and congruous with your own nature's chief demands4 7pages #cah1 #cai47 ,we may not here and now1 of course1 enter into all the explanations and arguments that ,professor ,james enters upon in treating this subject1 but the purpose of his whole work is to establish the idea that the unity one discovers in the laws and forces of our universe1 grows out of a free harmony of individual entities2 that the absolute reality is a system of self-active beings forming a unity2 and hence1 he concludes the world to be a pluralistic universe4 ,with this view ,professor ,howison1 of the ,university of ,california1 if ,i understand him aright1 in his contribution to a volume on the ,conception of ,god1 largely agrees4 ,to this may be added also the views of ,arthur ,kenyon ,rogers ,ph4,d41 ,professor of ,philosophy in ,buttler ,college recently expressed in a book entitled ,the ,religious ,conception of the ,world1 ,an ,essay in ,constructive ,philosophy1 #aijg4 ,on the particular point in question1 the nature of the unity of ,god and of lesser conscious beings1 he says3 ,the modern world is coming more and more to feel that if there is to be any real body and permanent satisfaction to the spiritual life1 it will have to be carried back in large part to the sort of experience that we get concretely and verifiably in our every-day human and social relationships4 99 99 99 99 ,now here also in the social realm there is a verifiable and significant sense in which we may talk of identifying ourselves with others4 ,but it distinctly is not to merge our conscious lives into a single and inseparable whole of conscious content4 ,rather it is to work for common interests and care for the same things1 to feel a concern each for the other's welfare1 a respect for his character1 a regard for the essential individuality of the other4 ,two things in this situation--and these two the most fundamental--are wholly foreign to an absolute merging and absorption4 ,love1 as human love1 presupposes necessarily the self-identical and independent consciousness of the one toward whom it is directed4 ,and the moral life1 about which some of the deepest values cling1 in its turn involves alike a personal autonomy which absorption would destroy1 and an extra-personal1 an outgoing and unselfish concern for others1 for which no converging of all reality to a single self-conscious centre could find a place4 99 99 99 99 ,we have only1 then1 to extend this conception a step farther1 in order to pass from what is merely an account of the social order to a philosophy of the universe4 ,the ultimate way for understanding the universe is not self-consciousness1 but a society of selves4 ,but in this community there is one member who occupies a quite exceptional position4 ,for ,god1 as the inner reality of what we call the world of nature1 stands clearly somehow in a special way at the centre of things1 as human selves do not4 ,in him there are summed up the conditions which are needed to account fully for the lesser world of our own more immediate social experience1 since the lives of men confessedly have their roots in nature4 ,in him therefore we may suppose the unity of the whole is directly reflected1 and there are gathered the broken threads of the universal purpose as it appears in our partial and limited human experiences4 ,but none the less1 if we are to follow the conception1 is he still only one member of the community1 and not the whole sum of existing things4 ,he exists as one whose nature needs the positing of other lives which do not come within the same immediate conscious unity as his own4 ,he also is a social being as men are1 and finds his life in social co-operation1 though the complete conditions of his life may be eternally present to his consciousness as they are not to ours4 ,but while his knowledge thus may cover all existence1 the inclusion will be one of knowledge simply4 ,my conscious life will still be mine alone1 which no one else in the universe can directly share1 not even ,god himself4 ,no one else feels my feelings or has my sensations4 99 99 99 99 ,and this is the position which has already been argued for in a preceding chapter4 ,in other words1 ,god does not create us by an arbitrary choice of his1 so that our nature as human selves is merely secondary and derivative4 ,this nature of ours is an ultimate fact of reality4 ,it is implicated in the deepest constitution of the universe1 in the nature of ,god himself4 ,reality is a confederacy of free beings2 and no one of these is ultimately responsible for the others1 since each alike is essential to the whole with which reality is identified4 ,from all this1 then1 it appears that the doctrine of a plurality of divine intelligences existing in the universe1 as taught by our prophet1 is receiving confirmation by the works and the philosophizing of some of the foremost learned men of our country1 and1 for that matter1 of the world4 ,perhaps you will be putting to me the question3 ,what of all this8 ,why discuss questions of this character8 ,what spiritual or moral force may one gather from a contemplation of such themes8 ,well1 in the first place1 to ,latter-day ,saints1 those who have faith in the dispensation of the fulness of times and in the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith--does it mean nothing to you to find the inspirations of ,god in this man confirmed by the conclusions of plodding philosophers who come trailing in seventy-five years after the words of the prophet have gone forth to the world8 ,after he has been denounced as charlatan1 as false prophet and deceiver1 for advancing the truths we have been considering--does it mean nothing to you to find that the truths which he stood for are permeating the philosophies of men and are receiving the sanction and approval of the learned8 ,it means much to me2 it gives confirmation to my faith2 and ,i rejoice in the triumph that the truth is achieving4 ,then to all1 whether ,latter-day ,saints or not1 it seems to me that to have fixed in the mind1 in the consciousness1 the thought of the reality of things--the reality of ,god1 the reality of the divine in man1 the consciousness that this spirit within us is of a divine nature1 and that it is capable of attaining to something really good and great--to something really worth while--to goodness1 power and glory1 to have that thought present to consciousness1 as we go about the duties of life--to feel that for a wise and glorious purpose ,god has placed us here on earth1 and has merely withheld the recollection of our former friends and birth--to be conscious of all this1 ,i say1 is to gather strength for the battle of life4 ,to feel that we1 in the essence of us1 are one with ,god1 and that he envelopes us closely about by spiritual influences that we can call to our assistances--to be conscious of the fact that our life is part of ,god's life--to be conscious of this is to banish from us the thought of failing in life4 ,we gather spiritual strength1 and force and power to meet the responsibilities and duties of life1 by contemplation of these high themes4 ,this is the practical effect of these doctrines--we know that our life touches the life of ,god2 that our life is one with ,god's life1 and this inspires to noble efforts1 out of which may grow the highest and most glorious results possible in human existence4 ,part ,,iv4 ,miscellaneous ,discourses4 ,i4 ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,mormonism2 ,a ,,slander ,,refuted4 ,a discourse in the ,salt ,lake ,mormon ,tabernacle1 ,january #af1 #aiaj4 7,reported by ,f4 ,w4 ,otterstrom47 ,i4 ,doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter8 ,can the fig tree1 my brethren1 bear olive berries1 either a vine1 figs8 ,so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh4 ,such is the language of ,james1 whose epistle appears in the ,new ,testament ,scripture2 and the passage condensed simply means1 of course1 that an impure fountain sends forth not pure streams1 neither does a good fountain send forth impure streams2 such as the fountain is1 such also is the stream4 ,i have been somewhat surprised1 if not amazed of late at the bitterness that has been manifested in the discussion in our local prints1 of some doctrines and some of the history of this great movement known as ,mormonism4 ,there has been lately a raking up of old past controversies1 until one would think that we would be under the necessity of fighting again the old battles of #fj and #gj years ago2 for this raking up of old controversies extends that far back with reference to this great latter-day movement4 ,i have it in mind to make a little contribution to this discussion1 from the standpoint of this text4 ,of course1 it is said that the tree must be judged by its fruit2 and that must be admitted to be a righteous judgment1 because in all moral machinery1 the effectiveness of it must finally be judged by moral results1 and we could not1 if we would1 escape the judgment of the world1 which will be pronounced upon the results of our religious and ethical system4 ,but1 while that is a most excellent method of estimating the value of any religious or philosophical or ethical system1 it does not exclude the justice and righteousness of judging it from this standpoint of ,james1 namely3 ,is the fountain1 whence it springs1 pure8 ,if so1 it were an anomaly1 indeed1 if the streams flowing out of it were not like the fountain--pure4 ,so1 for a little while1 ,i am going to invite your attention to the spirit in which this thing the world calls ,mormonism had its inception4 ,this gives us the opportunity of briefly reviewing some things that are very commonplace with you1 but important1 nevertheless2 and we may begin with that very wonderful incident of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith's boyhood when but fourteen years of age4 ,he went as you know to the ,lord in prayer1 in response to the ,scripture which said3 ,if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of ,god who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not4 ,he became familiar with that ,scripture1 for it constituted1 at least on one occasion1 a text to a discourse to which he listened1 and it became the voice of ,god to his soul4 ,at last he put this ,scripture to the test and inquired of ,god1 with the result familiar to you all that he received a splendid vision of ,god the ,father and of the ,son1 and received knowledge of the purpose of the ,father to give a new dispensation of the gospel to the world through him1 provided he should be faithful4 ,three years passed1 and when reviewing the experiences of those three years1 and calling to mind1 as any lad could1 the follies of youth1 the light-mindedness and the foolishness of boyhood1 a sorrow took hold of him as he made this review2 and he wondered to what extent he had given offense to ,god4 ,he besought the ,lord in prayer again1 in order to know his standing1 with the result that a holy messenger from the presence of ,god visited him and made known his acceptance to the ,lord1 notwithstanding his boyhood follies1 and assured him that he was still the chosen instrument in the hands of ,god for the accomplishment of his purposes1 and revealed to him the existence of a whole volume of ,scripture1 being the word of the ,lord as delivered unto the prophets living upon these western ,american continents in ancient times4 ,of course1 ,i am not relating these familiar incidents in the history of the ,prophet1 with a view of imparting information as to these facts to you1 but ,i simply want to call your attention to the course pursued by the ,prophet1 to ask you if this course is not altogether commendable in him2 and so far as we have pursued the course followed1 is it not altogether praiseworthy--this seeking the ,lord and finding him8 ,this guidance by the spirit of prayer8 ,this was the spirit in which ,mormonism1 so-called1 had its inception1 so far as the ,prophet was concerned2 and now ,i want to follow its development a little further4 ,by and by1 others began to participate in the development of this work4 ,among those who sought to be useful in bringing it into existence was the ,prophet's own father4 ,he desired that his son inquire of the ,lord to learn what course he should take1 and what was to be his lot and part in this work4 ,the ,prophet inquired of the ,lord and received the following message1 contained in your ,doctrine and ,covenants3 ,behold1 a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men2 ,therefore1 ,o ye that embark in the service of ,god1 see that ye serve him with all your heart1 might1 mind and strength1 that ye may stand blameless before ,god at the last day2 ,therefore1 if ye have desires to serve ,god1 ye are called to the work4 ,for behold the field is white already to harvest1 and lo1 he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might1 the same layeth up in store that he perish not1 but bringeth salvation to his soul2 ,and faith1 hope1 charity and love1 with an eye single to the glory of ,god1 qualify him for the work4 ,remember faith1 virtue1 knowledge1 temperance1 patience1 brotherly kindness1 godliness1 charity1 humility1 diligence4 ,ask and ye shall receive1 knock and it shall be opened unto you4 ,what virtue exists outside of those here enumerated and enjoined8 ,what say you of this fountain--good1 or corrupt8 ,by and by1 but a few months after this1 in fact1 ,oliver ,cowdery came to the ,prophet1 he who was to be the ,second ,elder in the ,church of ,christ about to be established--a young man1 a schoolteacher1 a blacksmith1 formerly a store-keeper--a variety of occupations of course impossible outside of frontier life in ,america1 in the early decades of the nineteenth century4 ,he had heard of ,god's dealings with this prophet who was being qualified for his great mission2 and so came to him4 ,he1 too1 like the ,prophet's father1 was willing to throw his lot in with the ,prophet and the work that was developing4 ,he1 too1 would know the will of the ,lord concerning him1 in his relationship to this work2 and1 now1 what said the ,lord to him8 ,it is told in section six of your ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,it was given ,april1 #ahbi1 a year before the ,church was organized2 to ,oliver the ,lord said3 ,a great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men4 ,observe how that prediction is constantly repeated in these revelations4 ,one need only call your attention to the great latter-day work and its wonderful history1 to prove the prophetic character of this repeated utterance in these early revelations4 ,continuing3 ,behold1 ,i am ,god1 and give heed unto my word1 which is quick and powerful1 sharper than a two-edged sword1 to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow2 therefore give heed unto my words4 ,behold the field is white already to harvest1 therefore whoso desireth to reap1 let him thrust in his sickle with his might1 and reap while the day lasts1 that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of ,god3 ,yea1 whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap1 the same is called of ,god2 ,therefore1 if you will ask of me you shall receive2 if you will knock it shall be opened unto you4 ,now1 as you have asked1 behold1 ,i say unto you1 keep my commandments1 and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of ,zion4 ,seek not for riches1 but for wisdom1 and behold1 the mysteries of ,god shall be unfolded unto you1 and then shall you be made rich4 ,behold1 he that hath eternal life is rich4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 even as you desire of me1 so it shall be unto you2 and if you desire1 you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation4 ,say nothing but repentance unto this generation3 keep my commandments1 and assist to bring forth my work1 according to my commandments and you shall be blessed4 ,therefore be diligent1 stand by my servant ,joseph1 faithfully1 in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be in for the word's sake4 ,let us pause here and a little contemplate the striking sentences of this revelation3 ,seek not for riches--,why1 we were told here but a few days ago1 in our local prints1 as about a year ago in one of the great magazines of our country1 we were told that lust of gold1 not love of ,god1 was the motive power of ,mormonism4 ,admonish him the ,prophet in his faults4--,what6 a prophet with faults8 ,o yes2 and to be admonished by his brethren8 ,yes4 ,what humility is here required of the prophet2 what frankness1 what godlike quality6--,admonish him in his faults1 and also receive admonition of him4 ,be patient2 be sober2 be temperate2 have patience1 faith1 hope and charity4 ,we are told1 and it is charged in the old anti-,mormon books of fifty1 sixty and seventy years ago1 that these men were liars1 intemperate1 idlers1 money diggers2 that they were utterly untrustworthy2 and1 yet1 get behind the scenes where the word of ,god comes to them1 and1 lo6 the purity of the fountain whence ,mormonism comes6 ,and this was no playing to the galleries of the world1 either4 ,these revelations were not published to the world at that time1 indeed there was no idea that they would ever be published4 ,as the secret thoughts of a man is to his actions1 so were these revelations to the ,church4 ,,ii4 ,,people ,,judged ,,by ,,their ,,laws4 ,with historians it is common to regard the laws that are enacted as being among the truest means of insight to conditions prevailing among a people2 because the things that the laws forbid1 or the things that the law commands are truly a revelation of the inclinations of the people4 ,and so1 too1 the legislation of a people will reveal their aspirations1 their strivings after justice and righteousness2 and likewise the revelations which ,god gave through ,joseph ,smith1 out of which the ,church of ,latter-day ,saints has been developed1 reveal the spirit of this great ,latter-day ,work1 the aims and aspirations of the ,church4 ,again1 the ,prophet's brother1 ,hyrum1 his lifelong companion1 and fellow martyr at the last1 in the spring of #ahbi came from ,manchester down to ,harmony1 upwards of a hundred miles1 to inquire of the ,lord4 ,his brother ,samuel had recently been in touch with ,joseph and ,oliver1 and had received the testimony of the ,lord that the work these young men were engaged in was true2 and he had received baptism at their hands4 ,it was he who carried the word up to the ,prophet's father's home1 that the brethren had received the ministration of ,john the ,baptist1 and had received divine authority to teach the gospel of repentance--the preparatory gospel--and to baptize for the remission of sins4 ,and this occasioned ,hyrum to immediately repair to ,harmony to find out if there was a word from the ,lord for him2 and this word came3 ,a great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men4 ,behold1 ,i am ,god1 and give heed to my word1 which is quick and powerful1 sharper than a two-edged sword1 to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow2 therefore give heed unto my word4 ,behold1 the field is white already to harvest1 therefore3 whoso desireth to reap1 let him thrust in his sickle with his might1 and reap while the day lasts1 that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of ,god4 ,yea1 whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap1 the same is called of ,god2 ,therefore1 if you will ask of me1 you shall receive1 if you will knock1 it shall be opened unto you4 ,now1 as you have asked1 behold1 ,i say unto you1 keep my commandments1 and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of ,zion4 ,seek not for riches but for wisdom1 and1 behold1 the mysteries of ,god1 shall be unfolded unto you1 and then you shall be made rich1 behold1 he that hath eternal life is rich4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 even as you desire of me1 so it shall be done unto you3 and if you desire you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation4 ,say nothing but repentance unto this generation4 ,keep my commandments1 and assist to bring forth my work1 according to my commandments1 and you shall be blessed4 ,the spirit of this is splendid1 it is good1 not evil4 ,contemplate these words to ,hyrum ,smith and you get better than any where else1 perhaps1 the spirit of ,mormonism--,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 even as you desire of me1 so it shall be done unto you3 and1 if you desire1 you shall be the means--of doing what8 ,revelling in luxury1 living without the labor of his hands--be deprived of the blessing of earning his bread in the sweat of his brow--and participate in the pride and glory and honor and applause of the world8 ,no2 not so2 but3 you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation4 ,,the ,,calling ,,of ,,sidney ,,rigdon4 ,the same holds good as to other characters who came dropping into the work4 ,when ,sidney ,rigdon came with ,edward ,partridge--the latter the ,prophet described as a pattern of piety and one of the ,lord's great men1 and of whom the ,lord spoke afterwards as being like unto ,nathaniel of old1 because there was no guile in his heart4 ,when ,sidney ,rigdon1 in ,december1 #ahcj1 came to the ,prophet to inquire of him1 the ,lord commended him for his past work in the ,disciple's ministry1 where he had been teaching repentance and faith and baptism in water for the remission of sins2 and1 now1 the burden of the ,lord's word in this man1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 was simply that hereafter his mission should be enlarged1 and he should not only baptize with water but he should baptize now1 also1 with water and with fire and with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,no promise of wealth and position2 no worldly exaltation was promised to him1 but warnings of toil and labor in the ministry and the opposition of the world4 ,and1 by the way1 there is something a little interesting in this incident of ,sidney ,rigdon coming into the work4 ,it is generally held forth1 in the anti-,mormon publications1 that ,joseph ,smith neither in his general information1 nor in trained faculties1 was equal to the task of bringing forth the ,book of ,mormon4 ,they assumed that some more skilful man1 some man better versed in the ,scriptures and in history1 and having more literary ability withal1 was somewhere behind the scenes manipulating affairs to bring forth the ,book of ,mormon and the ,mormon ,church4 ,but ,sidney ,rigdon did not come to the ,prophet until ,december1 #ahcj4 ,when he came--in addition to what ,i have reported of what was promised to him--he was appointed to be scribe to the ,prophet2 and afterwards in all their labors and associations he held a subordinate position to the ,prophet4 ,at this time ,sidney ,rigdon was a man thirty-seven years of age2 the ,prophet but about twenty-five4 ,we might ask our anti-,mormon friends how it came about that if ,sidney ,rigdon was the master spirit in bringing forth the ,book of ,mormon and the ,mormon ,church--the real ,mephistopheles of the blasphemous drama that was being enacted--how comes it that after playing this part for a number of years1 in secret when he comes out into the public light1 with all his advantage of age1 of education and experience and power as a public speaker1 he consents to take second place in the great drama to be enacted--no1 not even second place for that had been conferred upon ,oliver ,cowdery who had been ordained and sustained by the ,church as the ,second ,elder of the ,church1 while ,sidney ,rigdon at his advent must be content with being the ,prophet's scribe6 ,is there any consistency in claims of this anti-,mormon sort8 ,i come now to another matter4 ,you have seen how our ,prophet began his work--in prayerfully seeking unto the ,lord for his own guidance1 and ever1 as men who became leaders in the movement1 one after another1 come dropping into the work1 from his father and brother1 and ,oliver ,cowdery to ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,edward ,partridge1 and afterwards the same as to ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and all the rest--ever as they came into the work1 it was always the same thing2 he inquired of the ,lord for these men1 and received answers2 he was prayerful throughout--this ,prophet4 ,in #ahcc the ,prophet himself went on a mission to ,canada to visit some branches of the ,church that had been raised up by the labors of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt2 and among the treasures of our ,historian's office is the daily journal of the ,prophet while on that mission--a little book--not so large1 in thickness1 at least1 but a little larger in length and breadth than this small hymn book that ,i now hold in my hand2 a journal kept in his own hand writing1 that recorded the events of each day1 the thoughts that were in his heart1 and his method of procedure4 ,i want to read a few entries from that journal to you2 because our ,church history1 that is1 as originally published in the ,times and ,seasons1 and as published in ,the ,millennial ,star1 does not contain all the entries of the ,prophet in that journal2 but in the recently published history of the ,church1 in the first volume of the six now published1 these entries are to be found in the ,footnotes4 ,i want to have you follow the ,prophet for a few days in his ministry1 that you may know the spirit of this man4 ,a ,,few ,,days ,,with ,,the ,,prophet4 ,oct4 #e--;,i started on a journey to the east1 and to ,canada in company with ,elders ,rigdon and ,freeman ,nickerson4 ,we arrived in ,springfield whilst the brethren were in meeting1 and ,elder ,rigdon spoke to the congregation4 ,a large and attentive congregation assembled at ,brother ,rudd's in the evening1 to whom we bore our testimony4 ,had a great congregation--paid good attention4 ,o ,god1 seal our testimony to their hearts4 ,that is from page #f of the manuscript book ,i speak of4 ,oct4 #aa--,we left ,westfield1 and continuing our journey1 stayed that night with a man named ,nash1 an infidel1 with whom we reasoned1 but to no purpose4 ,i feel very well in my mind4 ,the ,lord is with us1 but have much anxiety about my family4 7,page #g47 ,thursday1 #bdth--,at the house of ,mr4 ,beman1 in ,colburn1 whence we left for ,waterford1 where we spoke to a small congregation2 thence to ,mount ,pleasant1 and preached to a large congregation the same evening1 when ,freeman ,a4 ,nickerson and his wife declared their belief in the work1 and offered themselves for baptism4 ,great excitement prevailed in every place we visited4 ,the result is in the hands of ,god4 ,friday1 #beth--,this afternoon1 at a ,mr4 ,patrick's2 expect to hold a meeting this evening4 ,people very superstitious4 ,o ,god1 establish thy word among this people4 ,held a meeting this evening2 had an attentive congregation2 the ,spirit gave utterance4 #bhth--,in the evening we broke bread and laid on hands for the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 and for confirmation1 having baptized two more4 ,the ,spirit was given in great power to some1 and peace to others4 ,may ,god carry on his work in this place till all shall know him4 ,amen4 7,page #af47 ,tuesday1 #bith--,after preaching at #aj o'clock a4 m4 ,i baptized two1 and confirmed them at the water's side4 ,last evening we ordained ,f4 ,a4 ,nickerson an elder2 and one of the sisters received the girt of tongues1 which made the saints rejoice exceedingly4 ,may ,god increase the gifts among them for his ,son's sake4 ,on the #bith the ,prophet's party started for home4 ,may the ,lord prosper our journey4 ,amen4 7,page #ag47 ,friday1 ,nov4 #a--;,i left ,buffalo4 ,new ,york1 at #h o'clock a4 m4 and arrived at my house in ,kirtland on ,monday1 the #dth1 #aj a4 m41 and found my family well1 according to the promise of the ,lord in the revelation of ,october #ab1 for which ,i felt to thank my heavenly ,father4 ,now1 my friends1 this is but a few days with the ,prophet4 ,you may follow him throughout his career--in freedom and in bonds1 in the midst of his joys and in the darkness of his sorrows2 you shall find this same prayerful attitude towards ,god--always thanksgiving for blessings1 cries for help in his hour of need1 and always prayers for divine guidance when unfolding the great organization of the ,church of ,christ4 ,tell me--is the spirit in which this man labored1 evil or good8 ,is this the course of a libertine and a liar8 ,or1 is it the course of a righteous man8 ,to me there draw tremendous consequences in connection with this course of our ,prophet2 and the importance of these consequences will appeal to you1 ,i think1 when ,i call your attention to them4 ,when you see this man so constantly seeking communion with ,god1 seeking for guidance and help--if ,god came not to his help1 and did not guide him1 then what hope may men entertain that ,god will hear prayer at all8 ,or give divine guidance to those who seek it8 ,if ,i could be persuaded that ,god did not hear and answer the prayers of this man--beginning in his innocent boyhood1 and continuing to his martyr1 cry ,o ,lord1 my ,god6--if ,god1 ,i say1 did not hear him1 and did not walk beside him and guide his footsteps1 ,i would say to all the world3 ,your prayers are but mockeries2 your heaven above you is brass2 the earth under your feet is iron4 ,cease from prayer2 become self reliant1 and do the best you can by your own inherent strength2 develop such human wisdom as you may1 and walk in its light1 for it is all there is--your cries for help and guidance cannot penetrate the heavens1 and there is no ,god to hear or help you6 ,but1 of course1 believing1 as ,i do1 that ,god responded to the heart-cries of the ,prophet1 to his prayers1 ,i say to all men--,behold the result of ,joseph ,smith's praying in the achievements of his life's work6 ,in this circumstance we may find encouragement to believe that ,god will both hear and answer prayers1 and help all to know the truth and walk in its light1 who seek for it4 ,but notwithstanding the fact that this great latter-day work called ,mormonism had its inception in this prayerful spirit--this manifest hungering and thirsting after righteousness2 notwithstanding all who sought to be helpful in it1 and to be identified with its development were sternly bidden to keep the commandments of ,god2 that faith1 hope1 charity1 temperance1 chastity and patience were required qualities2 that they must seek for wisdom1 not for riches--the laborers in ,zion shall labor for ,zion2 for if they labor for money they shall perish 7,,ii ,nephi #bf3ea72 notwithstanding the stream called ,mormonism arises from so noble and pure a fountain1 how greatly has it been defamed either through misconception of it1 or through malice1 and the motives of its founders misrepresented6 ,only a short time ago1 no later in fact than last ,thanksgiving day1 a minister in preaching what ,i think1 in the main1 must have been a very excellent discourse1 took occasion to glance in our direction1 and say what ,i think was one of the unkindest things that could be said of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,i will read to you what the press reported the gentleman as saying4 ,you know the local press of our city1 now and then1 becomes wonderfully agitated about our paying tithes and offerings to the ,church2 and1 really1 if you read those reports and did not know better you would think the ,latter-day ,saints were a community that were impoverishing themselves by carrying on the work of the ,lord4 ,this minister referred to that1 and what he says on that particular point is rather refreshing1 and ,i commend it to the attention of the local paper in question3 ,one of our local papers has assigned1 as one of the reasons of the so-called poverty and handicap of the ,mormon people1 the collection of tithes4 ,we think the paper in error in this1 for we ourselves are in favor of the tithes and have practiced it for the past twenty years4 ,the children of ,israel were never so prosperous as when they brought the tithes and offerings to the treasury of the ,lord2--and everybody that is acquainted with the history of ,israel knows that to be true4 ,the true cause of this so-called poverty and handicap1 of course1 is not in reference to the tithes1 but the low ideals in the homes and the lack of respect for woman4 ,as the earthly1 home is lifted it becomes nearest like the home beyond the skies1 the final home of the soul4 ,,iii4 ,,woman',s ,,place ,,in ,,mormonism4 ,i say that the charge made as to low ideals in the homes1 and the lack of respect for woman1 is the unkindest thing that could be said of the ,latter-day ,saints1 or1 really1 of any people4 ,it would be the saddest commentary that could be made on any system if it were true2 but ,i resent it as a charge against my people1 and say that it is untrue2 and on the contrary affirm that the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 the new dispensation of it committed to this world through the ministry of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 teaches the highest respect for woman that may be described by human speech or wrought into practice4 ,there is no people in the world that so religiously and absolutely believe that doctrine of ,paul's that in ,god's economy of things the man is not without the woman1 neither the woman without the man in the ,lord4 ,some1 through misrepresentation1 have charged that we believe this doctrine so absolutely as to hold that there is no salvation for man or woman outside of the marriage relation4 ,of course1 that is an extreme to which we do not go4 ,we believe--at least1 permit me to say that ,i believe1 and ,i think ,i have warrant for such belief in the principles of our faith1 that it is possible for either man or woman to be saved without marriage at all4 ,it is possible for a man to be saved with one wife1 and1 if you will just be patient enough to let me say it1 if we may here regard the teachings of the ,hebrew ,scriptures1 which speak of ,abraham as having a place in the kingdom of ,god--nay1 his very bosom is the goal to which all ,christian eyes turn1 where they hope to find peace and heavenly rest--and if we believe this of ,abraham1 we may be justified in believing it possible for a man to be saved though he should happen to have more than one wife4 ,but instructed by our faith1 we so honor woman that we hold that man cannot attain to the heights of exaltation and glory possible to the intelligences we call men only as he shall be holily joined with woman in divinely appointed wedlock1 for in that state1 and that state only1 is the power of eternal lives1 and increasing glory1 and dominion1 and exaltation4 ,no man may attain unto these high things only as he is united with woman in holy marriage4 ,i accept all that the reverend gentleman says of the beauty and blessedness of the home4 ,it is indeed1 from the ,mormon viewpoint1 the principal factor of civilization2 the spring and source of national life and greatness and stability4 ,and1 as our reverend friend remarks1 as the earthly home is lifted it becomes nearest like the home beyond the skies1 the final home of the soul4 ,a very pretty sentiment1 truly1 and ,mormons believe in it so absolutely that they look forward to the actual existence of the family beyond the skies1 or at least in heaven--through all eternity--that they even now make their marriage vows and covenants with reference to that status--the eternal perpetuation of the family4 ,they are not content to have the marriage ceremony end with that doleful note from the tombs--until death does you part6 but rejoice rather in the blessed words of their ,god-given ceremony--the inspiring words of life and joy and hope--,i pronounce you man and wife through time and all eternity6 ,to those who express the fear that all this is too concrete1 to matter-of-fact1 too sensual1 we answer that such has been the refining influence of woman upon man1 developing the purest and best part of his nature2 such has been the influence of the home upon civilization in this world1 that we cannot believe but what the joys of heaven will be heightened and rendered purer by it1 and even conception of its community life must be made grander by thinking of it as made up of indestructible families4 ,hence our hopes and holiest aspirations are associated with the family--in which woman is necessarily a chief and honored factor in this world and in that which is to come4 ,and not only is this our hope for the future1 but we believe it is a condition prevailing in all past eternities1 as note one of our hymns3 ,in the heavens are parents single8 ,no1 the thought makes reason stare2 ,truth is reason1 truth eternal ,tells me ,i've a mother there4 ,when ,i leave this frail existence1 ,when ,i lay this mortal by1 ,father1 ,mother1 may ,i meet you ,in your royal courts on high8 ,then at length when ,i've completed ,all you sent me forth to do1 ,with your mutual approbation1 ,let me come and dwell with you8 ,i challenge the ,christian world to equal--to say nothing of surpassing--this conception of the nobility of woman and of motherhood and of wifehood--placing her side by side with the ,divine ,father--consort and ,mother of divine intelligences--the spirits of men4 ,some object to that conception1 and undertake to detract from its beauty and glory by saying that it presents to the thought a pluralistic ,deity1 consisting of divine ,father and divine ,mother4 ,that1 however1 is a consequence they attach to our faith1 not a principle that we accept2 because the ,godhead1 for us1 as all those who are acquainted with our doctrines know1 consists of the ,father1 the ,son and the ,holy ,ghost1 the grand creating and presiding1 divine ,council that upholds and sustains and guides the destiny of our earth and its associated spheres4 ,these gentlemen who are so fearful of a pluralistic deity and universe being thought of1 would do well to stand out a little upon the frontier of the highest ,christian thought of our age1 and they will discover that many of our first and greatest philosophers are beginning to teach the doctrine that so far as the infinite or the absolute exists1 it exists in a plurality of divine intelligences2 and that the oneness of ,god is but the free harmony of divine intelligences4 ,and1 then1 for matter of that1 so long as the ,christian world teaches that in the ,godhead are three personalities--the ,father1 the ,son1 and ,holy ,spirit--they will try in vain to get away from the conception of a pluralistic deity4 ,and now1 ,i am about to violate what some regard as the canons of good taste in public speaking1 by making reference to a matter quite personal4 ,but what ,i am about to present meets this charge of low ideals in the home--and the lack of respect for woman--,i say the thing ,i have in mind so completely meets this issue that ,i am even going to venture upon something some what personal4 ,it has been my custom1 now1 for quite a number of years1 on the anniversary of my mother's birth1 and on the anniversary of my own birth1 to either visit her in person and chat with her1 or else1 if away from her home1 to write her a communication4 ,four years ago1 not being able to reach her1 on the anniversary of my own birth1 ,i sent her the following communication1 written in honor of women--in honor of her--my mother4 ,i now read it to you4 ,i gave it a title1 calling it ,,god',s ,,herald ,,of ,,the ,,resurrection ,,and ,,human ,,brotherhood--,,woman4 ,next to her holy office of wifehood and motherhood1 the most exalted honor ,deity ever conferred on woman was that of making her his first messenger of the resurrection2 and1 in its most emphatic form at least1 the messenger also of the beautiful doctrine of the ,fatherhood of ,god1 and the brotherhood of man4 ,the manner of conferring this high and sacred commission upon woman was as follows--the account is ,john's3 ,the ,christ had been crucified and laid in the new sepulcher provided by ,joseph of ,arimathea4 ,then early in the morning of the third day after the crucifixion1 came ,mary of ,magdala to the sepulcher and found it empty2 whereupon she ran and1 informed ,peter and ,john that the body of ,jesus had been taken away4 ,there was a hasty and excited visit to the sepulcher1 and1 on the part of ,peter and ,john1 a hasty departure4 ,but ,mary lingered near the vacant tomb4 ,this was where she had last seen him whom she loved--here she must begin her search for him--and she will search for him1 for it is woman's nature to hope--,o glorious inconsistency6--against hope itself4 ,and she was rewarded for her love that made her linger1 though it was by an empty sepulcher2 for soon angels said to her1 ',why weepest thou8' and ,mary said1 ',because they have taken away my ,lord1 and ,i know not where they have laid him4' ,and then one greater than the angels stood by her1 and said1 ',why weepest thou8 ,whom seekest thou8' ,then she3 ',sir1 if thou have born him hence1 tell me where thou hast laid him1 and ,i will take him away4' ',mary6' ',rabboni1' with arms extended-- ',touch me not1' gently1 lovingly1 not harshly said--',touch me not2 for ,i have not yet ascended to my ,father2 but go to my brethren1 and say unto them1 ,i ascended unto my ,father1 and your ,father2 and to my ,god1 and to your ,god4' ,commissioned so1 ,mary told the disciples that she had seen the ,lord1 'and that he had spoken these things unto her4' ,and thus to a woman was it first given to carry the glad message fashioned first by angel's tongues--',he is risen6' ,as also the message that the ,christ's ,father is man's ,father2 that the ,christ's ,god is man's ,god2 and that in consequence of this1 all men are brethren4' ,many eulogies have been written in thy praise1 ,o woman6 ,much honor accorded thee in ,god's economy of the world4 ,but here thy glory--under the limits of our opening sentence--attained its flood tide4 ,never wast thou so honored before2 never1 so far as human ken may see1 wilt thou be more honored4 ,indeed1 how couldst thou be8 ,what concerns the world more to know than what is comprised in thy message--,christ is risen2 his ,father is man's ,father2 his ,god1 man's ,god--all men are brethren6 ,this the sum of the law and the gospel--all else commentary4 ,and thou1 ,o woman6 the messenger of these glad tidings6 ,how honored wast thou6 ,even the glory of being 'last at the cross1 and earliest at the tomb1' is eclipsed by the honor of being herald of this4 ,cherish thou this honor4 ,claim it in all its ,christ-given splendor2 for it is fitting that thou unto whom it is first given to know human earth-life perennial1 should be made herald of life immortal1 and declare also its great source1 and its relations4 ,and thus wast thou honored of ,deity1 ,o ,mother of human life--herald of life immortal6 and of common fatherhood and brotherhood for human race4 ,i am taught by these high things to honor thee1 and here uncovered and holily ,i reverence pay thee4 ,that was sent1 on the #acth of ,march1 #aijf1 to my mother4 ,it was not written with any intent1 the remotest1 for publication2 and while it may lack very much of excellence and come far short in worthiness of the high theme with which it deals2 yet whatever its defects may be1 it is not lacking in appreciation and honor of woman4 ,it is the result of much thought and reflection1 of one born and reared in the ,mormon system2 such sentiment of respect and honor as it breathes for woman in her high offices is taught to me by my ,mormon faith1 letter and spirit4 ,if anyone shall say in controversion of this that my brief treatise deals with ,new ,testament facts1 such an objector must be reminded that my ,mormon faith teaches me the acceptance of both ,old and ,new ,testaments as the word of ,god1 a fact too frequently overlooked by our critics2 and from them1 as other books containing revelations from ,god1 ,i learn my ,mormonism4 ,a few days ago1 she to whom the above words were written1 breathed out her life in my arms2 and yesterday we stood by the open grave while friends and kindred laid this honored woman to rest4 ,i am still in the atmosphere of these things2 and from the midst of these holy associations1 ,i denounce as false--,i hope it was not maliciously made--the charge that the ,mormon faith gives out low ideals in the home and lacks in its respect and honor for woman4 ,the charge is not true4 ,,unjust ,,criticism ,,answered4 ,a word1 in conclusion1 on the proper limits of religious controversy4 ,in #ahbd ,robert ,southey1 ,esquire1 poet laureate of ,england at the time1 wrote a book under the title ,the ,book of the ,church4 ,it was a defense of the ,protestant position with reference to the holy ,scriptures1 and a comparison of the respective attitudes of ,catholics and ,protestants in relation to them4 ,the book was replied to by ,charles ,butler1 ,esquire1 a ,roman ,catholic2 and in the preface of his book1 which he dedicated to ,charles ,blundell1 ,esq41 he says3 ,i willingly admit that to produce against our creed or conduct all that research and fair argument can supply1 is legitimate controversy2 but surely to conceal our merits or to represent them very briefly and imperfectly1 and to display our defects at length and with the highest coloring2 to impute to our general body what in justice is only chargeable on individuals2 or to estimate the writings or actions of our ancestors in the dark ages by the notions and manners of the present age1 is a crying injustice4 ,that states a true principle1 and registers a just complaint4 ,it voices a protest that precisely fits our case4 ,in the controversy waged against us our merits1 both as to doctrine and as to practice1 are either concealed or represented very briefly and imperfectly1 while our defects are displayed at length and with the highest coloring2 to the general body of the ,church is imputed what1 in justice1 is only chargeable on individuals2 and ,i may add to this enumeration that we are judged as to our settled convictions and established sentiments respecting our relation to our fellow citizens1 not of our religious faith1 and our attitude as citizens of the great republic1 our country1 by the ill-advised and sometimes harsh expressions of some leading men when in a state of irritation and disturbance2 thus contravening the principle long since laid down by ,edmund ,burke and quite generally accepted that-- ,it is not fair to judge of the temper or the disposition of any man or set of men when they are composed and at rest from their conduct and expressions in a state of disturbance and of irritation4 ,,by ,,their ,,works ,,they ,,shall ,,be ,,judged4 ,now1 of course1 as ,i stated in the commencement of my remarks1 the moral machinery of any system will be judged by the moral results of it4 ,we recognize the fact that a beautiful and perfect life is unanswerable in support of a system that produces it2 and yet while exalting this species of evidence in vindication of a system1 human nature ought to be taken into account1 for a perfect and beautiful life in any system is rather a rarity1 even among the early ,christians who were called saints it was so4 ,they were not called saints because1 good souls1 they were such2 that is1 in the sense of being perfect2 but they were called saints because they aspired to be such2 because of their struggles after righteousness4 ,a close inquiry into their lives1 however1 will demonstrate the fact that they were made of much the same stuff that enters into our composition--that they were men of like passions and weaknesses with ourselves1 and fell far below the great ideals set up by the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i am not putting this forth as a plea of justification for any failures on our part4 ,i am willing that this tree of ,mormonism should be judged by its fruits absolutely1 and let it stand or fall by that test4 ,but1 what ,i do object to is the course so often pursued by our critics4 ,that course is as if one should go into an orchard of twenty or fifty acres of fruit-bearing trees1 and should seek out and find here and there--as one may1 even in the best of orchards--the wind-beaten1 blasted1 mildewed1 dwarfed1 or shrunken fruit1 and carefully raking this together1 represent that as the fruit of the orchard6 ,whereas the facts are that there are scores of tons of beautiful1 ripe and perfect fruit that is a credit to the orchard and to the husbandman of it4 ,yet all that is passed by1 and you are asked to judge the orchard by the blasted specimens that have been raked together4 ,so in this work called ,mormonism4 ,let our critics take into account the rich harvest of righteous souls that this system has produced2 and the present upright and honorable men and women of our system1 and judge not the people by those who have failed to reach the high ideals that ,mormonism holds up as the goal of moral and spiritual achievement1 and who fail because they depart from our principles and the practices they enjoin4 ,my brethren and sisters1 ,i believe the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,so far as it is possible for the soul of man to be conscious of the truth1 ,i am conscious of the truth of this great latter-day system4 ,i love it with all my heart4 ,there is no heart-throb of mine1 no matter how far short ,i may come in meeting the high requirements of the gospel--there is no heart throb of mine that does not pulsate with love for this work4 ,i believe it true--nay1 ,i know it to be of ,god4 ,the fountain whence it springs is pure4 ,the water flowing from that fountain1 the streams1 are also pure1 in the name of ,god1 ,amen4 ,,ii4 ,,erroneous ,,impressions ,,about ,,the ,,latter-,,day ,,saints--,,what ,,they ,,do ,,not ,,believe4 ,an address delivered at ,salt ,lake ,tabernacle1 ,sunday1 ,march #ai1 #aiaa1 following a discourse delivered by ,elder ,charles ,w4 ,penrose1 of the ,council of the ,twelve4 7,reported by ,f4 ,w4 ,otterstrom47 ,,ii4 ,my brethren and sisters1 ,i greatly rejoice in these sublime principles expounded by our beloved brother and1 now these many years1 prominent elder in the ,church1 ,charles ,w4 ,penrose4 ,while listening to him on this occasion1 ,i thought of the very many times ,i have had the opportunity of so listening to him and being instructed in these principles which concern the salvation of men4 ,i remarked to ,elder ,george ,albert ,smith1 by whom ,i sat during the discourse1 how much the youth of ,israel1 how much the present living membership of the ,church of ,latter-day ,saints1 and the many thousands that have passed away--how much we all owe to the faithful service of this witness for ,god6 ,i felt that ,i wanted to acknowledge my own indebtedness to him for the service that he has rendered to the ,church and to the world4 ,i feel in my heart to thank ,god for his ministry1 for the gifts of his mind4 ,i thank the ,lord that the ,spirit of ,god has touched his understanding with inspiration to our edification for1 lo1 these many years4 ,those are my sentiments towards ,brother ,charles ,w4 ,penrose4 ,the ,lord bless him4 ,while contemplating the duty of speaking to this congregation1 a duty that arises out of the appointment ,i received to be in attendance upon this conference1 and while listening to the discourse just closed1 ,i came to the conclusion that it is almost as important to tell the world what we do not believe as it is to tell them what we do believe4 ,really1 there is great strength at times in a negative statement1 a disclaiming of certain doctrines which we are slanderously reported to believe1 but in which we do not believe4 ,the force of this negative statement has been recognized by all the great councils of the ,catholic church at least1 from the first unto the last4 ,upon every formal announcement of dogma1 by the councils of that church1 there has been attached an anathematizing clause4 ,for illustration1 in the great council of ,nicea1 held early in the fourth century of the ,christian era1 after defining the doctrine concerning the nature of ,god and the relationship of the persons of the holy trinity1 the ,catholic church added this clause3 ,but those who say that there was a time when he the ,son was not1 and that he was not before he was begotten1 and that he was made of nothing1 or affirm that he is of any other substance or essence1 or that the ,son of ,god is created and mutable or changeable1 the ,catholic church doth pronounce accursed4 ,,catholic ,,belief4 ,and again1 in the council of ,trent1 held in the sixteenth century1 in defining the doctrine of justification1 which was then in debate1 and was one of the points of difference between the ,protestants and the ,catholic church1 after defining the doctrine of justification1 the ,church said3 ,if any one shall say that the sinner is justified by faith alone in the sense that nothing else is required1 which may cooperate towards the attainment of the grace of justification1 and that the sinner does not need to be prepared and disposed by the motion of his own will1 let him be accursed4 ,and so the last council held by that church1 known as the ,vatican council1 held in the closing months of #ahfi1 and in the first months of #ahgj1 defining the infallibility of the bishop of ,rome1 the pope of the ,catholic world1 the anathematizing clause stands as follows3 ,but if any one1 which may ,god avert1 presume to contradict this our definition1 let him be anathema4 ,,faith ,,in ,,the ,,godhead4 ,i read these statements to show you that the negative statement is recognized as possessing great force2 for these anathematizing clauses in the announcement of the councils are inserted to guard the ,roman ,catholic faith from error4 ,i am of the opinion1 let me repeat1 that a negative statement by us1 concerning some things that we do not believe1 would have a certain force1 and ,i am going to try to make an application of this principle just a little this afternoon1 though in a somewhat informal way4 ,to begin with1 take this doctrine so ably expounded by ,elder ,penrose in relation to our belief in ,god and in ,jesus ,christ and in the ,holy ,ghost1 the trinity of the ,holy ,scriptures and of our faith4 ,we profess faith in that ,godhead1 and to that ,godhead alone do we pay divine honors in holy worship2 but it is extremely difficult to get the people of the world to believe that we are thus far ,christians4 ,we are accused1 in some cases1 of man-worship2 we are sometimes accused of worshiping ,joseph ,smith4 ,because we proclaim his mission and the divinity of it1 and say that through him there has been restored to the earth divine authority to speak and act in the name of this ,godhead whom we worship--because we have emphasized his mission and have insisted upon its divinity--because we speak much about it and write much about it--the world has accused us of worshiping ,joseph ,smith2 but that is not true4 ,we worship this ,godhead of the ,christian scriptures alone2 and if we may not say because of ,christian charity1 let him who accuses us of worshiping other ,god than this be anathema1 let us at least say to those who assert that we worship other ,godhead than the ,godhead of ,holy ,scripture1 that they misrepresent and slander their ,mormon brethren4 ,so also in relation to our belief in the ,savior of men4 ,it has been explained here by ,elder ,penrose that we believe and accept ,jesus of ,nazareth as the ,savior of men2 that he was and is the ,son of ,god1 whom ,god gave to the world1 that through faith in him1 and obedience to his gospel1 the world might be saved2 and let those who say that we look to other source and have other expectations of salvation1 than through him and his power1 let them also know that they1 at least1 misrepresent the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,,erroneous ,,reports4 ,another matter1 in connection with this1 might be dwelt upon at greater length1 and that is an accusation to the effect that we believe in what is called blood atonement4 ,so1 indeed1 we do2 and so also do the ,christian world4 ,is it not the belief of the ,christian world that they will be saved through the atoning blood of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god8 ,most assuredly2 and so1 too1 do we believe in the atonement of the ,christ--aye1 and in the manner of the atonement of the ,christ--that the very form of it was necessary to the salvation of men4 ,we believe that there is no other means that could be devised to make adequate satisfaction to justice and preserve in its integrity the moral law of the universe4 ,just what was done in the atonement of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 his death1 and the manner of his death1 the shedding of his blood was necessary to the salvation of the world1 for in the gospel1 as in the law1 without the shedding of blood is no remission of sins4 7,heb4 ix3#ba74 ,yet it would appear that there are some things for which not even this atonement can bring forgiveness4 ,for example1 it is said by the ,master himself1 that every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men1 but the blasphemy of the ,holy ,ghost shall not be forgiven unto men4 ,if men speak a word against the ,son of ,man it shall be forgiven them1 but if they speak a word against the ,holy ,ghost it shall not be forgiven them1 neither in this world1 neither in the world to come4 7,matt4 xii3#ca-cb72 and that notwithstanding the atonement of the ,christ4 ,again it is written1 ,the murderer hath not eternal life abiding in him4 7,i ,john iii3#ae74 ,again it is written1 ,he that sheddeth man's blood1 by man shall his blood be shed4 7,gen4 ix3#f74 ,blood for blood was the doctrine of that ,scripture4 ,now we believe in that doctrine2 that is1 we believe that those who so far transgress that they imbrue their hands in the blood of their fellow men1 that their lives are necessary to the complete atonement2 and that their execution should be such that it admits of the shedding of their blood4 ,and it is because of this belief that the laws of ,utah permit such method of execution for capital offenses as sheds the blood of the murderer4 ,but the reputation has gone out1 the slander has passed from lip to lip1 it has been printed from one book into another1 until the report has gone out into all the world1 that the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 the ,mormon ,church1 arrogates to itself the right to take human life for apostasy from the ,church1 and for certain other sins4 ,that is a slander2 it is not true4 ,we do not believe the doctrine2 we do not claim for the ,church that it has the right of capital punishment1 or the right of executing vengeance4 ,we do not teach nor claim that the ,church has the right to assassinate men for apostasy1 even though they be murderers4 ,however much we might believe them worthy of death1 the ,church claims no right to execute them4 ,the doctrine of the ,church in relation to that matter is found here in the ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,it is in a revelation given before the ,church was a year old1 and is found in section #db of the ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,,revelation ,,quoted4 ,and now1 behold1 ,i speak unto the ,church1 ,thou shalt not kill1 and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world1 nor in the world to come2 ,and again1 ,i say1 thou shalt not kill1 but he that killeth shall die4 ,yes1 but how8 ,by whose hand8 ,read it in a subsequent verse1 in the same revelation3 ,and it shall come to pass that if any persons among you shall kill1 they shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land2 for remember that he hath no forgiveness1 and it shall be proven according to the laws of the land4 ,and of course those who administer the laws of the land must become the executors of that law2 the ,church claims no right of executing such a law4 ,that is our belief in relation to this subject4 ,yes1 but1 some one will be ready to say1 is it not matter of record that some very emphatic and even vehement declarations have been made in relation to this matter by very prominent men in the ,mormon ,church1 in years that are gone8 ,yes1 some very extravagant utterances1 some very ill-advised expressions were used2 but those exaggerated1 those embittered and over-zealous words on the part of very well-meaning men1 doubtless1 did not announce in those instances the doctrine of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the question will be asked1 ,how are you going to account for these expressions which you declare are unwarranted by the law of the ,church8 ,how are you going to justify them8 ,well1 ,i am not going to justify them at all1 but ,i can account for them4 ,it cannot be that the world is so ignorant in this enlightened age as not to know that churches cannot be held responsible for every utterance that is made in their name and from their pulpits4 ,listen to this passage from the writings of the learned ,edersheim1 in his ,history of the ,life and ,times of the ,christ2 he says3 ,no one would measure the belief of ,christians by certain statements in the ,fathers2 nor judge the moral principles of ,roman ,catholics1 by prurient quotations from the casuists2 nor yet estimate ,lutherans by the utterances and deeds of the early successors of ,luther2 nor ,calvinists by the burning of ,servitus4 ,in all such cases the general standpoint of the times has to be first taken into account4 ,so it is in our history1 not every word that has been spoken1 even by men high in authority in the ,church1 has always been the exact and perfect word of ,god4 ,,belief ,,in ,,revelation4 ,that thought brings me to another subject2 our belief in continuous revelation1 and an inspired priesthood in the ,church4 ,we have heard1 by our brother who preceded me1 that we believe in the revelations of ,god4 ,one of our articles of faith puts it in this form3 ,we believe all that ,god has revealed1 all that he does now reveal1 and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of ,god4 ,we believe that the ,church of ,christ is within the hearing of ,god1 that is1 not only that he hears the prayers of his ,saints1 but also that he answers those prayers4 ,we feel that this ,church of ,christ--this ,church of ours--is in touch with the ,infinite and in tune with the ,infinite1 that the intelligence and power of ,god are among its resources2 that where human wisdom comes short1 ,god may be reached through the channels appointed and ,god's intelligence1 and wisdom1 and power brought into the service of the ,church of ,christ4 ,it is possible for his prophet to divest himself of personal desires and interests2 to put away from himself preconceived thought and notion1 and seek to know the mind and will of ,god2 by going into the holy of holies1 thus prepared1 it is possible1 if ,god will1 for him to return with the law of ,god unto his people1 unto his ,church1 thus making the wisdom and strength of ,god the wisdom and strength of his ,church4 ,we believe that2 but there is for the ,church but one man in the ,church at a time who has the right to thus come with the law of ,god unto his people4 ,though every individual1 in his individual capacity1 and for guidance in the position he occupies in the ,church--it is possible for each person to have access1 through the inspirations of the ,spirit of ,god1 to the same source of knowledge and strength and power4 ,we believe in an inspired priesthood for the ,church2 we believe in inspired teachers2 but that does not require us to believe that every word that is spoken from the pulpit is the very word of ,god4 ,perhaps some of you will think that there is a passage in one of our revelations somewhat against this conception of things1 as for instance here in section #fh of the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 is a revelation that was given to ,elder ,orson ,hyde and the ,church4 ,it is written here that ,elder ,hyde was called upon to go from land to land as a teacher of the gospel-- ,and behold1 and lo1 this is an ensample unto all those who were ordained unto this priesthood1 whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth2 ,and this is the ensample unto them1 that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost1 shall be scripture1 shall be the will of the ,lord1 shall be the mind of the ,lord1 shall be the word of the ,lord1 shall be the voice of the ,lord1 and the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,,inspired ,,utterances4 ,but mark you this1 the fact that shall give unto their utterances the value of ,scripture1 making their words as the word of ,god1 and the power of ,god unto salvation--the condition precedent to this is that they speak as moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost shall be scripture1 etc4 ,but it is not given to mortal man always to walk upon that plane where the sunlight of ,god's inspiration is playing upon him4 ,men may1 by care and devotion and spiritual strength1 rise sometimes to that high plane2 may stand at times as on mountain tops1 uncovered1 in the presence of ,god1 their spirit united with his ,spirit1 until the mind of ,god shall flow through them to bless those who hearken to their words3 and there is no need that one shall rise up and say1 ,this man was inspired of ,god1 for all the people who receive of his ministrations know that by the effect of his spirit upon their spirits4 ,but1 sometimes1 the servants of ,god stand on planes infinitely lower than the one here described4 ,sometimes they speak merely from their human knowledge1 influenced by passions2 influenced by the interests of men1 and by anger1 and vexation1 and all those things that surge in upon the minds of even servants of ,god4 ,when they so speak1 then that is not ,scripture1 that is not the word of ,god1 nor the power of ,god unto salvation2 but when they speak as moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost1 their voice then becomes the voice of ,god4 ,so that men1 even some of high station in the ,church1 sometimes speak from merely human wisdom2 or from prejudice or passion2 and when they do so1 that is not likely to be the word of ,god4 ,i do not think the world should require such perfection of us as to insist that our religious teachers always deliver the inerrant word of ,god6 ,in any event it must be allowed by us that many unwise things were said in times past1 even by prominent elders of the ,church2 things that were not in harmony with the doctrines of the ,church2 and that did not possess the value of ,scripture1 or anything like it2 and it was not revelation4 ,moreover1 no revelation even becomes the doctrine of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints until it is accepted by that ,church by formal action2 it must be accepted by official vote of the ,church before it becomes the law of the ,church4 ,,revealed ,,word4 ,there is one thing which always gives me great and abounding joy1 and that is this3 ,here in the ,doctrine and ,covenants we have a volume of revelation that has been given to the ,church as the word of ,god1 and accepted as such by the ,church4 ,we accept four great books as the authoritative ,scriptures of the ,church1 wherein the doctrines of the ,church are couched1 viz4 the ,bible1 the ,book of ,mormon1 the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 and the collection of writings called the ,pearl of ,great ,price1 containing the ,book of ,moses1 the ,book of ,abraham1 and some of the writings of the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,i have been engaged for some years in advocacy of our faith1 and in defending it1 and in these ,scriptures that have been given under the inspiration of ,god1 and accepted by the ,church of ,christ as containing the doctrine of the ,church1 ,i find no doctrine1 that may not be successfully defended before any body of men in the world1 ,i care not how learned or intelligent they may be--nay1 the more learned and intelligent the easier is the defense4 ,the books ,i have named constitute our ,scripture1 not the haphazard sayings of men from the pulpit2 and as in the future we receive line upon line1 and precept upon precept--as the volume of written revelation shall grow1 it will possess the same characteristics of truth that our present volumes of ,scripture possess4 ,there is one other item ,i would like to speak upon1 viz41 that article of our faith which declares that ,we believe in being honest1 true1 chaste1 benevolent1 virtuous1 and in doing good to all men4 ,now1 of course1 that article covers the whole moral law of the gospel as pertaining to personal conduct1 and as pertaining to conduct in relationship to others4 ,it introduces a theme altogether too large for exposition here2 and ,i shall confine my remarks just to the two first things--which1 really are but one thing1 namely1 that we believe in being honest1 true4 ,if you were to judge of the character of the ,latter-day ,saints by what is being said of them in the current magazines and the daily press1 one would really think that they possessed no quality of honesty or of truthfulness2 but that in both civic and religious life their whole course of conduct was based upon chicanery1 and fraud1 and untruth4 ,yet1 here is our article of faith1 that we believe in being honest1 in being true4 ,that means that we believe in speaking the truth and acting the truth2 it goes both to belief and to action2 to mental attitude and actual practice3 ,,god',s ,,word ,,is ,,truth4 ,let me call attention to another fact--and ,brother ,penrose mentioned it1 also--namely1 that we believe in certain attributes that ,god possesses4 ,among these attributes1 as well as eternity1 and omnipotence1 and omnipresence1 and omniscience1 and holiness1 and wisdom1 and knowledge1 and power1 and love1 and justice1 and mercy--there is also the attribute of truth2 and this attribute of truth is absolute in ,god4 ,the scriptures say1 with verity1 that he is a ,god of truth1 without iniquity2 just and right is he4 ,mercy and truth1 said another prophet1 go before thy face4 ,another one has said1 ,god is not a man that he should lie1 nor the son of man that he should repent4 ,along this line we ourselves have a very grand saying1 given to the ,prophet ,joseph before the organization of the ,church1 but it will endure through all time1 and in all ages1 and in all experiences1 namely3 ,god doth not walk in crooked paths2 neither doth he turn to the right hand1 nor to the left2 neither doth he vary from that which he has said2 therefore1 his paths are straight1 and his course is one eternal round4 7,doc4 ,cov41 sec4 #c3b74 ,because of this attribute of truth in ,god1 he must be thought of as imparting to the institutions which he founds his own nature2 they must be in harmony with his attributes4 ,consequently1 when he establishes his ,church1 it will be a church of truth2 it will stand for the truth like its founder2 it will speak the truth without variation1 without turning to the right hand1 or turning to the left hand4 ,god must be true--an untruthful ,god8 ,the very thought1 but that ,i am refuting it1 would be blasphemy4 ,it would wreck the moral universe for ,god to speak untruth4 ,it is unthinkable2 it cannot be entertained4 ,that also which ,god founds1 an institution such as his ,church1 must also1 ,i repeat1 stand for the truth4 ,but those1 ,i say1 who judge our reputation from what is said of us in the current magazines--a person forming his judgment upon those slanders1 would believe there was no truth in us1 nor in the ,church4 ,but we1 nevertheless1 believe in truth2 we believe in being honest1 true1 virtuous2 and let those who charge us with believing otherwise than this2 or who say that we trust in falsehood2 and believe in practicing it1 wherein they do not speak ignorantly--let them be anathema6 ,and those among us--those of our faith--and ,i fear that there may be one in ten thousand1 ,i do not know1 but ,i have found some who will advance the idea that even the kingdom of ,god has to resort to deception and untruth1 at times1 in order to meet some emergency or other--to all such without qualification1 ,i say anathema6 ,be ye accursed6 ,they do the ,church to which they belong a great injustice4 ,the ,church cannot stand on untruth4 ,the truth1 the whole of it1 and constantly the truth1 must be the creed of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 or else it proves itself not the product of the ,god of truth1 for he is true4 ,to doubt it would be disloyalty1 to think of it1 otherwise than to refute it1 would be blasphemy4 ,,testimony ,,borne4 ,there is much more that might be dealt with negatively1 and anathematized1 perhaps1 but this satisfies me upon this occasion1 and the time for closing this meeting has arrived4 ,i join here1 this afternoon1 with my brother1 ,elder ,penrose1 in bearing witness to the truth of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ2 to the existence of ,god the ,father1 ,god the ,son1 and ,god the ,holy ,ghost4 ,with him1 ,i bear witness to you of the virtue and power and saving grace in the atonement of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and bear witness to you that there is no other name given among men whereby we may be saved1 only the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,with him1 ,i bear witness to you1 out of my experience1 that men may have communion with ,god1 that his ,spirit does give inspiration to the spirit of man1 and through that means there may be both union and communion now between men and ,god1 through obedience to the gospel4 ,i know and ,i bear witness1 with ,elder ,penrose1 that this is the ,church of ,jesus ,christ1 founded in these latter-days2 that there was virtue and power1 and divinity in the mission of ,joseph ,smith1 the instrument in ,god's hands of bringing in this new dispensation of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i testify that those who believe the gospel and obey it2 that those who with real1 earnest effort--even though stumblingly--seek to obey it1 to them will be extended the divine grace and power of ,god1 and helpfulness2 that out of the abundance of his mercy and grace will ,god help those who are weak1 if only they keep their faces constantly directed towards him1 and back of all their mistakes and failures they maintain an earnest determination to overcome the things of this world and the weaknesses of human nature4 ,god will remember that they are but men in the making1 and he will be merciful and ultimately will give them the victory1 if only they will strive and pray and not faint4 ,that ,i know1 for ,god has taught me that in my own experiences1 and ,i bear witness of it to you1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,things ,,of ,,god ,,greater ,,than ,,man',s ,,conception ,,of ,,them4 ,discourse in the ,salt ,lake ,tabernacle1 ,sunday1 ,september #ab1 #aiji4 7,reported by ,f4 ,w4 ,otterstrom47 ,i4 ,i never face this tabernacle congregation without a very great amount of misgiving on my part1 which amounts to an inward fear and trembling4 ,i presume it arises from the fact that such a position brings home to one the weight of responsibility that rests upon him who undertakes to be a public teacher2 and1 sometimes1 ,i have felt for my own part1 that ,i would be happier if these occasional duties did not devolve upon me4 ,however1 we can't help but remember that in discharging this duty the ,lord has sometimes been good to us and blest us with a measure of success1 and some truth1 or portion of truth1 has been presented in a manner to be understood by the saints4 ,this gives one encouragement and faith to try again1 and perhaps1 my friends1 on this occasion1 if we can acceptably approach the ,lord1 our meeting together may result in blessing4 ,i most fervently pray that such may be the outcome of our meeting this afternoon4 ,i have not been able to fix upon any text which would foreshadow the truth that ,i would like to present on this occasion4 ,i have no text1 but ,i have a theme in mind1 that has taken more or less of definite form--a theme which may be illustrated by many texts2 and certainly by many historical experiences of the people of ,god in various ages of the world4 ,my thought may be stated in these terms3 ,no matter what your conception of divine things may be--however wide or high--the divine things themselves1 be assured1 are much greater than your conceptions of them4 ,i pray you1 think about that a while1 and get it well in mind3 ,no matter how great or comprehensive your conceptions may be of divine things1 the divine things themselves are always greater than your conceptions of them4 ,it must have been some such thought as this which led our ,prophet ,joseph ,smith to make the following remark3 ,the things of ,god are of deep import1 and time and experience1 and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out4 ,thy mind1 ,o man1 if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation1 must stretch as high as the utmost heavens1 and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss and the broad expanse of eternity--,thou must commune with ,god6 ,,divine ,,things ,,misjudged4 ,associated with this theme that we have here announced is another1 namely1 that in consequence of man's failure to comprehend fully the things of ,god1 there is great danger that he may misapprehend divine things--,god's messages and ,god's purposes4 ,the experience of ,god's people abundantly demonstrate this second truth4 ,for example3 suppose you think upon the misapprehension that the ,jews had concerning the promised ,messiah4 ,their prophets and even their patriarchs1 in their writings and prophecies1 had foreshadowed the coming of the ,messiah the ,redeemer not only of ,israel but of the world4 ,yet1 when he came1 the ,jews altogether misapprehended him1 and so far misunderstood him and his mission that they rejected him4 ,israel's national existence had been a very precarious and trying one4 ,they had been subdued again and again by nations surrounding them4 ,for many generations their petty kingdom had been but a shuttle-cock between the battle-doors of ,assyrian and ,persian1 of ,persian and ,egyptian2 and at the time of the advent of the ,messiah1 ,palestine had been reduced to the condition of a ,roman province1 and was under the iron hand of ,roman rule4 ,the ,jews looked back1 frequently1 to the glorious days of ,david and ,solomon1 when ,israel could well be proud of her national existence4 ,they longed1 again1 for a king1 and national independence2 and hence they regarded the promise of the ,messiah as the coming of a king to bring redemption to ,israel and to establish them as a nation in the earth4 ,but instead of a king1 there came a peasant2 instead of a conqueror1 there came a teacher2 and they did not recognize1 in his character1 and mission the elements that would exalt him far above all earthly kings and give to him an empire over the children of men that should far exceed in glory anything that could come to earthly potentate or monarch4 ,they wholly misapprehended the mission of the ,messiah2 and yet1 when you take into account the position of the ,christ today in the world1 although we have had but a partial development of his truths1 although the glory of his kingdom has been somewhat arrested by reason of the departure of men from that divine system of truth which he established1 notwithstanding we have had but a lame and halting ,christianity--yet1 to what heights has it lifted the ,messiah of the ,jews in mighty influence among the nations of the earth6 ,we get the principle with which we started our discourse illustrated most beautifully in these circumstances3 ,first the misapprehension of men of the things of ,god2 and yet the truth that however great the conceptions of men may be of divine things1 the divine things themselves far outrun in glory1 and largeness1 and power1 men's conceptions of them2 for the ,jews never attributed even to the ,messiah of their prophecies the glory that has already come to the ,christ4 ,he reigns1 with more or less supremacy in the hearts of at least more than one-third of the inhabitants of the earth1 and is accepted as prophet1 as priest1 and1 in some sense or other1 as the ,redeemer of all men4 ,and that1 ,i believe1 far outstrips the conceptions that the ,jews had of the glory of their ,messiah4 ,take another illustration of our theme4 ,the early ,christians1 as well as the ,jews1 failed to apprehend the mission of the ,christ4 ,there was fixed in the minds of those early converts to the ,christian faith the thought that salvation was of the ,jews2 7,john #d3bb72 and it seems to me they added to the words of ,christ the idea that not only was salvation of ,israel1 but salvation1 in their minds1 was merely for ,israel4 ,those early ,christian converts had no idea that their ,messiah was to become the ,messiah and ,savior of all men2 and it required special revelation to the chief apostle1 ,peter1 to get even him to understand that the message of the ,christ was for the gentile as well as for the ,jew4 ,you will remember1 when the ,lord had inspired a certain gentile1 of the name of ,cornelius1 to inquire of the ,lord what he ought to do in order to be accepted of ,god1 how by special revelation unto ,peter1 as the messengers from this devout gentile approached his dwelling place1 he was given a vision1 the import of which was that whosoever ,god should recognize as clean1 ,peter must not call filthy or unclean4 ,three times was this lesson taught to the chief apostle1 when1 lo1 the messengers from ,cornelius were knocking at his doors4 ,he met the messengers from ,cornelius1 who brought word that ,god had visited this devout gentile1 and bid him send for the chief apostle of the ,christ4 ,peter went down to the house of ,cornelius and taught him the truths of the gospel2 and as he spake the ,holy ,ghost rested upon the gentiles present as it had upon the ,jews on the day of ,pentecost4 ,then ,peter saw the interpretation of his vision2 and he said3 ,can any man forbid water1 that these should not be baptized1 which have received the ,holy ,ghost as well as we4 ,by this means the ,lord led this man1 ,peter1 to have a wider view of the mission of the ,christ1 but it was extremely difficult to get the rest of the ,christians1 in that day to accept this thought4 ,hence when ,paul came forward1 being raised up of the ,lord to carry his message to the gentiles1 it was his chief offense1 so thought the ,christian ,jews1 that he taught this broader application of the ,gospel of the ,christ to the children of ,god2 and those early1 fanatical ,christians stoutly accused him of blasphemy and of bringing those who were unclean into the temple of ,god4 ,it required all the revelations that ,god gave to ,peter2 it required all the inspiration that ,god gave to ,paul--all his energy1 all his learning1 all his inspired eloquence--to make it known to the world that salvation was not only for the ,jew but for the gentile also2 and the first congregations of the ,christians in ,judea seem1 in sullen mood1 to have rejected the greater revelations accepted by the apostles1 and the great tide of the gospel swept by them and left them in their obscurity2 while ,paul and his associates ran to and fro1 through the mighty ,roman empire1 and planted the standard of the gospel in many gentile cities1 and made the world ring with the message of the ,messiah4 ,these people1 the first ,christians1 many of them good and pure minded people1 no doubt1 failed to rightly apprehend the great mission of the ,messiah1 and so that mission swept on by them and left them in their obscurity4 ,we may say in closing this branch of our reflections that the prophecy of the ,messiah respecting the ,jews who rejected him2 and in a manner also the ,jews who accepted him1 but failed to apprehend the largeness of his mission1 the universality of the salvation he brought into the world--the prophecy of the ,messiah1 ,i say1 was fulfilled--,the ,kingdom of ,god shall be taken from among you1 and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof4 ,and ,paul3 ,it was necessary that the word of ,god should first have been spoken to you3 but seeing ye put it from you1 and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life1 lo6 we turn to the gentiles4 ,now ,i am wondering if you will bear with me while ,i point out the fact that we too1 in this dispensation of the fulness of times1 are in the same danger of failing to apprehend the greatness of the things of ,god restored to us4 ,we1 too1 are human2 we1 too1 fail to grasp the full import of the truth which is the center around which our thoughts are moving4 ,we fail to realize that great as our conceptions may be of divine things1 yet1 those divine things are infinitely greater than our conceptions of them4 ,,ii4 ,,marvelous ,,work ,,and ,a ,,wonder4 ,take here this book of ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,in some half score of the early revelations1 you find this statement made1 ,a great and marvelous work is about to come forth unto the children of men4 ,how many of the early converts of the ,church appreciated the meaning of that solemn announcement8 ,they stood in the presence of certain facts then developing1 that were truly marvelous and great in their eyes4 ,in an age when the orthodox churches were teaching that ,god would no more speak from heaven to give further revelation2 in an age when all ,christendom taught that the visitation of angels had ceased2 in an age when it was orthodox to regard the volume of ,scripture as completed and forever closed--these early converts had heard the wonderful announcement of ,god's witness1 that the heavens had been reopened2 that ,god had once more revealed himself to man upon the earth2 that angels had come with messages from ,god2 that there had been brought forth a whole volume of ,scripture that was a witness for ,god1 the ,book of ,mormon1 that spoke of the ancient inhabitants of this western world1 giving an account of the migration of their fathers to this land from the old world2 that gave an account of the rise and fall of nations and empires in this western hemisphere2 that testified of the goodness of ,god to them1 and revealing himself to them1 and sending the risen ,messiah to them to make known the gospel of the ,son of ,god1 and proclaim the means of their salvation4 ,the early converts to the ,church had witnessed that volume of ,scripture brought forth4 ,they had seen a church organized under the direction and inspiration of ,god4 ,they had seen a renewal of those spiritual powers and graces that characterized the primitive church of the ,christ4 ,contrary to the expectations and teaching of modern ,christendom1 the sick were healed2 the lame were made to walk2 in some cases the eyes of the blind were opened4 ,men felt once more that they stood in the immediate presence of the living1 throbbing power of ,god in the world1 and especially in the ,church of ,christ4 ,these things were indeed great and marvelous to them2 but how very far short of the full glory of the latter-day work do these few first steps now seem to us6 ,the saints in those early days did not dream that there was to be an unfolding of doctrine and ,church organization such as we now behold4 ,they did not understand in those early days that there would again be a quorum of apostles1 endowed with the same powers and gifts and authority that characterized the first apostolate of the ,church of ,christ4 ,they did not know then that there were to be called into existence thousands and tens of thousands of assistant apostles1 the seventies1 who would be commissioned to go into all the world under the direction of the twelve1 to preach the gospel to all nations and gather ,israel4 ,they had no idea that scores and even hundreds of bishops would be called into official existence to preside in the midst of the people of ,god4 ,they did not understand that the keys for the redemption of the dead would be restored1 so that the gospel could be proclaimed in the spirit ,world and men brought to a knowledge of the truth1 that they might live according to ,god in the spirit1 and1 ultimately1 be judged as men are judged in the flesh4 ,they did not know that temples were to be erected1 in which this work for both living and dead could be performed4 ,they could not then understand that in this dispensation of the fulness of times all the ends of the earth were to meet2 and all things in ,christ be gathered together in one1 even in him1 until all the families of the earth that would receive the truth might in every way be bound in chains of love at the feet of the living ,christ4 ,the early converts to the ,church had no such vision of the work of ,god1 as this4 ,it is not a reproach to them that they did not fully comprehend these things1 or anticipate the marvelous history that the people of ,god would make4 ,they were just like the children of men in all generations1 and like ourselves4 ,no matter how wonderful to them divine things were1 no matter how great their conceptions of them1 the divine things themselves were infinitely greater than they conceived them to be4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,new ,,jerusalem4 ,take another illustration of my theme4 ,in the ,book of ,mormon this truth was revealed1 that in this western world a holy city would finally be builded by the people of ,god4 ,a city called ,zion1 the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,when the saints saw that fact revealed in the ,book of ,mormon1 they1 very naturally1 desired to know the place where the city would stand2 and the ,lord finally revealed the place where the ,city of ,zion will be located4 ,the place of that city is in the central portion of the land of ,zion4 ,independence1 ,jackson county1 ,missouri1 was designated as the place where the holy city is to be founded4 ,no sooner was this known than straightway the gathering of the people to that point commenced4 ,some few hundreds of the saints gathered to that land and essayed to lay the foundations of the city1 the glory of which was described in the ,nephite ,scriptures4 ,in the course of time1 however1 the saints were expelled from ,jackson county by the cruelty of their neighbors1 who rejected their religion and rose up against the people of ,god4 ,when the saints were compelled to leave ,jackson county1 they looked upon themselves as exiles from ,zion1 and it was rather with heavy hearts and with sinking hopes that they went to building other cities elsewhere in ,missouri4 ,finally the entire state of ,missouri rose against the people of ,god--and unjustly and by the violation of every principle of constitutional government1 expelled some twelve thousand of the saints from that state4 ,as you know1 the saints located themselves on the ,illinois side of the ,mississippi river and founded the city of ,nauvoo4 ,they still counted themselves as exiles from ,zion1 and they thought that the cause of ,god--that is1 many of them--thought that the cause of ,god was losing1 that his purposes were being thwarted2 they were exiles from the land of promise2 the ,city of ,zion was as a dream that was fast fading from their consciousness4 ,then the ,prophet began to instruct them more fully concerning this matter of ,zion4 ,he called their attention to the fact that the whole of ,america1 both north continent and south continent--was the land of ,zion2 that the promise of ,god concerning ,zion related to this western hemisphere2 that these great continents were consecrated chiefly unto the seed of ,joseph1 the patriarch in ,israel1 son of ,jacob1 and that this whole land was given to him as his inheritance4 ,that is how it is that both ,moses and also ,jacob1 in their blessings upon the head of ,joseph declare that his blessings had prevailed above the blessings of his progenitors2 and that his lands extended to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills4 ,he was given the birthright in ,israel1 to stand at the head of ,israel4 7,i ,chron4 #e3a-b47 ,reuben was the first born2 but1 forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed1 his birthright was given unto the sons of ,joseph1 the son of ,israel2 and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright--i4e41 of ,reuben4 ,for ,judah prevailed above his brethren and of him came the chief ruler2 but the birthright was ,joseph's2 and hence the ,scriptures frequently declare that ,god is a ,father unto ,israel1 and ,ephraim is his first born4 7,jeremiah #ca3i74 ,this was a larger view of the subject of ,zion than the saints had entertained4 ,can you see in this illustration1 confirmation of our theme1 viz41 that no matter how great your conceptions may be of divine things1 the divine things themselves are infinitely greater than you conceive them to be8 ,,iv4 ,,restoration ,,of ,,israel4 ,still another illustration4 ,it is a prominent principle of the faith of the ,latter-day ,saints that the great promises which ,god has made unto ,israel1 to the effect that they shall be gathered in from their dispersion1 shall be fulfilled in this dispensation of the fulness of times4 ,of course you know1 being familiar with the history of ,israel1 that they have been scattered among all the nations of the earth4 ,this is true with reference to all the tribes of ,israel4 ,i will sift the house of ,israel among all nations is what ,amos represents the ,lord as saying 7,amos #i3h1 #i74 ,of course you are aware of the fact that after the reign of ,solomon1 ,israel divided into two kingdoms--the northern kingdom composed of the ten tribes1 the southern kingdom1 ,judah1 composed of the tribes of ,judah and ,benjamin4 ,after a national existence of some two hundred years1 the ,assyrians overcame the northern kingdom and took the people captive into ,assyria2 but while in captivity there1 we are informed by tradition1 that the people resolved to leave the heathen nation by whom they had been led into captivity1 and go into a land never before inhabited by man1 and there they resolved that they would keep the statutes and the judgments of ,god even better than they had done in the land of their fathers4 ,the historian who tells us of these circumstances 7,esdras7 also says that they performed something like a year and a half's journey to the northward1 up through the narrow pass of the ,euphrates and ,tigris rivers1 and thence northward1 and inhabited the land2 and since those days they have been known as the lost tribes of ,israel4 ,the kingdom of ,judah maintained but a precarious existence2 it was first subject to one nation and then to another1 until finally1 toward the close of the first century of the ,christian era1 the nation was completely subjugated by the ,roman power2 her people were taken captive and sold into slavery1 or scattered as exiles among the nations of the gentiles4 ,ever since then1 until now1 ,judah has been a hiss and byword1 a broken1 scattered people4 ,but over and above all these historical events rings out clear and strong the promise of ,god1 as spoken by the mouth of ,jeremiah1 ,saying3 ,hear the word of the ,lord1 ,o ye nations1 and declare it in the isles afar off and say1 he that scattered ,israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock4 ,for the ,lord hath redeemed ,jacob1 and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he 7ch4 xxxi3#aj1 #aa74 ,behold ,i will bring them the children of ,israel from the north country1 and gather them from the coasts of the earth1 and with them the blind and the lame1 the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together2 a great company shall return thither4 ,they shall come with weeping and with supplications will ,i lead them3 ,i will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way1 wherein they shall not stumble3 for ,i am a father to ,israel1 and ,ephraim is my first born4 7,ch4 xxxi3 verses1 #h1 #i74 ,the ,jewish ,scriptures are full of this promise4 ,it is iterated and reiterated2 and it is well known that the tradition lives in ,israel1 that though now scattered abroad1 yet will they at some time be called to resume the thread of their national existence1 and ,israel shall yet be known among the nations of the earth4 ,as broad as the scattering has been1 so broad also shall be the gathering4 ,this message of ours1 the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 has always been accompanied by proclamation of this doctrine of the gathering of ,israel4 ,the prophet ,amos tells us that ,god had sifted ,israel among the nations1 and now unto the servants of ,god in this dispensation is given the commission to cry aloud unto ,israel1 ,come out of her1 my people3 that ye partake not of her sins1 and receive not of her plagues1 speaking of ,babylon4 ,god1 ,i say1 has repeatedly promised that there shall be a gathering together of ,israel1 and those who were led away into the north countries1 we are told shall be brought again to the land of their fathers2 their prophets shall hear the voice of ,god1 and shall not stay themselves1 but they shall come forth in the power of ,god and bring their people unto ,zion1 where they shall receive blessings at the hands of the children of ,ephraim1 the first born1 who holds the patriarchal right to bless and seal in the house of ,israel4 ,this is the faith of the ,latter-day ,saints respecting ,israel4 ,v4 ,,lost ,,tribes ,,in ,,the ,,north4 ,permit me to make a little divergence at this point4 ,i have observed some criticisms in our local press in relation to the views entertained by the ,latter-day ,saints about the return of the lost tribes of ,israel from the land of the north4 ,we have recently had the north pole discovered--well1 discovered twice1 if reports be true4 #a ,and it is claimed by the aforesaid local press that the ,church entertains the view that somewhere1 in this frozen region of the pole these lost tribes have lived1 and that it has been the hope of the ,latter-day ,saints that from the north pole regions these lost tribes would return to supplement them in numbers and power and influence here in this land of our ,zion4 ,there is more or less of merriment indulged in because1 now that the north pole has been discovered1 lo1 there is no people there and no place for a people4 ,ice fields1 ice mountains1 ice floes1 with accompanying desolation--an absolute loneliness out there at the poles6 ,well1 ,i think men for some time have been sufficiently close to the pole to lead any thoughtful person to the conclusion that such conditions of lonely desolation must have existed there1 rather than any continent of salubrious climate and fertile soils1 where a great people could be located4 ,let me offer this suggestion3 ,if those of us who believe in the messages from ,god given in these last days are likely1 because of inability to asses these messages at their full value--if we are likely to have misapprehensions of the messages and the purposes of ,god1 certainly those who have no sympathy with them1 and who do not believe in them are apt to have still wider misapprehensions of the messages and purposes of ,god4 ,that being true1 it is possible also that our local newspaper critics have formed misconceptions concerning an alleged belief of ours about the existence of the ten tribes somewhere in polar regions4 ,i do not know how many ,latter-day ,saints may have entertained the view that about the polar regions were located the lost tribes of ,israel4 ,i do not know how many even of our students--the students of the gospel of this dispensation of the fulness of times--may have entertained the same view4 ,there is the statement of ,esdras that there was a year and a half's journey northward from ,assyria1 by the ten tribes2 and there is the promise repeated frequently in ,jewish ,scriptures1 that the ,lord would lead back from the north the tribes of ,israel4 ,from these statements1 some of our people may have concluded that necessarily these lost tribes must be established in the extreme northern portions of the earth1 hence the region of the north pole4 ,there may be something in our literature to that effect--,i cannot say positively1 because ,i have not had the opportunity1 recently1 to examine our literature with reference to that particular view4 ,but of this ,i am positive2 that in none of the revelations of ,god is there any expression that would lead one to believe that ,god had located the ten tribes about the north pole4 ,the revelations of the ,lord do not necessarily lead us to any such conclusion4 ,when the ,savior was in the western hemisphere1 ministering among the ,nephites1 he called their attention to the announcement that he had made to his disciples in ,judea1 when he said1 ,other sheep have ,i which are not of this fold2 them also ,i must bring and they shall hear my voice1 and there shall be one fold and one shepherd4 7,john #aj3af47 ,when ministering to the ,nephites1 ,i say1 the ,messiah explained to them that they were the other sheep he had in mind in this passage4 ,some of the disciples1 he explained1 believed that he had in mind the gentiles1 not appreciating the fact that his manifestation of himself and of his truth to the gentiles should be through the manifestations of the ,holy ,ghost1 rather than by ministration of himself personally to them4 ,the disciples in ,judea then had a misapprehension of this matter1 though ,jesus himself had said that he was not sent 7personally7 but to the lost sheep of the house of ,israel4 7,matt4 #ae3bd47 ,here1 then1 in this western world1 were the other sheep1 that the ,christ had in mind in this remarkable statement that he made to his disciples in ,judea4 ,the ,messiah also informed the ,nephites that he had not only fulfilled this ,scripture but now there was still another mission that had been given him1 namely to visit the lost tribes of the house of ,israel1 and manifest himself to them1 for though these tribes were lost unto the children of men they were not lost unto the ,father4 ,he knew their location1 and had given commission to his ,son to minister unto them4 7,see ,,iii ,nephi1 chaps4 #ae1 #af1 #ag47 ,but there is nothing in the statement of the ,messiah to the ,nephites that would compel us to believe that these lost tribes were located about the north pole2 but merely expressions in the ,scriptures that would lead one to conclude that they were located in northern lands4 ,then again1 in the matter of this return of the lost tribes of ,israel1 there are those ,i believe1 who1 seeing that there was small hope of a location for them about the north pole1 have held that perhaps the said lost tribes were located upon some detached portion of the earth4 ,as to that1 ,i have no opinion to express2 but this ,i believe1 for myself1 that within the known regions of the earth1 where the children of men are located1 it is quite possible for ,god to fulfill all his predictions in relation to the return of ,israel4 ,it would have been quite possible for ,god to scatter1 or to use the language of the prophet ,amos--,sift the house of ,israel among all nations1 like as corn is sifted in a sieve1 and yet not the least grain fall upon the earth--i4e41 be lost to the knowledge of ,god1 though now lost to men4 ,and as it was possible to lose these tribes of ,israel among the nations of the earth1 so is it possible for ,god to recover them from their scattered condition from among these nations1 with a display of the divine power4 ,and with reference to this display of divine power1 let me say that something must always be allowed to the character of prophetic language4 ,you must remember that seers and prophets do not speak the cold1 calculating language of philosophy1 where every word is weighed in the exact scales of thought4 ,prophets do not follow the precision in their language that is required of the scientists4 ,these men1 prophets and seers1 commune with ,god4 ,their finite life touches1 for a moment1 the infinite life of ,god4 ,their limited wisdom touches for a moment the supreme wisdom of the infinite4 ,for an instant they see things large2 and infused and inspired with the fire they have received from this contact with the divine1 lo6 they come with their message and speak it in the words of spiritual passion4 ,of course1 to them1 in this mood1 the mountains will sink2 the valleys will rise4 ,of course1 the prophets1 if in the north1 will hear the voice of ,god1 and the mountains of ice will flow down at their presence2 the hills will rejoice and the mountains shout for joy6 ,when men come with this inspiration upon them they see and feel things large1 and they speak of them in that spirit2 and when we come to reduce what they thus bring to us1 from the heart of ,god1 to our petty conceptions1 we of course must be prepared to take into account the figurative language they speak4 ,it is possible that if we fail to do this1 we shall misapprehend1 in part1 some material fact of their message4 ,especially should one be on his guard in such highly picturesque matters as the return of the lost tribes from their long dispersion--from the lands of the north4 ,in such an event not only will mountains of ice flow down at the presence of their prophets1 but highways will be cast up in the midst of the great deep--their enemies will become a prey unto them--in barren deserts shall come forth pools of living water--the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land--the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence6 7,doc4 and ,cov41 sec4 #acc47 ,footnote #a3 ,having reference to ,cook's claims of discovering the pole as well as ,peary's discovery4 ,we must make some allowance1 ,i repeat1 for the hyperbole of that language in which the message of these prophets is delivered--remember1 it is vibrant with the great things of ,god2 and it makes some effort to encompass these great things4 ,,israel ,,now ,,gathering4 ,but1 coming to a closer consideration of this gathering of ,israel--,israel is gathering all right2 perhaps not after our conception of it1 not after our ideas as to how ,israel should or would be gathered4 ,nevertheless1 ,israel1 ,i say1 is gathering to the land of ,zion4 ,you ,latter-day ,saints--whence came you8 ,from the ,british isles1 from ,germany1 from the ,scandinavian countries1 from the islands of the sea4 ,who are you8 ,israelites1 gathered by the gospel message1 which includes the word of ,god to you to gather together on this land of ,zion4 ,you are chiefly of the tribe of ,ephraim1 according to the inspired utterances of the patriarchs who pronounce blessings upon your heads4 ,well1 if you--gathered from a multitude of nations--are of ,israel1 may not ,israel1 by hundreds of thousands and millions1 be in the lands whence you came1 which was chiefly from the northern lands of ,europe8 for our mission has had little success among the ,latin races of southern ,europe4 ,you have been gathered by the proclamation of the gospel and are of ,israel2 and not only are you who have received the gospel gathered1 but your kindred ,germans1 your kindred ,scandinavians1 your kindred ,britishers1 have also been coming to the land of ,zion4 ,indeed1 it seems that ,america is an asylum for all people2 and even races that we fain would close our gates against1 in spite of all the wisdom and caution and legislation of our national legislators and the administrative officers of our government1 they1 too1 come to the land of ,zion2 and who shall say that these races have not inheritance in ,zion8 ,this western hemisphere is not only granted to the descendants of ,joseph in ,israel1 not only to it will come those of the lost tribes of ,israel1 but the gentile races also have promise of an inheritance in this land2 and here shall they receive the blessings of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ2 receiving it at the hands of the children of ,ephraim1 upon whom commission has been bestowed and divine authority given to preach the gospel and administer in its ordinances4 ,so ,israel is being gathered in these last days to the land of ,zion1 and here gentile races are also assembling4 ,here in the ,united ,states alone we can reach more ,germans than we can preach to in ,germany1 because of the limitations of religious liberty in ,germany4 ,here we may preach to more ,english people than in ,england4 ,here we may preach to more ,scandinavians than we can preach to in ,scandinavia4 ,here we have opportunity to teach the truth unto gathered ,israel in this blest land of ,zion1 and here and among the other known nations of the earth is full scope and opportunity for the accomplishment of all those things that have been predicted by the servants of ,god in all ages of the world respecting ,israel1 without assuming that it is necessary to go into the north polar regions or to detached portions of the earth somewhere in illimitable space4 ,,vi4 ,,purposes ,,of ,,god ,,will ,,not ,,fail4 ,the purposes of ,god are not failing4 ,god is imminent in this world1 and is fashioning it according to his own divine purposes4 ,there will be no failure in ,jehovah's plans4 ,the only thing is1 ,can we so enlarge our thought1 can we lift ourselves from the narrow limits of our thinking in which we are so contented to walk--can we take broader views in relation to ,god's purposes and messages to the children of men8 ,that is the only question4 ,the ,lord ,almighty1 ,i repeat1 is accomplishing his designs in relation to the land of ,zion2 in relation to the gathering of ,israel and the return of the ten tribes2 just as he will accomplish his purposes with reference to the re-establishment of ,judah upon the promised land of ,canaan1 and the redemption of ,jerusalem4 ,all this will come about in its times and seasons4 ,the word of the ,lord will go forth from ,jerusalem1 and the law will go forth from ,zion--nay1 in my view1 it is now going forth in large measure from ,zion--in a manner to reach the inhabitants of the earth1 and bring to them the blessings that ,god has decreed for the children of men4 ,my brethren and sisters1 ,i rejoice in the largeness of this work of ,god--this dispensation of the fulness of times4 ,i love it1 in part1 because of its greatness--in its very bigness there is inspiration4 ,i love to contemplate the purposes of ,god in their far-reaching possibilities4 ,i rejoice to feel that today the children of men are moving up to a higher and truer conception of the things of ,god4 ,we talk about1 and we sometimes even dare to hope for1 the coming of the millennium6 ,i wonder what our sensations will be if some morning we wake up to a realization that the millennium is already on its way1 and has been on its way for some time8 ,when ,i think of the mighty progress that has been made in these modern days1 and especially since ,god opened the heavens and revealed himself unto his servant ,joseph ,smith2 when ,i take that circumstance as a starting point and contrast conditions as they are today with conditions as they were when that first revelation was given to the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 it seems to me that the prediction that old things shall pass away and all things shall become new is on the way to a very rapid fulfillment4 ,at that time--early in the third decade of the nineteenth century--not a single foot of railroad existed anywhere in the world2 today1 all civilized nations are a network of railroads and railroad systems4 ,we have moved all the way from the ox-cart and stage-coach to the mighty express train that thunders with lightning speed throughout the land4 ,distance is discounted--well nigh annihilated1 in comparison with former times4 ,in ocean navigation we have come from the rude vessel that could only be driven by the wind1 to the mighty ocean greyhounds that speed across the oceans like express trains2 and the oceans1 once a dreaded mystery1 are now but the convenient highways between the continents1 the highways of commerce6 ,man1 within the period we are considering1 has not only mastered transportation upon the earth and upon the ocean2 but we have recent demonstrations that man has mastered also the element of air2 and may navigate the air with as great speed and ease as the land or the water4 ,within the period named--#ahbj-aiji--we have come all the way from the tallow dip to the electric light4 ,in communication we have come from the pony express to the telegraph1 and to the wireless telegraph1 and the telephone2 so that now we are in instant communication with all portions of the earth4 ,no event of any moment may happen tonight that will not be spread upon the pages of tomorrow morning's press1 which will await us upon our breakfast tables6 ,then in the way of advancements that give promise of peace--so mighty have become the engines of destruction2 so revolutionary the promises of this recent mastery of the air1 that it would seem that war must be an impossibility in the near future2 and it becomes imperative that men devise--statesmen must devise1 philanthropists must devise1 patriots must devise--some means by which the international questions that arise may be settled without allowing nations to go to the dreadful arbitrament of war for a settlement4 ,the time when swords shall be beaten into plow-shares1 and spears into pruning hooks seems not far distant1 even the time when nations shall learn war no more--the vision of the prophets6 ,these are the conditions in the midst of which we live3 ,a time when property is more secure than it ever was before in the world2 a time when personal liberty is more secure than ever it was before in the world2 a time when the comforts of life among the masses of mankind well nigh equal conditions that only kings could enjoy in ages that are past6 ,when ,i see all these blessings1 and realize that year by year they are increasing with accelerated speed--when ,i see the sentiment of universal brotherhood enlarging--when ,i see great and mighty intellects pushing far out upon the frontier of ,christian thought1 grasping the truths of ,god and weaving them into systems of practical philosophy1 tending to make ready the inhabitants of the earth for that fulness of truth that ,god1 through his prophets1 has decreed should be poured out upon the nations of the earth in the last days1--when ,i see these evidences of man's progress within the last three-quarters of a century1 since ,god spoke from heaven to ,joseph ,smith1 ,i can not help but believe that there is some connection between the re-opening of the heavens to restore the gospel1 and this wider diffusion of knowledge by which the comfort and enlightenment of men as to material things has been brought to pass--the golden age that prophets dreamed of1 that prophets sang about--the golden age--the millennium--has at last dawned upon the earth6 ,and right here1 in the midst of it1 ,god has established his ,church4 ,he has given to it the knowledge of the means of salvation4 ,he has given to the ,church divine authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel1 and the coming forth of this work is the herald of the modern world's awakening6 ,for when the ,book of ,mormon came forth1 by that token ,israel might know1 and the world might know1 that ,god had set his hand to fulfil and accomplish the things that he had decreed concerning the gathering of ,israel1 and concerning all the inhabitants of the earth--their happiness and peace and glory and security4 7,,ii ,nephi #cj1 and ,,iii ,nephi #ba47 ,this is our part of the work2 to make proclamation of these things2 to exemplify the law of ,god and the excellence of the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ2 to proclaim to the children of men that ,god is not a ,god afar off--,one who transcends the world2 but ,god imminent in the world1 and that men may connect their lives with the life of ,god2 and feel the inspiration of his life vibrating in their lives1 uplifting1 purifying1 exalting--until man1 the individual1 and communities of men1 nations--may walk with ,god in this great age now dawning on the world6 ,and yet1 great as our conceptions may be of the things of ,god--divine things--be assured that the divine things themselves are infinitely greater than our conceptions of them can be--then how great indeed they must be6 ,the prophet spoke truly when he said of ,god3 ,his thoughts are not as your thoughts2 his ways are not as your ways2 for as the heavens are higher than the earth1 so are his thoughts above your thoughts1 and his ways above your ways4 ,but while we are under the necessity of conceding the truth of that1 may we not share in and enjoy in some measure a knowledge of divine things and therein rejoice1 as ,i feel we do this day by this brief glimpse of some of the things of ,god8 ,,iv4 ,,mormonism ,,as ,a ,,body ,,of ,,doctrine4 ,a discourse at the ,salt ,lake ,tabernacle1 ,sunday1 ,march #ac1 #aiaj4 7,reported by ,f4 ,w4 ,otterstrom47 ,i4 ,,introductory4 ,some time ago1 within a year at least1 a gentleman of some prominence in the public life of our state felt that he had occasion in a public address to allude to our religious faith as a body of doctrine1 and in doing so ,i think he exhausted his skill in framing an expression of contempt for it4 ,he said3 ,i will venture it as my individual opinion1 that considered as a body of doctrine1 no well instructed person would give this priesthood creed1 the cold respect of a passing glance4 ,it is not worth while getting vexed over such expressions as that4 ,they do no harm to our faith1 nor to our society--the ,church4 ,such a remark may lead one to wonder if the gentleman1 who has some reputation for intelligence1 and especially for his ability in following to logical conclusions any investigation he may undertake--,i say such a remark may lead one to wonder if the gentleman himself has paid our faith the cold respect of the passing glance to which he refers2 or has he presumed to pass judgment upon it without even such a passing glance--since he assumes with such air-sniffing loftiness and pride of intellect that no well instructed person--of which he is one1 of course--would give it8 ,for my own part1 the only effect that this remark had upon me was to send me back in a half amused frame of mind to see if things pertaining to our creed were really as bad as that2 and once more1 ,i examined the foundations of our faith4 ,i returned from that examination with my convictions deepened1 with my respect and admiration very much increased for this body of doctrine so contemptuously characterized by this gentleman1 and my faith in it strengthened4 ,when called upon1 this afternoon1 to address you1 it seemed to me that ,i could do you no better service than to give you the benefit of an examination of our faith as a body of doctrine--so far as possible in one sitting2 and this holds good whether you be strangers within our gates1 or members of the ,church4 ,it is a good thing1 occasionally1 to recur to first principles1 as a means of keeping in view the whole system for which we stand4 ,every religion must have some sort of philosophy2 it must give some accounting for things2 some explanation of life and its meaning2 some explanation of the universe and whither things trend4 ,religion must address itself to the understanding as well as to the heart2 to the reason as well as to the emotions4 ,religion has been described by one as morality touched with emotion and1 in some of its aspects1 ,i think that is a very happy description of religion4 ,but we are living in an age that asks adult questions1 and religion must give adult replies4 ,i think our faith is capable of doing that4 ,i love it because it appeals to my understanding as well as to the emotions of my heart2 and consequently1 when ,i heard this contemptuous reference to it1 ,i resolved to do what ,i could by exposition of that faith1 to show this gentleman1 and those who think with him1 how mistaken they were4 ,so now to our task3 ,,ii4 ,mormon ,view of the ,universe4 ,first1 concerning the world itself--,i mean by that expression the sum total of things1 the universe4 ,in #ahcb the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith came with this message1 in one of the revelations contained in the ,book of ,covenants3 ,all kingdoms have a law given3 and there are many kingdoms2 for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom2 and there is no kingdom in which there is no space1 either a greater or a lesser kingdom4 ,by this term kingdom our ,prophet does not have in contemplation a number of people ruled by a king2 the context reveals the fact that the prophet had in mind those great planetary systems which make up the universe4 ,these are the kingdoms he had in mind2 and he announces here a very wonderful doctrine1 when he declares that there is no space but what has in it some one or other of these kingdoms--worlds and world-systems2 and that there is no kingdom in the which there is not also extension1 or space4 ,a great scientist and scholar expresses the same truth in the following language3 ,through all eternity the infinite universe has been1 and is1 subject to the law of substance3 ,the extent of the universe is infinite and unbounded4 ,it is empty in no part1 but everywhere filled with substance4 ,the duration of the world is equally infinite and unbounded4 ,it has no end2 it is eternity4 ,such is the summing up of what he calls the law of substance1 by one of the profoundest minds of ,germany1 ,ernest ,haeckel4 ,analyze it1 and you will find it precisely the same conception as that announced by our ,prophet in #ahcb1 when he said3 ,there is no space in the which there is no kingdom2 and there is no kingdom in which there is no space4 ,i think1 perhaps1 it will be necessary to dwell upon that idea for a few minutes in order that we may grasp the thought in something of its immensity4 ,i had a teacher1 once1 who was very skilful in imparting knowledge to his pupils in the matter of solving mathematical problems4 ,the lines on which he proceeded were these3 ,he would take a very simple example that involved the same principles that were to be applied in the more difficult problem2 then he would work out the simple problem and tell us to work out the more difficult one in the same manner4 ,so ,i am of opinion that if we spend a short time in considering our own little solar system1 perhaps it will help us form some idea of the immensity of the universe of which we speak4 ,it is well known to you all that our solar system is made up of what the astronomers call eight major planets and a great number of minor planets1 lying between the orbits of ,mars and ,jupiter2 that our planets in the order of their relationship of nearness to the sun1 consist of ,mercury1 ,venus1 the earth1 ,mars1 ,jupiter1 ,saturn1 ,uranus1 and ,neptune1 these are the eight major planets4 ,in diameter1 we are told that ,mercury measures #c1bjj miles2 that the diameter of ,venus is #g1gfj miles2 that the earth is #g1iah miles in diameter2 that ,mars is #d1bjj miles in diameter2 that ,jupiter is #he1jjj miles in diameter 7while our earth is less than #h1jjj miles in diameter1 be it remembered672 that the diameter of ,saturn is #gc1jjj miles4 ,yet1 take all these planets and all their satellites1 wonderful and great as they are1 and consider them melted down into one great sphere1 and still our sun alone1 the center of this planetary system1 is upwards of #gej times as large as all these planets combined would be6 ,let us now consider these several planets with reference to the distance at which they revolve about their primary--the sun4 ,mercury makes the circuit in #aaf days2 ,venus makes the circuit around the sun in #bbd days2 the earth of course1 as you remember1 makes the circuit in #cfe days2 but ,mars requires #fhg days in which to make the journey2 while ,jupiter requires #d1ccj days 7more than #aa years72 ,saturn #aj1gfg days 7more than #bi years72 ,uranus1 #bj1ffj days1 or #ef years2 and ,neptune1 #fj1abg days1 or about #afe years4 ,the distances of these planets from the sun1 in millions of miles1 are as follows3 ,mercury is #cf millions of miles2 ,venus #fg millions2 the earth #ib millions2 ,mars #ada millions2 ,jupiter #dhc millions2 ,saturn #hge millions2 ,uranus #a1ggj millions2 ,neptune #b1gdf millions of miles4 ,these figures and the facts they represent are given that some little idea may be conceived as to the extent of our own solar system1 that after contemplating its immensity and discovering that1 inconceivably great as it is1 it is still no very considerable part of the universe1 we may arise to a brief contemplation of still greater spaces--depths of the universe1 and their contents4 ,you see1 ,i am using our solar system1 as the teacher referred to a moment ago used the simple problem in arithmetic1 to help solve the more intricate problem of comprehending a little more clearly the immensity of the universe4 ,let us resume our work4 ,professor ,newcomb in his ,popular ,astronomy makes use of the following illustration to help the popular mind grasp the immensity of the sidereal system3 ,turning our attention from this system to the thousands of fixed stars which stud the heavens1 the first thing to be considered is their enormous distance asunder1 compared with the dimensions of the solar system1 though the latter are themselves inconceivably great4 ,to give an idea of the relative distances1 suppose a voyager through the celestial spaces could travel from the sun to the outermost planet of our system in #bd hours4 ,so enormous would be his velocity1 that it would carry him across the ,atlantic ocean1 from ,new ,york to ,liverpool1 in less than a tenth of a second of the clock4 ,starting from the sun with this velocity1 he would cross the orbits of the inner planets in rapid succession1 and the outer ones more slowly1 until1 at the end of a single day1 he would reach the confines of our system1 crossing the orbit of ,neptune4 ,but1 though he passed eight planets the first day1 he would pass none the next1 for he would have to journey #ah or #bj years1 without diminution of speed1 before he would reach the nearest star1 and would then have to continue his journey as far again before he could reach another4 ,all the planets of our system would have vanished in the distance1 in the course of the first three days1 and the sun would be but an insignificant star in the firmament4 ,the conclusion is1 that our sun is one of an enormous number of self-luminous bodies scattered at such distances that years would be required to traverse the space between them1 even when the voyager went at the rate we have supposed4 7,newcomb's ,astronomy1 p4 #ajd47 ,just now the great winter constellations are leaving our skies2 still1 in the evening1 you may yet see ,orion1 in the western sky2 and following1 and shining most brightly of all the stars in the firmament1 the ,dog star4 ,it is estimated by our astronomers that light travels through space at the enormous speed of #aih1jjj miles per second2 that in about eight minutes a ray of light reaches our earth from the sun4 ,yet1 this ,dog star1 to which ,i call your attention1 is so distant from us that it requires something like #af years for a ray of light to reach us from that distant and splendid sun2 and from the familiar ,pole star1 it requires #dj years for a ray of light to reach our earth4 ,mr4 ,samuel ,kinns1 well known in ,england1 as one of the foremost thinkers in that land1 tells us that this ,dog star1 judging from the amount of light emitted from him1 is #c1jjj times larger than our own sun2 and he argues1 that if this great primary1 is so many times larger than our sun1 may it not be possible that the retinue of planets of which he is doubtless the center1 is correspondingly greater than our planetary system4 ,nobody knows1 of course1 how many fixed stars there are4 ,our astronomers tell us they number all the way from #cj to #ej1 #fj1 or even hundreds of millions2 and that it is not unreasonable to suppose1 they argue1 that since we find this little planet of ours inhabited by sentient beings1 by intelligences1 by men and women capable of establishing national governments1 and high grades of civilization1 it is not unreasonable to suppose that in some of these more magnificent world-systems there may be beings more intelligent1 more powerful than we are1 and further advanced in arts and ,sciences and all that goes to make up superior methods of life and civilization4 ,and if our astronomers are anywhere nearly right in relation to the scores of millions of suns1 they report1 and it is true1 that they are the centers of planetary systems1 then of course of worlds such as ours1 and more magnificent than ours2 there are hundreds of millions4 ,upon this head ,professor ,john ,w4 ,draper says3 ,man when he looks upon the countless multitudes of stars--when he reflects that all he sees is only a small portion of those which exist1 yet that each is a light and life-giving sun to multitudes of opaque1 and therefore invisible worlds--when he considers the enormous size of these various bodies and their immeasurable distance from one another1 may form an estimate of the scale on which the world 7universe7 is constructed4 ,these reflections ,i trust will help to impress upon our minds the immensity of the universe1 until we can in some measure understand the greatness of that truth announced by the ,prophet ,joseph1 when he said3 ,there are many kingdoms2 and there is no space in which there is no kingdom2 and there is no kingdom in which there is no space1 either a greater or a lesser space2 and the deductions of ,ernest ,haeckel1 when he said3 ,the extent of the universe is infinite and unbounded4 ,it is empty in no part1 but every where filled with substance4 ,the duration of the world is equally infinite and unbounded4 ,it has no end2 it is eternity4 ,mormonism recognizes certain eternal truths1 necessary truths1 because the opposite of them cannot be conceived of--as1 for example1 that space or extension is boundless1 as one of our hymns puts it3 ,if you could hie to ,kolob1 ,in the twinkling of an eye1 ,and then continue onward1 ,with that same speed to fly-- ,do you think that you could ever1 ,through all eternity1 ,find out the generation ,where ,gods began to be8 ,or see the grand beginning1 ,where space did not extend8 ,or view the last creation1 ,where ,gods and matter end8 ,you cannot limit space in any conception of it you may form--try how you will2 for as soon as you fix the limitation1 your mind conceives extension beyond the point you fix upon1 and you may fix it as distant as you please4 ,so1 also1 in relation to duration4 ,mormonism recognizes no limit to duration4 ,time is endless2 there is no absolute beginning or end of time4 ,all beginnings and endings spoken of are but relative1 and concern not duration absolutely1 but time within eternity1 when a certain order of things begins or when it reaches an end4 ,we measure duration so1 and call it time4 ,so in relation to matter4 ,mormonism recognizes the eternity of matter and also eternity of spirit2 that matter is uncreated2 spirit is also uncreated4 ,these1 spirit and matter1 are eternal existences1 constituting what our ,book of ,mormon speaks of as things to act and things to be acted upon4 7,,ii ,nephi ii3#ad47 ,referring back now to the immensity of the universe--to this limitless1 heaving1 restless ocean of worlds and world-systems--is it inhabited by sentient beings8 ,or stands it tenantless save only for our own little earth--less than the single grain of sand on limitless sea shores8 ,on this head ,sir ,robert ,ball1 one of the leading men of science in ,england has a most thoughtful passage2 and though it would seem to open again the subject of the immensity of the universe on which we have already dwelt over long1 still ,i cannot consent to omit any part of what follows3 ,we know of the existence of #cj1jjj1jjj of stars or suns1 many of them much more magnificent than the one which gives light to our system4 ,the majority of them are not visible to the eye1 or even recognizable by the telescope1 but sensitized photographic plates--which are for this purpose eyes that can stare unwinking for hours at a time--have revealed their existence beyond all doubt or question1 though most of them are almost inconceivably distant1 thousands of tens of thousands of times as far off as our sun4 ,a telegraphic message1 for example1 which would reach the sun in eight minutes1 would not reach some of these stars in #a1hjj years4 ,the human mind1 of course1 does not really conceive such distances1 though they can be expressed in formula which the human mind has devised1 and the bewildering statement is from one point of view singularly depressing1 it reduces so greatly the probable importance of man in the universe4 ,it is most improbable1 almost impossible1 that these great centers of light should have been created to light up nothing1 and as they are far too distant to be of use to us1 we may fairly accept the hypothesis that each one has a system of planets around it like our own4 ,taking an average of only #aj planets to each sun1 that hypothesis indicates the existence1 within the narrow range to which human observation is still confined1 of at least #cjj1jjj1jjj of separate worlds1 many of them doubtless of gigantic size1 and it is nearly inconceivable that those worlds can be wholly devoid of living and sentient beings upon them4 ,granting the1 to us1 impossible hypothesis that the final cause of the universe is accident1 a fortuitous concourse of self-existent atoms1 still the accident which produced thinking beings upon this little and inferior world must have frequently repeated itself2 while if1 as we hold1 there is a sentient ,creator1 it is difficult to believe1 without a revelation to that effect1 that he has wasted such glorious creative power upon mere masses of insensible matter4 ,god cannot love gases4 ,the probability1 at least1 is that there are millions of worlds--for after all1 what the sensitized paper sees must be but an infinitesimal fraction of the whole occupied by sentient beings4 ,this is as far as scientific men may go4 ,our astronomers stand upon our earth with their telescopes directed to the planet ,mars1 which most nearly resembles the physical conditions of our own earth1 so far as may be judged1 and they speculate as to whether or not ,mars is inhabited4 ,and while they thus stand halting1 our ,prophet1 through the revelations of ,god and the inspiration of the ,almighty that was in him1 proclaimed these worlds and world-systems to be inhabited by the sons and daughters of ,god4 ,let me read a passage of ,mormon scripture to you3 ,there are many kingdoms2 for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom2 and there is no kingdom in which there is no space1 either a greater or a lesser kingdom2 ,and unto every kingdom is given a law2 and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions4 99 99 ,unto what shall ,i liken these kingdoms1 that ye may understand8 ,behold1 all these are kingdoms1 and any man who hath seen any or the least of these1 hath seen ,god moving in his majesty and power4 ,behold1 ,i will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field and he sent forth his servants into the field to labor in the field2 ,and he said unto the first1 go ye1 and labor in the field1 and in the first hour ,i will come unto you1 and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance2 ,and he said unto the second1 go ye also into the field1 and in the second hour ,i will visit you with the joy of my countenance--and so he said unto all4 ,and thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord2 every man in his hour1 and in his time1 and in his season2 ,beginning at the first1 and so on unto the last1 and from the last unto the first1 and from the first unto the last4 99 99 99 99 ,therefore1 unto this parable will ,i liken all these kingdoms1 and the inhabitants thereof2 every kingdom in its hour1 and in its time1 and in its season2 even according to the decree which ,god hath made4 ,the late ,elder ,orson ,pratt1 in a ,footnote1 commenting upon the above passages says3 ,the inhabitants of each planet blessed with the presence and visits of their ,creator4 ,that which scientific men may only properly say is a probability1 the ,prophet ,joseph boldly proclaims as revealed truth--the universe is not tenantless1 but is inhabited by sentient beings--the offspring of ,divine ,beings4 ,,iii4 ,,philosophy ,,of ,,mormonism4 ,i think now we have sufficient data before us on which we may proceed to the consideration of the philosophy of ,mormonism4 ,with your permission1 then1 and asking you to bear with me and follow me as closely as you can in what ,i now have to offer1 ,i will read--because one ought to be careful in stating conceptions of important things--,i will read to you a few paragraphs touching these great and1 ,i think1 essential principles of so-called ,mormonism that ought to be considered when we are discussing ,mormonism as a body of doctrine4 ,i trust we shall arrive at the conclusion1 finally1 that it is worth more than the respect of a passing glance4 ,it would be difficult to characterize ,mormon philosophy under any of the schools extant4 ,eternalism ,i should select as the word best suited for its philosophic conceptions4 ,it is dualistic1 but not in the sense that it breaks up the universe into two entirely distinct substances--the material world and an immaterial ,god1--as the ,christian philosophy1 in the main does4 ,it is also monistic1 but not in the sense that in the last analysis of things it recognizes no distinctions in matter1 or that matter--gross material--and spirit1 or mind1 a finer and thinking kind of material1 are fused into one inseparable sole substance which is at once ,god and nature1 as the monists claim4 ,its dualism is that which1 while recognizing an infinitely extended substance1 the universe1 unbounded and empty in no part1 but everywhere filled with substance--it holds1 nevertheless1 that such substance exists in two principle modes1 having some qualities in common1 and in others being distinct2 first1 gross material1 usually recognized as matter1 pure and simple2 and1 second1 a finer1 thinking substance1 usually regarded by other systems of thought as spirit1 i4e41 immaterial substance--if one may use terms so contradictory4 ,these two kinds of matter have existed from all eternity and will exist to eternity1 in intimate relations4 ,neither produces the other1 they are eternal existences--things to act and things to be acted upon4 ,the monism of ,mormonism1 alluded to a moment since1 while recognizing the universe as infinitely extended substance and all substance as material--and hence1 in this respect1 monistic2 yet it also recognizes the world substance as being of two kinds3 one gross material2 the other a finer1 or thinking material2 having some qualities in common with gross matter1 and in others being distinct4 ,all spirit is matter1 said our ,prophet1 but it is more fine or pure i4e41 than gross matter tangible to our ordinary senses and can only be discerned by purer eyes4 ,we cannot see it2 but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter4 ,after these distinctions are made and all the while held in consciousness1 so that there shall not be a loss of distinction in things1 nor a confounding of things1 we may hereafter use the terms intelligence and matter--equivalent of mind and matter--as naming the two modes in which1 for ,mormonism1 the eternal and infinitely extended substance1 the universe1 exists4 ,to say that intelligence dominates matter and produces all the ceaseless changes going on in the universe1 both of creation and demolition1 for both forces are operating--as our ,pearl of ,great ,price says3 ,there are many worlds that have passed away1 by the world of my ,god's power2 and there are many that now stand2 and as one earth shall pass away and the heavens thereof1 even so shall another come2 and there is no end to my works2 and hence the creation and demolition to which reference is here made4 ,to say that mind dominates matter1 ,i repeat1 is merely to say that the superior dominates the inferior2 that which acts is greater than that which is acted upon2 that mind is the eternal cause of the ever becoming in the universe1 the cause and sustainer of the cosmic world4 ,it is also to say that mind is power2 that mind possesses as qualities the power of thought1 and will1 and life1 and love4 ,as the grosser material exists ultimately in elements that are themselves eternal--uncreated and uncreatable1 so the finer or thinking substance1 intelligence is eternal--uncreated and uncreatable4 ,that is the doctrine of the revelation1 which says3 ,man was in the beginning with ,god4 ,intelligence1 or the light of truth1 was not created1 or made--neither1 indeed1 can be2 and as the gross material1 atoms1 exist1 some in organized worlds and world-systems1 the cosmos2 and also others in chaotic mass1 so the intelligences1 intelligent entities1 exist in somewhat analogous states1 some in the form of perfected exalted men clothed upon with immortal bodies1 as the ,christ was--nay1 rather is now1 today1 and participating in a nature that is divine--having won their exaltation through stress and trial in the various estates or changes through which they have passed2 other intelligences exist in spirit bodies1 less tangible than the first class1 possessed of less experience1 less of power and dignity1 but still they are in the way of progress through other estates yet to be experienced by them2 also intelligences not yet begotten spirits1 not yet united with elements of the grosser substance1 union with which is essential to the highest development of intelligences4 ,you find this last doctrine mainly-recorded in the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants1 as follows3 ,the elements are eternal1 and spirit and element1 inseparably connected as in the case of resurrected1 glorified personages inseparably connected1 receive a fulness of joy2 and when separated1 man cannot receive a fulness of joy4 ,the elements are the tabernacle of ,god2 yea1 man is the tabernacle of ,god1 even temples2 and whatsoever temple is defiled ,god shall destroy that temple4 ,such is the ,mormon view of the universe and the modes of existence in it1 briefly outlined4 ,these existences1 both of the thinking substance and the grosser materials1 are subject to infinite changes and development in which there are no ultimates4 ,each succeeding wave of progress may attain higher and ever higher degrees of excellence1 but never attain perfection3 ,the ideal recedes ever as it is approached2 and1 hence1 progress is eternal1 even for the highest of existences4 ,one other thought in connection with all these matters4 ,i read to you a few moments ago a passage to the effect that to all these kingdoms of the infinite universe is given a law1 and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions4 ,later in the same revelation this is added3 ,verily ,i say unto you he1 ,god hath given a law unto all things by which they move in their times and in their seasons4 ,and their courses are fixed2 even the courses of the heavens and the earth1 which comprehend the earth and all the planets2 and they give light to each other in their times and in their season1 in their minutes1 in their hours1 in their days1 in their weeks1 in their months1 in their years2 all these are one year with ,god1 but not with man4 ,in passing it may be interesting to note respecting the idea expressed above1 viz41 that to every law there are certain bounds also and conditions1--that a remarkable statement was made by a learned man of our own country touching this same principle4 ,the passage quoted from ,joseph ,smith bears the date of ,december1 #ahcb4 ,sixty-three years afterwards1 ,henry ,drummond1 speaking upon this principle of law being limited by law--or law itself being under the dominion of law--said3 ,one of the most striking generalizations of recent science is that even laws have their law4 ,that is to say1 even unto laws there are certain bounds and conditions that limit them4 ,let me illustrate it1 if ,i can4 ,the old-time mariner1 say of a hundred years ago1 knew nothing of nature's forces applied to navigation except the tides1 the ocean currents1 and the winds4 ,he believed these were all the propelling forces that entered into ocean navigation4 ,if he were alive today1 and could see one of our great ocean greyhounds1 the modern passenger ocean steamship1 dashing through the waves dead against both ocean currents and the wind1 and yet making greater speed than he could ever attain in his sailing vessel with both wind and the tide in his favor1 he would declare that he beheld a miracle4 ,but that would not be true4 ,we of today1 with our knowledge of other forces than those of wind and ocean currents operating in ocean navigation1 look upon the steamship's speed as perfectly natural4 ,the natural forces with which the mariner of a hundred years ago was acquainted are simply overcome by other forces in nature2 not in violation of any natural law1 but through the application of forces unknown to the sailor of a hundred years ago4 ,so1 doubtless we shall find it true in relation to nearly all laws or forces that exist4 ,we shall find still other laws1 still other forces1 that limit or supercede1 when applied1 the forces now known to us4 ,but what ,i wanted to do is merely to call your attention to the fact that ,mormonism teaches this very great doctrine1 viz41 that the whole universe--unlimited and unbounded as it is1 and having within it and now operating processes both of evolution and devolution--as it is written in the ,book of ,moses 7,pearl of ,great ,price73 ,behold there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power4 ,and there are many that now stand1 and innumerable are they to man4 99 99 99 ,and as one earth shall pass away and the heavens thereof1 even so shall another come2 and there is no end to my works--notwithstanding all this is going on in the universe1 the operation of both creative and destructive forces1 yet we are assured by the word of ,god as well as by the deductions of scientists and philosophers that all the mighty change going on in the universe1 as well as the universe itself1 are under the dominion of law2 and in the consciousness of the reign of law1 our faith teaches us to repose sublime and perfect confidence in the fact that ,god is in his world3 ,all is well with the world4 ,such ,i conceive to be the effect of this conception that we live under the reign of law2 and that constructive forces predominate in the economy of things1 else things that are would not be nor persist4 ,,iv4 ,,source ,,of ,,moral ,,evil4 ,now we come to an element in our faith1 extremely interesting and that is the transgression of law1 which the ,apostle ,john declares to be sin3 for sin1 said he1 is the transgression of the law4 ,this transgression of law is a fact that has to be taken into account in the sum of things4 ,the existence of moral evil in the world is one of the problems that has vexed ,christian theologians from the earliest of times until now4 ,they have had extreme difficulty in reconciling their conception of ,god as an absolute being1 infinitely wise1 all-powerful1 all-good1 and that he created everything out of nothing1 and yet not assign to him the creation of evil4 ,if all things have been produced by an infinitely righteous1 perfect1 all-powerful1 and good ,creator1 how can moral evil exist in his economy8 ,that is a question to which no satisfactory explanation has yet been found4 ,mormonism teaches that ,god does not create moral evil2 but that moral evil arises out of the agency of intelligences1 and that so long as there are intelligences1 possessed of free agency1 it means that they can violate law1 if they insist upon doing it4 ,to conceive this as impossible would be to deny the free agency of intelligences4 ,i know there is one passage that1 perhaps1 might be quoted against my contention1 that ,god does not create evil4 ,it occurs in the writings of ,isaiah1 it is said--and it is the only place in ,scripture where it is said1 so far as ,i have been able to learn--,i ,god make peace1 and ,i create evil4 ,i create--what8 ,evil1 such as the opposite of peace1 such as war1 famine1 and the like4 ,but to what end does ,god cause war1 or famine8 ,for corrective purposes only1 to chastize men1 to bring them to a realization of wrong-doing1 or national transgression4 ,for these ends ,god has1 sometimes1 brought to pass these conditions that we recognize as evil4 ,but that class of evils is quite a distinct thing from moral evil4 ,though ,god may bring on a famine1 storm1 tempest1 or war for corrective purposes1 yet ,god is not the creator of falsehood2 he is not the creator of slander2 nor of drunkenness2 nor of avarice1 nor malice1 nor of robbery1 nor unkindness1 nor of adulteries4 ,these moral evils are not of his creating4 ,jesus ,christ did not say1 ,lead us not into temptation1 for1 as the ,apostle ,james instructs us1 ,god cannot be tempted of evil4 ,let no man1 says he1 when he is tempted1 say1 ,i am tempted of ,god2 for ,god cannot be tempted with evil1 neither tempteth he any man4 ,but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed4 ,then lust when it hath conceived bringeth forth sin1 and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death4 ,the prayer of the ,christ1 as taught to his apostles1 and as restored through the word of the ,lord to our ,prophet1 is not1 ,and lead us not into temptation1 but ,suffer us not to be led into temptation1 deliver us from evil4 ,so far as moral evil is concerned1 then1 ,i say it is not of ,god's creation4 ,it is one of those possibilities that are eternal4 ,it did not begin with the transgression of ,adam upon this earth4 ,it existed before that2 even in the heavens1 when ,lucifer rebelled against the ,king and majesty of heaven--,god4 ,lucifer had power even there to sin2 and so far back as the agency of intelligences extends1 there has existed always the possibility of sin2 and so far forward as the agency of intelligences shall extend1 there will always be the possibility1 of the transgression of law1 of sin2 for sin potentially1 is an eternal reality4 ,it is concurrent with the free agency of intelligences4 ,but ,god1 according to ,mormon doctrine1 does not create evil1 tempt men with it1 and then when not sufficiently strong to withstand the temptation1 damn them everlastingly for falling4 ,the only way in which ,god affects men is favorably1 that is1 he helps them in their apprehension of and their adoption of the good4 ,he does not1 according to ,mormon doctrine1 create intelligence1 for that is an independent1 self-existing thing2 therefore not even ,god creates man's intelligence1 that is uncreated and uncreatable--an eternal thing4 ,as ,i have said elsewhere1 ,god is not responsible for the use they make of their freedom2 nor is he the author of their sufferings when they fall into sin2 suffering arises out of the violations of law to which the intelligence subscribed1 and must be endured until the lessons of obedience to law are learned4 ,man has his choice of moving upward or downward in every estate he occupies2 often defeating even the benevolent purposes of ,god respecting him1 through his own perverseness2 he passes through dire experiences1 suffers terribly1 yet learns by what he suffers1 so that his very suffering becomes a means to his improvement2 he learns swiftly or slowly1 according to the inherent nature of him1 obedience to law2 he learns that that which is governed by law is also preserved by law1 and perfected and sanctified by the same2 and that which breaketh the law and abideth not by law1 but seeketh to become a law unto itself1 and willeth to abide in sin1 and altogether abideth in sin1 cannot be sanctified by law1 neither by mercy1 justice nor judgment4 ,therefore they must remain filthy still4 ,this conception of things relieves ,god of the responsibility for the nature and status of intelligences in all stages of their development2 their inherent nature and their volition makes them primarily what they are1 and this nature they may change1 slowly1 perhaps1 yet change it they may4 ,god has put them in the way of changing it1 by enlarging their intelligence through change of environment1 and through experiences4 ,,the ,,place ,,and ,,mission ,,of ,,christ ,,in ,,mormon ,,doctrine4 ,there is a singular fact connected with this subject of moral evil--of sin4 ,and that is that the transgression of the moral law entails suffering1 even as violation of physical law may result in pain1 or sickness or death4 ,the way of the transgressor is hard4 ,whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap4 ,the wages of sin is death4 ,not only are these truisms1 but it is also true that often the righteous are made to suffer because of the transgressions of the wicked4 ,the innocent are involved in the misery of the guilty4 ,no man lives unto himself alone1 and he may1 and often does involve others in his transgressions4 ,it is possible for the fathers to suffer because of the sins of the children4 ,it is possible for the children to suffer because of the sins of the fathers4 ,many a father can still exclaim as ,david did over his wayward son ,absalom1 ,o6 my son6 ,would to ,god that ,i had died for thee6 ,this is one of the difficulties that confront religious thought--the innocent being involved in the sufferings of the guilty4 ,yet1 from the midst of our perplexity over such a seeming injustice as this1 there comes to us the mighty testimony that it is not only possible but it is a fact1 that the innocent can and do suffer with and because of the transgression of the guilty2 may they not also suffer for them1 since vicarious suffering is a possibility8 ,on that possibility hinges the whole gospel of the ,christ1 and the saving power of the atonement4 ,it is deeply written in the experiences of men that the innocent can suffer with and because of the guilty2 and it is the doctrine of the ,christian revelation that the innocent can suffer for the guilty1 as witness the following testimonies3 ,for when we were yet without strength1 in due time ,christ died for us4 ,christ also hath once suffered for sins1 the just for the unjust1 that he might bring us to ,god4 ,he the ,christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself4 99 99 99 ,so ,christ once suffered to bear the sins of many2 and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation4 ,christ also suffered for us4 99 99 ,who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree1 that we being dead to sin1 should live unto righteousness2 by whose stripes we were healed4 ,it is very clear1 then1 that it is the doctrine of the ,christian revelation1 which doctrine of course1 ,mormonism accepts1 that ,christ suffered for man's transgressions4 ,there is ,scripture evidence also1 could we but take the time to point it out1 to prove that the whole scheme of man's earth-life and his redemption was considered even before the foundations of the earth itself were laid4 ,and the ,redeemer chosen and agreed upon and hence was the ,lamb slain from the foundation of the world4 ,paul announces himself as living1 ,in hope of eternal life1 which ,god1 that cannot lie1 promised before the world began4 ,the facts in brief are that the time came when for the progress of spirit intelligences an earth-life1 under conditions such as exist in this world1 became necessary to them4 ,to bring to pass that earth-life the union of spirit with earth element and attended by the experiences which such a life would bring1 involved transgression of law1 involving the race in sin and death from which it was only possible to extricate it by adequate atonement being made to satisfy the claims of inexorable law4 ,in this crisis there arose in the councils in heaven one great1 sympathetic ,soul who recognized not only the fact that the innocent can suffer with the guilty1 or because of the guilty1 but for the guilty1 and offered himself a sacrifice for the sin that should be committed in breaking the harmony of things in order to give intelligences the advantages of earth-life and its lessons4 ,the ,christ would make atonement for ,adam's transgression1 so that as in ,adam all should die1 as saith the ,scriptures1 so in ,christ should all be made alive2 that since by man came death1 by man should come also the resurrection of the dead4 ,and not only was this vicarious atonement made to cover the transgression of ,adam1 but it was made to reach also to the individual sins of men1 that they might not suffer if they would accept the gospel4 ,the doctrine is better stated in a revelation given to our ,prophet than anywhere else in sacred literature1 hence ,i quote that revelation4 ,let it be borne in mind that transgression of the moral law--sin--is attended upon by suffering1 and now this revelation4 ,it was given through the ,prophet to ,martin ,harris1 one of the three witnesses to the ,book of ,mormon1 reproving him for some of his delinquencies3 ,and surely every man must repent or suffer1 for ,i1 ,god1 am endless1 ,wherefore1 ,i revoke not the judgments which ,i shall pass1 but woes shall go forth1 weeping1 wailing and gnashing of teeth1 yea1 to those who are found on my left hand2 99 99 99 99 99 ,therefore ,i command you to repent1 repent1 lest ,i smite you by the rod of my mouth1 and by my wrath1 and by my anger1 and your sufferings be sore--how sore you know not6 how exquisite you know not6 yea1 how hard to bear you know not6 ,for behold1 ,i1 ,god1 have suffered these things for all1 that they might not suffer if they would repent1 ,but if they would not repent1 they must suffer even as ,i1 ,which suffering caused myself1 even ,god1 the greatest of all1 to tremble because of pain1 and to bleed at every pore1 and to suffer both body and spirit2 and would that ,i might not drink that bitter cup and shrink-- ,nevertheless1 glory be to the ,father1 ,i partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men2 ,wherefore1 ,i command you again to repent1 lest ,i humble you with my almighty power1 and that you confess your sins1 test you suffer these punishments of which ,i have spoken1 of which in the smallest1 yea1 even in the least degree you have tasted at the time ,i withdrew my spirit4 ,i presume that the experience of ,martin ,harris1 here described1 has at least been sufficiently the experience of every matured man and woman--that they know this testimony to be true1 that is1 that sin produces suffering--sorrow1 anguish of heart2 and when the ,spirit of the ,lord is withdrawn and darkness1 like the blackness of night surges through the soul of man1 and the sun of righteousness seems set for him1 he is then made to feel what it means to sin against the law of ,god as it has been revealed unto his soul4 ,when you think of the bitterness of that personal suffering1 you will not marvel that when the heavy burden of a world's sin rested down upon the ,son of ,god in ,gethsemane--you certainly will not marvel that he sweat great drops of blood in his agony2 nor wonder at his suffering on the cross4 ,now1 the transgression of the moral law we say results in suffering4 ,it is possible for the innocent to suffer for the guilty1 and through the voluntary act of the ,christ1 he took upon him your sins and mine1 if we will but be bought by the price which he paid for us4 ,he has suffered that we might not suffer1 if we would but obey his law henceforth4 ,the atonement of the ,christ both for ,adam's transgression and for the individual sins of men1 brings into the moral economy of ,god the element of mercy1 and of love from which mercy springs4 ,to make room for mercy1 however1 justice had to be satisfied1 hence the atonement4 ,and ,god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth on him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,for ,god sent not his ,son into the world to condemn the world1 but that the world through him might be saved4 ,this sacrifice of the ,christ is the manifestation of that love of ,god that binds in sympathetic relations all the intelligences of the universe together2 by which they suffer not only with each other and because of each other1 but at need for each other4 ,this is the doctrine of the atonement of the ,christ2 this the good news of salvation1 the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,you may be rescued1 ,i may be rescued1 from the suffering that comes of sin1 through the vicarious atonement of the ,christ4 ,and that the forces of that atonement may be applied to us1 we manifest our acceptance of this means of salvation by our repentance of sin1 and by going into the waters of baptism1 into the great cleansing element of the world1 and there are buried with the ,christ in likeness of his own burial2 and then we are brought forth from the watery tomb in the likeness of his glorious resurrection2 and as he awoke to a newness of physical life1 by the resurrection1 so1 too1 may we come forth from baptism to a newness of spiritual life4 ,we also complete the baptism by the application of the purifying element1 the baptism of the ,holy ,ghost--likened unto a baptism of fire4 ,the ,spirit of ,god is thus imparted to our spirit1 which means that our lives are united with the life of ,god2 by which his wisdom may be at our service2 by which his strength may be our strength2 his glory1 may be our glory4 ,thus may men be united to ,god by these most beautiful and holy symbols of the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,then1 to keep the object lessons constantly before us1 and to be reminded of the price that was paid for the possibility of our redemption from sin1 we often partake of the emblems of the body and of the blood of the ,christ1 by which we renew covenant1 by which we renew spiritual life1 and thus keep our fellowship with ,god1 that the blood of ,christ may cleanse us from all sin4 ,this1 in part1 is the body of our doctrine4 ,this is the grand scheme of man's salvation1 and the philosophy that underlies it4 ,this is our doctrine concerning the universe1 concerning the existence of intelligences within it1 the purpose of earth-life of man1 and the means provided for man's redemption from the consequences of the transgression of law involved in that earth-life4 ,judge ye1 this day1 whether such a body of doctrine as this is not worthy of something more than the cold respect of a passing glance4 ,v4 ,,peace4 ,remarks at the ,peace ,meeting1 held in the ,salt ,lake ,tabernacle1 ,sunday afternoon1 ,may #afth1 #aiji1 following a ,discourse by ,elder ,w4 ,w4 ,riter on the subject of ,universal ,peace4 ,i4 ,,the ,,blessedness ,,of ,,peace4 ,and he ,jehovah shall judge among the nations1 and shall rebuke many people2 and they shall beat their swords into plow shares1 and their spears into pruninghooks2 nation shall not lift up sword against nation1 neither shall they learn war any more4 ,this is the passage of ,scripture which ,elder ,riter referred to as being the one which1 perhaps1 will be more frequently repeated today than any other passage of ,scripture2 for in our own land1 and other ,christian lands1 this day is dedicated to the promotion of peace2 to the suggesting of ways and means by which peaceful arbitration may be substituted for the dreadful arbitrament of war1 in the settlement of international difficulties4 ,i presume there is no one but what loves peace4 ,we remember1 of course1 the injunction of the ,psalmist1 to seek peace and pursue it4 ,we recall1 on this occasion1 the song of the angels at the birth of the ,christ1 when the hope of ,isaiah in a new form was expressed in the song of the angels1 in the ,judean hills--,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good will toward men4 ,i think of all the salutations that were ever spoken to man1 the most beautiful is that salutation of the ,christ after his resurrection upon meeting his disciples--,peace be unto you6 ,this afterwards became the universal ,christian salutation--,peace be unto you6 ,he the ,christ hath called us to peace1 is ,paul's declaration4 ,again3 if it be possible--as much as lieth in you1 live peaceably with all men4 ,of wisdom it is said3 ,her ways are ways of pleasantness1 and all her paths are paths of peace4 ,from all these expressions we learn1 of course1 the desirability and the beauty and grace of peace--peace on earth1 and toward men good will4 ,strange indeed would be the spectacle of a man who would express himself in favor of war instead of peace4 ,peace is the mother of abundance2 the nurse of sciences and of arts2 for without peace these things may not abound4 ,peace is essential to the progress of nations2 some one has called it the calm health of nations4 ,every prompting of the heart and every deduction of the reasonable mind would array all men upon the side of peace4 ,good sense demands it2 prosperity and progress of nations demand it4 ,i give my voice for peace4 ,but in our contemplation of this subject1 there are some other things that1 ,i think1 ought to be considered4 ,we must not forget that there is such a thing as ignoble peace1 ,there has been in the past1 and there may be in the future1 such things as honorable wars4 ,there are some things in this world that can not be arbitrated4 ,a burglar1 for instance1 enters your home1 and he loads up his bag with your valuables--your jewelry1 your money1 the product of your frugality and industry--and when you catch him red-handed in the act1 he may not drop his bag and propose arbitration4 ,you can't arbitrate the case2 he must be seized and brought before the courts1 and receive the punishment due to his crime4 ,the community must be protected against such characters4 ,it is equally true that there are international affairs that may not be arbitrated4 ,a host may not invade our territory1 and while still occupying it propose arbitration of differences between us4 ,we will not endure the presence of the invader4 ,he must be driven from the fatherland4 ,until we reach the basis of assured justice in personal affairs and in national affairs1 the world may not hope to dispense with the force that can demand and assure justice4 ,the very existence of law implies force4 ,the great ,napoleon1 who will yet be recognized as a greater statesman than he was warrior1 once said1 ,your laws are mere nullities without the force necessary to make them respected4 ,law implies penalty2 penalty implies force2 force1 in the last analysis of it1 means armies and navies1 and there is no escaping the conclusion4 ,while ,god is spoken of as a ,god of justice1 he is also spoken of as a ,god of battles3 and we have a number of instances named in holy writ1 where ,god justified war--notwithstanding all the horrors attendant upon it4 ,there are some things worse than war1 and there are some things even better than peace4 ,justice is better than peace2 and without justice1 be assured you can have no enduring peace4 ,war is horrible1 but slavery is worse4 ,deprivation of your rights1 the right to life1 to liberty1 and to the pursuit of happiness--to be deprived of these is worse than war2 and these are worth all that it costs to maintain them1 worthy of all that even a war would cost us to maintain them4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,god ,,of ,,battles4 ,i was much impressed1 many years ago1 in reading the account of ,joshua1 when he was taking possession of the land which ,god had given to the ,hebrew race4 ,as he was nearing ,jericho1 in the early days of his conquests1 on one occasion he observed a stranger approaching1 with his sword drawn in his hand3 and ,joshua went unto him and said1 ,art thou for us1 or for our adversaries8 ,nay1 said this glorious personage1 but as captain of the host of the ,lord1 am ,i now come2 and ,joshua fell at his feet and worshiped him without reproach1 acknowledging him as lord1 and inquired what he would have him to do2 and the divine personage--for he was no less--required the warrior1 ,joshua1 to remove the very shoes from his feet1 for he was standing on holy ground6 ,how different this incident from that where an angel appeared unto ,john1 the beloved disciple1 and ,john1 overwhelmed with the glamor of the angel's brightness1 fell down and worshiped him1 or would have done so1 but the angel quickly raised him up and said1 ,see thou do it not1 for ,i am of thy fellow servants and of thy brethren that have the testimony of ,jesus1 worship ,god4 ,but in the case of ,joshua bowing down to this personage1 with drawn sword in hand1 ,captain of the ,lord's hosts1 he was not stopped in his worship of him2 proving to us that this personage was more than an angel--that he was divine4 ,what1 ,deity8 ,yes1 or why was he worshiped by ,joshua8 ,again1 it is written in the ,scriptures3 ,the sons of ,reuben1 and the ,gadites1 and the half tribe of ,manasseh--made war with the ,hagarites--and they were helped against them3 for they cried to ,god in the battle1 and he was entreated of them2 because they put their trust in him4--,then fell down many slain1 because the war was of ,god4 ,these incidents represent ,god indeed as a ,god of battles4 ,i know it is said that ,war is hell1 and therefore1 from that standpoint1 some people may think that ,god has little or nothing to do with war2 but at this point ,i may say that ,i share the views of his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,armagh1 who1 in a poem published a few years ago1 said3 ,they say that 'war is hell1' the 'great accursed1 ',the sin impossible to be forgiven-- ,yet ,i can look beyond it at its worst1 ,and still find blue in ,heaven4 ,and when ,i note how nobly natures form ,under the war's red rain1 ,i deem it true1 ,that he who made the earthquake and the storm1 ,perchance made battles too6 99 99 99 99 99 ,as the heaven's many colored flames ,at sunset are but dust in rich disguise-- ,the ascending earthquake dust of battle frames ,god's pictures in the skies4 ,,iii4 ,,justice ,,the ,,basis ,,of ,,peace4 ,you will see1 from what ,i have here said1 that while ,i am interested in this question of peace1 and believe in it1 ,i have little sympathy with the hysteria that sometimes goes with those who advocate it4 ,if the world wants peace--very good2 the world may have it2 but that world-peace which has been the dream of prophets and sages must have for its basis justice4 ,no more beautiful expression than this3 ,righteousness and ,peace have kissed each other2 and peace is of little worth till kissed by righteousness4 ,make your basis of universal peace universal justice1 and peace is assured4 ,and may we hope for it1 this universal peace8 ,most assuredly4 ,it has been promised the world by divine wisdom1 and his word will not fail2 but when we get universal peace1 it will be because righteousness has been established1 and because justice is assured4 ,those of us1 then1 who are interested in establishing international peace--universal peace--let us proceed by seeking to establish righteousness--personal and national--and by establishing justice4 ,already there has been wonderful progress made by the world in this direction4 ,already we may see the twilight breaking over the eastern hills that gives assurance of the coming day of peace spoken of by the prophets4 ,elder ,riter has traced for us some of the developments in this progress4 ,i think1 in modern days our movements towards it have been almost by leaps and bounds4 ,it was in #ahae that the first peace society in the world1 was organized4 ,that organization was effected in the ,united ,states4 ,it took place immediately after the close of the unfortunate war of #ahab1 our last war1 with ,great ,britain--pray ,god it may be1 indeed1 the very last6 ,the circumstances attendant upon that war1 the pity of seeing people of the same race and of the same religion1 locked in deadly conflict2 and then1 too1 the unhappy circumstances of having the chief great land battle fought some fifteen or twenty days after the peace between the two nations had really been signed--these circumstances created a sentiment against such wars as this1 wars between people so closely allied in interest and sentiment1 and religion--it was like brother fighting brother6 ,and the great internecine war between the ,american states presented to the world even a sadder picture1 and created a still stronger sentiment for peace4 ,so the peace movement began from these circumstances1 and from these beginnings grew until from a purely local movement it became a national one2 and today is an international one4 ,in #ahii we had the happiness of seeing the world's first great1 permanent international court of arbitration established1 the beginning of the fulfilment of that dream of the prophets1 the establishment of the universal parliament of the world1 the federation of nations4 ,the leading nations of ,europe and ,america sent delegations to the ,hague that year1 and there was established this permanent court of arbitration1 which has already passed upon some twelve international cases1 and that has quite a number of cases still pending before it4 ,this is progress beyond the dreams of men a quarter of a century ago4 ,but these things grow slowly4 ,we need not marvel if the movement that finally established this permanent international court of arbitration grew slowly4 ,constitutions1 says an authority on civil law1 are not made--they grow4 ,they come up out of the long experience of races of men4 ,they are beaten out upon the anvil of human experience4 ,take a single nation1 a homogenous people--how slow they have been1 in the centuries of the past1 to come to a settlement of the questions pertaining to the civil rights of persons1 to their political rights under the law4 ,how slow individuals have been to learn that liberty is liberty under the law2 and not the license to do as one pleases1 irrespective of the rights of others6 ,you may be assured that if a race or a nation has made slow progress along these lines1 when the people were homogenous1 when their civilization was identical1 when their aspirations were of one character--then you may be assured that nations of different races1 civilizations1 traditions and temperaments will still make slower progress and require a longer time to conform their conduct to international law1 the object of which shall be to dispense justice among the nations4 ,still we may hope that this movement towards a recognition of international justice and universal peace will be more rapid than in past ages as to national reforms and progress1 since we live in an age noted for the diffusion of knowledge1 and a constantly widening circle of intelligence4 ,in this text ,i have read to you1 there is one thing that ,i want to call your attention to1 that we are apt to overlook1 and that is this3 ,and ,he ,jehovah shall judge among the nations1 and shall rebuke many people1 etc4 ,mark you that6 ,jehovah shall judge among the nations2 then comes your promise of the beating of swords into plowshares1 and spears into pruning hooks4 ,when8 ,when ,jehovah judges among the nations--when his law1 the very essence of which is justice1 is observed and honored by the nations2 then we may hope to find the fulfillment of the dream of the prophet1--and not until then4 ,and when the dream of the poets and sages shall come to pass1 and the federation of nations shall be a reality1 and there shall be the world's parliament--what then8 ,why1 even then you will find that law implies force to compel obedience1 and that force in the last analysis of things means armies1 navies--war6 ,so that when the world shall be removed from the possibilities of war1 ,i do not know4 ,my judgment is that we shall need courts1 police1 armies1 navies--the embodiment of force1 just so long as on the part of individuals and groups of individuals and communities and nations there is a disposition to resort to acts of injustice1 to violate law1 to gratify the disposition in man to make aggression upon his fellow-men4 ,these things must be restrained2 and1 in some cases force only is the means by which they may be restrained2 so that the means of the enforcement of law1 so far as ,i can see1 must live as long as there is law4 ,well1 this view is not so very hopeful for international--for universal peace1 is it8 ,i read1 in my ,scriptures1 about their having been war even in heaven2 and ,i do not know but what there may be future wars in other heavens--,i am sure there will be if there is rebellion against law1 and justice1 and good order2 and it will extend into the future1 as well as being a reality of the past4 ,now1 do you not see that the end of all our reflections upon the subject simply means that you must have righteousness or you can have no peace8 ,you must have justice or you can never have peace4 ,neither ,gods nor men have been able to have peace in the past1 not even in heaven1 apart from these principles2 and what holds as to the past1 ,i think is very likely to hold for the future4 ,as to the sorrow that wars bring to us--,i scarcely know what to say of that4 ,but even sorrows have their mission in this world2 and suffering has its mission4 ,i think that any ,christian who rightly understands the gospel of ,jesus ,christ will value all the more the salvation that comes to him1 by reason of what it cost--the blood-sweat of the ,christ in ,gethsemane1 as well as his sufferings on ,calvary4 ,i think a man should value the liberties that he enjoys all the more because of the awful price that has been paid for them4 ,i read here in our ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants that ,god inspired the fathers of our republic to establish the ,constitution of our country--the ,united ,states2 and he tells us that he redeemed the land by the shedding of blood4 ,are these battles of the past1 these sufferings and sacrifices of past generations1 of no value8 ,i prize the liberties of our age and the civilization of our times1 not only because of the value of the things in themselves1 but also because of the price that the generations in the past have paid for them4 ,they become sanctified through the suffering and the sacrifice that it has been necessary to make fo them4 ,father ,ryan has voiced some sentiments1 in which ,i share1 and ,i am going to read them to you4 ,it is said by some one1 whom ,i do not now remember1 that ,calvaries and crucifixes take deepest hold of humanity--the triumphs of might are transient1 they pass away and are forgotten--the sufferings of ,right are graven deepest on the chronicles of nations4 ,i do not believe that all the suffering of the past is wasted1 by any manner of means1 ,crowns of roses fade2 crowns of thorns endure6 ,and now for this poem3 ,,the ,,land ,,with ,,memories4 ,yes6 give me a land where the ruins are spread1 ,and the living tread light on the hearts of the dead2 ,yes1 give me a land that is blest by the dust1 ,and bright with the deeds of the downtrodden just6 ,yes1 give me the land that hath legend and lays ,enshrining the memories of long-vanished days2 ,yes1 give me a land that hath story and song1 ,to tell of the strife of the ,right with the ,wrong2 ,yes1 give me the land with a grave in each spot1 ,and names in the graves that shall not be forgot6 ,yes1 give me the land of the wreck and the tomb1 ,there's a grandeur in graves--there's a glory in gloom6 ,for out of the gloom future brightness is born1 ,and the graves of the dead1 with the grass overgrown1 ,may yet form the footstool of ,liberty's throne1 ,and each single wreck in the war-path of ,might1 ,shall yet be a rock in the ,temple of ,right6 #a ,footnote #a3 ,this poem was often quoted by ,mr4 ,alexander ,stephens1 of ,georgia1 than whom ,america has produced few greater statesmen1 and this poem for him seemed to voice the sorrows of the ,south after the close of the war between the ,states4 ,now1 let us have peace1 even if we have to fight for it--and in my judgment1 for some time to come1 if you have peace1 it will be because you are prepared to fight for it2 and when the great central government shall be established--the world's federation of nations--it will need the force1 the power to compel men to submit to its just decrees4 ,this dream of the poet1 here in ,isaiah1 shall be fulfilled in very deed1 when ,god shall judge among the nations2 because when he judges among the nations1 he will judge in righteousness1 and he will judge in justice2 that will insure the world's peace2 and our national armaments then will not be necessary4 ,but what experiences1 national and international1 lie between where we now stand and the attainment of that end--who may tell8 ,another prophet caught a glimpse of that side of the question1 when he declared that the nations would beat their plows into swords1 and their pruning hooks into spears 7,joel #c3aj72 and there is something in the way of experience in that kind for modern nations1 in all probability4 ,yet1 ,i am a man of peace1 ,i believe in peace4 ,i intend to work for peace1 but ,i cannot close my eyes to some of these things that are born out of the experiences of races and nations of men2 but may ,god grant that the spirit of peace may increase in the world--there is much need of it1 but when peace becomes universal and permanent1 be assured it will be so1 because righteousness and justice shall have been established in the world4 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,mysterious ,,harmonies ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,republic4 ,being a development of the thought that ,god had part in founding the government of the ,united ,states and is directing its destinies4 7,fourth of ,july speech at ,spanish ,fork1 #aijh47 ,i4 ,,introduction4 ,mr4 ,chairman1 ,ladies and ,gentlemen3 ,i appreciate the honor you have done me in asking me to come to your beautiful and thriving town to speak such things to you as this occasion may suggest4 ,i think it is quite generally conceded that the old-fashioned ,fourth of ,july celebration1 like many other old-fashioned things1 is growing out of date4 ,the thirteen guns at sunrise1 the hoisting of the flag1 the early assembling of the people1 the parade1 in spite of heat and dust1 rain or mud1 representation of the thirteen states by thirteen young ladies--beautiful all2 the assembling of the people in the grove1 the prayer of the chaplain1 the reading of the ,declaration of ,independence1 with all its serious charges against ,king ,george ,,iii intact2 and1 above all1 the long and serious and wearying speech of the orator of the day--all this is passing away1 and we celebrate our nation's birthday usually under less imposing ceremonies2 and to this change1 for one1 ,i have been entirely reconciled4 ,so far reconciled1 in fact1 that ,i had made something like a resolution that never again would ,i participate in the old-fashioned methods of celebration2 that ,i would no more inflict on my fellow-citizens a ,fourth of ,july speech so often misnamed oration4 ,but receiving your committee's very flattering invitation to address the good people of ,spanish ,fork1 a change came over the spirit of my thought1 and it occurred to me that at this particular time the occasion might afford an opportunity for the expression of thoughts which ,i am quite sure the people of your town1 and the people of our entire state1 would do well to consider at this time1 and hence ,i am here to venture a few remarks which ,i hope will be of some interest to those here assembled1 and without offense to any4 ,,the ,,miracle ,,of ,,american ,,achievements4 ,i think no man of intelligence can contemplate the achievements by the ,united ,states of ,america through the last one hundred thirty six years without being over-powered by the sense that what has been wrought is the result of something more than merely unaided1 human achievement4 ,the establishment1 maintenance and extension of free institutions until they reach triumphant success in permanent1 peaceful self-government by the people2 the enlargement of our borders from the great lakes to the gulf2 from the shores of the ,atlantic to those of the ,pacific2 the triumphs obtained over the wilderness2 the marvelous extension of civilization2 the contributions we have made to civilization itself2 the triumphs of intellect over material things2 the practical annihilation of distances2 the network of railroads1 trans-continental and local1 with accompanying network of telegraph lines bringing all parts of our land into immediate communication with each other1 and with all the world2 the multiplication of mechanical contrivances1 which removes man from much of the drudgery of life2 the marvelous increase in conveniences and comforts of human life1 country life1 town life1 city life and national life2 the general uplift that has taken place in intellectual1 moral and spiritual life2 our expanding educational facilities and the wide dissemination of knowledge among the people2 the increase among the people1 if not of patriotism1 at least of confidence in the permanency and success of our system of government--all these triumphs1 ,i repeat1 proclaim a higher power than that which is resident in human wisdom as being the force that founded and that has guided the destinies of our country to the achievement of all this4 ,for some wise purpose1 yet to be more perfectly unfolded1 through plot and counterplot of men1 ,i feel that ,god is developing the mysterious harmonies that shall make up the history of our great republic4 ,it is upon this idea that ,i shall dwell today1 the idea that ,god has had a part in founding our nation and directing thus far its course4 ,i am the more free to take in hand this subject today1 because ,i believe that ,i am speaking to those who quite generally accept this view4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,inspiration ,,of ,,the ,,founders ,,of ,,the ,,american ,,constitution4 ,the following passage is to be found in a book which many of our citizens accept as scripture1 and which represents ,deity saying3 ,it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another4 ,and for this purpose have ,i established the constitution of this land the ,united ,states by the hands of wise men whom ,i raised up unto this very purpose1 and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood4 7,doc4 and ,cov4 ,sec4 #aja47 ,i think this doctrine may be maintained in two ways3 ,first1 by reference to the historical incidents of the ,american revolution1 in the throes of which our nation had its birth4 ,and1 second1 by an appeal to the principles of the constitution on which our nation is founded4 ,necessarily1 of course the consideration of these two branches of the subject must be very limited4 ,let us consider the first proposition4 ,one hundred and thirty-six years ago today1 when the ,declaration of ,independence was signed by the ,american patriots assembled in ,philadelphia1 there were in existence1 and in rebellion against ,great ,britain1 thirteen colonies extending along the ,atlantic seaboard from ,massachusetts to ,georgia4 ,in round numbers1 the population did not reach #c1jjj1jjj4 ,they were not a military people4 ,they were a farming and frontier population4 ,the task immediately before them1 in an economic way1 was the subjugation of the wilderness4 ,they had no great stores of munitions of war1 nor were they well supplied with arms4 ,their commerce was primitive and depended upon the favor and shipping of the nation with which they were at war4 ,they had no great military geniuses among them1 and1 from the standpoint of those who believe that ,god fights on the side of those who have the largest and most perfect armies and the heaviest ordinance1 the struggle for independent national existence would look hopeless4 ,in the eyes of many of the colonists themselves it was a forlorn hope1 this dream of independence4 ,they were about to measure arms with one of the most formidable empires of the world4 ,a nation ready and armed at all points1 her navies1 as some of the leading men of ,virginia said--her navies were riding triumphantly in every sea2 her armies never marched but to certain victory4 ,what could be the issue of such a conflict except that the colonies would become an easy prey to ,great ,britain1 and the rebellion would end in converting the right which the ,british parliament then claimed to tax ,america without representation1 into a firm and indubitable right by conquest8 ,the fact alone that the colonies succeeded in the face of such overwhelming odds in winning their independence must necessarily argue the support of some superhuman power which intervenes in the affairs of nations4 ,and when the secondary means through which victory was finally secured for the colonies is considered1 the more apparent becomes the fact of divine interposition4 ,the mind skeptical to such faith as this1 would naturally say that the victory of the colonies was achieved because ,france and ,spain1 old enemies of ,great ,britain1 and ,holland1 her jealous rival for the world's commerce1 joined with the ,american colonies in the war against ,great ,britain1 and that those nations1 rather than the colonial armies1 won for the ,american colonies their independence4 ,to my mind1 however1 it is just here that the interposition of divine providence becomes most apparent2 and ,i find my belief most aptly expressed by one of the most accomplished of ,american historians 7,marcus ,wilson71 who1 in commenting upon the treaty of peace signed by ,great ,britain1 ,france1 ,spain1 ,holland and the ,united ,states1 said3 ,this closed the most important war in which ,england had ever been engaged--a war which rose wholly out of her ungenerous treatment of her ,american colonies4 ,the expense of blood and treasure which this war cost ,england was enormous2 nor1 indeed1 did her ,european antagonists suffer much less severely4 ,the ,united ,states was the only country that could look to any beneficial results from the war1 and these were ordained by a strange union of opposing motives and principles1 unequaled in the annals of history4 ,france and ,spain1 the arbitrary despots of the old world1 had stood forth as the protectors of an infant republic1 and had combined1 contrary to all the principles of their political faith1 to establish the rising liberties of ,america4 ,they appeared but as blind instruments in the hands of providence1 employed to aid in the rounding of a nation which should cultivate those republican virtues that were destined yet to regenerate the world upon the principles of universal intelligence1 and eventually to overthrow the timeworn system of tyrannical usurpation of the few over the many4 ,to this expression of my belief ,i may hope to add nothing4 ,i do1 however1 desire1 in addition to the evidence thus presented for the idea of the interposition of providence in the affairs which led to the establishment of our nation1 ,i do desire to call your attention to the fact that some of the great ,american leaders in the ,revolutionary period had a most perfect pre-vision of all these events which history records as having taken place4 ,among these inspired men1 which many of you believe ,god raised up to found the constitution of our country1 there certainly was none more inspired than the great ,virginia orator1 ,patrick ,henry4 ,mr4 ,wirt1 his biographer1 calls attention to an item of his history which seems to have been strangely overlooked by those who speak of this great man and the contributions he made to the general cause of freedom in our land4 ,mr4 ,wirt tells us of a conversation that took place at the residence of ,colonel ,samuel ,overton1 in ,virginia1 in the presence of a number of prominent gentlemen that is so clearly prophetic that you shall not find in ,isaiah or ,micah or ,amos or any of the ,jewish prophets a passage that surpasses it for prophetic clearness4 ,i shall quote the incident as related by ,mr4 ,wirt1 who received the story of ,mr4 ,pope1 and records it in his excellent biography of ,patrick ,henry3 ,i was informed by ,colonel ,john ,overton1 that before one drop of blood was shed in our contest with ,great ,britain1 he was at ,colonel ,samuel ,overton's in company with ,mr4 ,henry1 ,colonel ,morris1 ,john ,hawkins and ,colonel ,samuel ,overton1 when the last mentioned gentleman asked ,mr4 ,henry1 'whether he supposed ,great ,britain would drive her colonies to extremities1 and if she should1 what he thought would be the issue of the war4' ,when ,mr4 ,henry1 after looking round to see who were present1 expressed himself confidentially to the company in the following manner3 ',she will drive us to extremities2 no accommodation will take place2 hostilities will soon commence1 and a desperate and bloody touch it will be4' ',but1' said ,colonel ,samuel ,overton1 'do you think1 ,mr4 ,henry1 that an infant nation as we are1 without discipline1 arms1 ammunition1 ships of war1 or money to procure them do you think it possible1 thus circumstanced1 to oppose successfully the fleets and armies of ,great ,britain8' ',i will be candid with you1' replied ,mr4 ,henry4 ',i doubt whether we shall be able1 alone1 to cope with so powerful a nation4 ,but1' continued he 7rising from his chair1 with great animation71 'where is ,france8 ,where is ,spain8 ,where is ,holland8--the natural enemies of ,great ,britain4 ,where will they be all this while8 ,do you suppose they will stand by1 idle and indifferent spectators to the contest8 ,will ,louis ,,xvi be asleep all this time8 ,believe me1 no6 ,when ,louis ,,xvi shall be satisfied by our serious opposition1 and our ,declaration of ,independence1 that all prospect of a reconciliation is gone1 then1 and not until then1 will he furnish us with arms1 ammunition1 and clothing2 and not with these only1 but he will send his fleets and armies to fight our battles for us2 he will form with us a treaty offensive and defensive1 against our unnatural mother4 ,spain and ,holland will join the confederation6 ,our independence will be established6 and we shall take our stand among the nations of the earth6' ,here he ceased2 and ,colonel ,john ,overton says1 he shall never forget the voice and prophetic manner with which these predictions were uttered1 and which have been since so literally verified4 ,colonel ,overton says1 at the word independence1 the company appeared to be startled2 for they had never heard anything of the kind before even suggested4 ,i think this passage alone1 when the roster of ,american prophets shall be made up1 will place this first man of our ,revolutionary period high on the list of such prophets1 and we shall yet have occasion to be as proud of our ,american prophets as the ,jews are of their prophets4 ,of other manifestations of inspiration in the men who guided the councils of our nation in this ,revolutionary period1 ,i may not here speak at length4 ,it is matter of pride1 however1 that their wisdom was recognized by friends over the sea4 ,of the first continental congress1 the ,earl of ,chatham1 in the ,british house of lords1 said3 ,i must declare and avow1 that in all my reading and study of history 7and it has been my favorite study--,i have read ,thucydides1 and have studied and admired the master states of the world71 that for solidity of reasoning1 force of sagacity and wisdom of conclusion1 under such a complication of circumstances1 no nation or body of men can stand in preference to the general congress of ,philadelphia4 ,whence obtained these men the wisdom that thus challenged the admiration of the first statesman of ,great ,britain1 and of his age1 a man of gigantic intellectual powers1 of incorruptible integrity1 and who devoted the great powers of his mind to the service of his country8 ,could the wilderness impart much knowledge of principles of government and statesmanship as was manifested in the councils of those ,american planters1 manufacturers and trades people8 ,what books were extant from which they could learn it8 ,was it the genius of the land they inhabited that taught them statecraft8 ,was it the spirit of freedom that brooded over the country1 over lake and stream and forest that sought self-expression through them8 ,did the wild waves of the ,atlantic1 as they broke upon the shingle of ,new ,england's rugged coast1 hymn civic wisdom into their souls8 ,let poets and romancers attribute it to what source they will1 to me it was the inspiration of ,god which touched their spirits and gave them understanding4 ,and not only was that inspiration wisdom to the ,american councils1 but it inspired courage in the presence of defeat and patience that taught their armies to wait for their victory4 ,it gave hope and calm to the turbulent spirit of ,washington1 and faith and confidence to his companions in arms4 ,it kept alive the fires and patriotism in the breast of the common soldier and quieted the fears of the loved ones left to watch over the homes during the absence of husbands and fathers and sons4 ,it affected all the departments of the great struggle until ,yorktown's sun rose on a nation's banner spread1 a nation's freedom won4 ,and the nation of the ,united ,states began that career whose achievements are the admiration and marvel of the world4 ,,iii4 ,,the ,,unique ,,things ,,in ,,american ,,government4 ,let us now consider the second proposition2 namely1 that the inspiration of those who founded our constitution may be sustained by a consideration of the principles on which our government is founded4 ,that there were republics and federated republics1 too1 before our own1 goes without saying2 that the justice of the principle of government by the people had been recognized by masters of the science of civil government is equally true2 but never before in the history of the world has there been developed such a highly complex system of government1 none in which there has been such a balancing and fair adjustment of powers1 will be conceded by every student of history and of civil government4 ,in the first place1 the division of the sovereign power of government into three co-ordinate and independent departments1 both in the states and in the nation--the executive1 the legislative and the judicial departments--is more insisted upon than in any other government that has ever been established4 ,then1 again1 in the division of the sovereign power as between the states and the general government it is unique4 ,on the one side the general government is more limited and on the other more extended than in any other republic ever founded4 ,limited in that the general government is confined to powers expressly conferred upon it by the constitution1 while all other powers of government are reserved to the states or to the people1 respectively4 ,the side on which its powers are more extended than in any previous confederation is in this1 that power is conferred upon the general government to execute its own laws1 with its own machinery1 and upon all citizens within any one and in all the states4 ,the ,french philosopher1 ,de ,tocqueville1 declares that the principle of our republic rested upon a wholly novel theory1 which may be considered as a great discovery in modern political science1 and for which there is as yet no specific name4 ,enlarging upon the subject1 he said3 ,this constitution1 which may at first be confounded with the federal constitutions which have preceded it1 rests1 in truth1 upon a wholly novel theory1 which may be considered as a great discovery in modern political science4 ,in all the confederations which preceded the ,american constitution in #aghi1 the allied states for a common object agreed to obey the injunctions of a federal government2 but they reserved to themselves the right of ordaining and embracing the execution of the laws of the ,union4 ,the ,american states which combined in #aghi agreed that the federal government should not only dictate1 but should execute its own enactments4 ,in both cases the right is the same1 but the exercise of the right is different1 and this difference produced the most momentous consequences4 ,the new word1 which ought to express this novel thing1 does not yet exist4 ,the human understanding more easily invents new things than new words1 and we are hence constrained to employ many improper and inadequate expressions4 ,our own national experience proves that it is the adoption of this principle in our system of government which supplies the element of strength that is usually supposed to be lacking in republican forms of government1 and makes it possible for a republic to persist1 to be strong1 and at the same time conserve the freedom of the people4 ,the principle1 however1 which most concerns us here today in our deliberations is the great and fundamental principle of our system of government--the law of laws1 as ,de ,tocqueville calls it1 the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people--government of the people1 by the people and for the people4 ,this principle is1 of course1 the foundation not only of our republic but of all republics4 ,it has1 however1 in our ,american system received increased emphasis2 it has taken on new life2 it has become a reality4 ,there are not wanting writers on civil government who say this principle is active in all governments1 and1 indeed1 to some extent1 that is true2 but for the most part1 in modern times1 until the establishment of our own government1 this principle found expression only in the purchased suffrages of a few of the satellites of power4 ,at other times in the votes of the timid or interested minority4 ,or else it was discovered in the silence of the people and based on the supposition that the fact of submission establishes the right to govern4 ,but in our system this principle is not barren or concealed2 it is recognized by the customs of the people1 as well as proclaimed by the laws4 ,it spreads freely and arrives without impediment at its most remote consequences1 as ,de ,tocqueville urges1 and it has direct application to the affairs of government4 ,it is a principle that takes government out of the hands of a favored few1 and recognizes civil power as resident in the people4 ,it upsets the doctrine of the divine right of kings to rule1 and of priests to interfere1 only as they may exercise their rights of citizenship in common with their fellow-citizens4 ,that utterance of our ,declaration of ,independence1 which says governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed1 may seem at first glance to be an unimportant statement1 but tremendous consequences draw it1 and it was truly revolutionary in its character1 as matters stood in the political affairs of the ,british ,empire at the time it was proclaimed4 ,and when we say that we believe that the constitution of our country was established by a divine inspiration1 working through the men who formulated it1 we should remember that we stand committed to this doctrine of government by the people2 and to such of us who hold to a divine inspiration in our constitution1 that principle of our government is ,god-ordained4 ,referring to this idea that the constitution of our country is an inspired instrument1 ,i am tempted to believe sometimes that we fail to appreciate the seriousness of that doctrine4 ,we are apt to speak of it too glibly1 and as applying to a mass of things that we have never taken the time to analyze and consider in detail4 ,but if we really mean what we say when holding to this view of the constitution being an inspired instrument1 then let us remember that we believe that the constitution1 not only as a whole1 but in its parts1 is inspired of ,god4 ,that is1 it was a divine wisdom that recognized the power of civil government as resident in the people4 ,in other words1 ,god ordains1 for our country at least1 that government shall be by the people2 that the sovereign power of government which they ordain and establish shall be divided into its three co-ordinate and independent branches1 executive1 legislative and judicial2 that there shall be a further division of the sovereign powers of government between the states and the general government2 that the general government is authorized to exercise only such powers as are expressly conferred upon it by the constitution2 that the rest of the sovereign powers of government are reserved to the states and to the people respectively4 ,the theory that the constitution of our country is inspired commits us to the doctrine that there shall be freedom of the press1 freedom of speech1 separation of church and state1 and the freedom1 equality and independence of the individual citizen--all these things together and severally are ordained of ,god2 and he who infringes upon any one of these things ordained by our inspired constitution is untrue to that order of things that ,god has ordained for our government through an inspired constitution4 ,there is even more than all this to those of us who believe the constitution to be an inspired instrument2 for the most of us who believe that believe also that the ,book of ,mormon is a true history of ancient ,america2 and in that book is recorded an historical incident which has a direct bearing upon the subject we are here considering4 ,it refers to a new element in government by the people2 one that we will do well to properly regard4 ,and that is1 the direct personal responsibility that the individual carries under a system of government where the people rule4 ,the incident occurs in the alleged reign of ,mosiah ,i at a period that corresponds with the latter half of the second century before ,christ4 ,the old king proposed to his people a revolution in the form of government by which monarchy should be abandoned and the republican form of government be established in its place4 ,in urging this revolutionary measure the good king said3 ,it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right2 but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right2 therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law to do your business by the voice of the people4 ,and if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity1 then is the time that the judgments of ,god will come upon you1 yea1 then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land4 99 99 99 99 ,and ,i command you to do these things in the fear of the ,lord2 and ,i command you to do these things1 and that ye have no king2 that if this people commit sins and iniquities1 they shall be answered upon their own heads4 ,for behold1 ,i say unto you1 the sins of many people have been caused by the iniquities of their kings2 therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings4 ,and now ,i desire that this inequality should be no more in this land1 especially among this my people2 but ,i desire that this be a land of liberty1 that every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike1 so long as the ,lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land2 yea1 even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land4 ,the old king in his passage points to the existence of an important element in government by the people1 the moral element2 the direct1 personal responsibility of the individual for such evils as obtain under government where the people rule4 ,but in order that this element of moral responsibility may be brought into government1 it stands to reason that every individual must be free and untrammeled in the exercise of his political duties1 in the casting of his vote4 ,each individual musts have an equal voice in the government4 ,every man must be a sovereign in the civil institution1 and his vote must represent the voice and judgment of a free man4 ,a vote unawed by influence1 and uncoerced by any power whatsoever4 ,less than this would bring the whole scheme of government by the voice of the people into contempt and failure4 ,under the system of government by the people1 in order to retain the moral responsibility of the people in civil affairs1 there must be no appeal but to the intelligent judgment of the individual4 ,each man's act must be the act of a free man2 and those who would corrupt the electorate of a government where the people rule1 or sway it by any other force than by an appeal to reason1 would destroy this element of personal1 moral responsibility in civil government1 and in the case of those of us who accept this book from which ,i am quoting--if we would appeal to any other force than to that of reason1 we would be setting ourselves against an order of things that ,god has ordained4 ,this old king of whom ,i am speaking manifested wisdom in another respect4 ,his suggestion of this change from a monarchy to a republic carried with it the provision that the change should not go into effect until the time of his death4 ,he would remain king so long as he lived2 then the rule by the voice of the people should begin4 ,was the old monarch conscious that it would be difficult to inaugurate this rule of the people while he yet lived8 ,that there would be those who would seek to know his desires1 then proclaim them1 influence the minds of the electorate1 and thus still have ,mosiah's rule instead of government by the people8 ,i do not know how far these thoughts may have been the thoughts of the king2 but surely he removed grave difficulties from the institution of his newly conceived form of government for his people by putting off its inauguration until after his death4 ,for sure it is that the desires of one so esteemed1 so wise and unselfish1 would have had such influence that his wishes1 howsoever expressed1 would have been followed by the people1 and in a measure the end of his proposed revolution would have been thwarted4 ,these reflections bring to my recollection the words of an ,american writer 7,orville ,dewey7 whose works ,i learned to esteem in the early days of my reading4 ,especially did ,i admire the following passage on what the character of a free people should be1 from his essay on ,human ,life3 ,liberty gentlemen1 is a solemn thing--a welcome1 a joyous1 a glorious thing1 if you please2 but it is a solemn thing4 ,a free people must be a thoughtful people4 ,the subjects of a despot may be reckless and gay if they can4 ,a free people must be serious2 for it has to do the greatest things that ever was done in the world--to govern itself4 ,that hour in human life is most serious when it passes from parental control into free manhood2 then must the man bind the righteous law upon himself1 more strongly than father or mother ever bound it upon him4 ,and when a people leaves the leading-strings of prescriptive authority1 and enters upon the ground of freedom1 that ground must be fenced with law2 it must be tilled with wisdom2 it must be hallowed with prayer4 ,the tribunal of justice1 the free school1 the holy church must be built there1 to entrench1 to defend and to keep the sacred heritage4 99 99 99 ,in the universe there is no trust so awful as moral freedom2 and all good civil freedom depends upon the use of that4 ,but look at it4 ,around every human1 every rational being1 is drawn a circle2 the space within is cleared from obstruction1 or1 at least1 from all coercion2 it is sacred to the being himself who stands there2 it is secured and consecrated to his own responsibility4 ,may ,i say it8--,god himself does not penetrate there with any absolute1 any coercive power6 ,he compels the winds and waves to obey him2 he compels animal instincts to obey him2 but he does not compel men to obey4 ,that sphere he leaves free2 he brings influences to bear upon it2 but the last1 final1 solemn1 infinite question between right and wrong1 he leaves to man himself4 ,ah6 instead of madly delighting in his freedom1 ,i could imagine a man to protest1 to complain1 to tremble that such a tremendous prerogative is accorded to him4 ,but it is accorded to him1 and nothing but willing obedience can discharge that solemn trust2 nothing but a heroism greater than that which fights battles1 and pours out its blood on its country's altar--the heroism of self-renunciation and self-control4 ,come that liberty6 ,i invoke it with all the ardor of the poets and orators of freedom2 with ,spenser and ,milton1 with ,hampden and ,sydney1 with ,rienzi and ,dante1 with ,hamilton and ,washington1 ,i invoke it4 ,come that liberty6 ,come none that does not lead to that6 ,come the liberty that shall strike off every chain1 not only of iron1 and iron-law1 but of painful constriction1 of fear1 of enslaving passion1 of mad self-will2 the liberty of perfect truth and love1 of holy faith and glad obedience6 ,i trust this consideration of some of the details that enter into the idea that our constitution is a divinely inspired instrument1 will bring home to us more emphatically the seriousness of that declaration1 as also that it will bring to us the realization of our responsibilities that we sustain as free men1 as sovereigns in a free government4 ,i trust1 however1 that you will not think ,i am calling attention to these matters because ,i believe there will be any failure on the part of the people of our great republic to perpetuate these institutions so vital to our system of government4 ,i cannot believe that our nation was brought into existence under the circumstances that attended upon its birth to end at last in failure4 ,on the contrary1 ,i am persuaded that the time has fully come for the establishment in this world1 in some permanent way1 government by the people4 ,that the reign of tyrants is ended and that the rule of the people has begun1 and will remain4 ,the people of our country1 especially the people of our state1 ,i trust1 and believe1 will stand for the great principles that will perpetuate free institutions2 that there shall be in our country equal and exact justice to all men1 of whatever state or persuasion1 religious or political2 that our nation shall continue as an indissoluble union of indestructible states2 that the state governments shall be supported in all their rights as the most competent administration for our domestic concerns1 and the surest bulwark against anti-republican tendencies2 that the general government shall be preserved in its whole constitutional vigor as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad2 that a jealous care shall be exercised of the right of election by the people--unawed by influence1 uncoerced by any power other than an appeal to reason2 that absolute acquiescence shall be maintained in the decision of the majority1 the vital principle of republics2 also the supremacy of the civil over military authority2 the diffusion of information and the arraignment of all abuses at the board of public reason2 freedom of the press and freedom of person #a--;all these shall be maintained1 and with these principles maintained we may be assured that free government will not perish from among men4 ,footnote #a3 ,the reader will1 of course1 recognize these quoted members of the concluding sentence as excerpts from ,jefferson's ,first ,inaugural ,address4