Show of m y Young ou g and d an x l I y Hi History Hist Y of of the Mor Mormon r Ch I M. M R. R W Werner rn r in Ladies Home Nome Journal Continued from Before Defore the they were a annihilated dt d'- d' s. had kept acco accounts mis on meta 1 tablets of of theIr their wanderings and their ix 1 wars Mormon o who lV was S the thelast thelast thelast last of bf bf his mice race vand and who ho lived lived in ab about tt A. A D. D w was was s 1 Dy my God to take care care of or the plates deposited tie tie- posited posited by JY his liis s ancestors r from tl the thu c I time of qt the he first Lehi Hp Ile was also j t d f b God God 1 to be be be C or of these plates and t t vas tho the abridgment abridgment abridgment ment of or them which vl h he IJ mado made ado that Joseph S 'S Smith Jr found ind found deposited in fn the Hill Hm of Cumorah near I Pa- Pa ne near l aI a- a I myra mYIa New York York York- Mormon I died died i d before before before be be- fore his work work was fi finished i but lt ins ilis s son n Moroni r rOl i carried it on and and nd eventually even even- eventually completed it When h ho was asked aske the meaning of or tile the name name Mormon Joseph Smith was not content content con con- tent to l let t it it r rest st as a proper paint name I He said that it was derived from the English more and anil time Egyptian Egyptian Egyptian tian mon the latter meaning meaning- good and nd that therefore Mormon lormon means means more good I In Inn the first edition the Book Bool ot of Mormon took closely printed pages to tell its simple story The rue book bool is padded Padde-d with th material from the Old Testament and the New ew Testament Testament Testament Tes Tes- and with predictions o of ruin ruin and accounts of famine I It is one v of ot the dullest books in world literature literature liter liter- and according to one writer who was a faithful Mormon formon Corman for Cor man many years ears even many devout Mormons Mormons Mor Mor- mons have been unable to read it through consecutively Mark larl Twain said o of it It is chloroform orni in r print If H Joseph Smith i composer composed this book ook the act was a miracle miracle- keeping awake awak while he did it was wa's I at any rate Sir 1811 Richard F. F Burton who took a a great great interest in in the te I Mormons 1 and nd who spent spent some sonic some time tim lr among them in Ill Salt Lan Lase City is 13 unsuccessful rin n his attempts to iet read lead all of tine the Look Book of Mormon n. n Had Hall Had scrapped rc ly y all the elements f of Christianity 1 ity it would have died in AU Am Ami rl rIca a in m inless n less than thana a year ear One of Its its great attractions vas i that it allowed allo those I who became convinced convinced d to rot retain tn an u- u most every belief they had a Leon eu taught taught to l accept accept in church since nu manhood and and in iii n d l since since childhood Besides s r retaining aini 1 all the tho ho hoCI CI rid rites ritos ija i j a il i i rI Mormonism Mormon Mormon- n- n ism added son some e highly attractive t ac IYe pro promises es of of eventual l' l of monopoly o righteousness rii ess in an alleged Promised Lands Land Thus a convert to the Book Dool of was was asked to give up uh nothing thi that t was was a habit habit and wa Nas offered much uch additional dd t onal adva advantage Such a proffer was as certain to be rt attractive at- at at attractive tr to a man who b believed ed in rim orthodox orthodox Christa Christianity fY for hI he liar ac nothing to Jose and arid r- r rH H if the the Mormons Mor llor- mons lons were right t he li lied had d' d much l t to gain it It was Y very very ry worth while t taking tak tak- k- k ing ng a a c chance lance I It is not t surprising that t drew diew dr r oft many thousands of piOt pious S Christians from the old sects The The reasons why wily it did not get more of of them was as we s shall see th the rapidity with which 1 those sects fought with fiery propaganda and political IQ persecution persecution t tion tion- on any effort of or this ignorant upstart up- up up upstart p- p start to fo progress at t their exp expense The fac face that j Joseph seph SmIth Smith was uneducated is tho the greatest argument argument m ment nt used s d In iii hl favor by his Ills rol fol followers followers' lowers lowers' and against ain t him b by his do- do c- c tractors tors Once devout Mormons I ac accepted accepted ac- ac I ac-I by faith the idea Mea that he was I 1 inspired they were a ante Die to ro divinely I point with d pride to his is lack of education edu- edu I I cation as proof that he was a mi mi- mi But there is js nothing In the i Book Dool of or Mormon that could coui not have been written by an uneducated mail man and the claim that Smith was incapable inca inca- inca incapable Book of ot Mormon pable of writing ot the is weakened by his later lator literary i I performances His revelations are areas areas as finished and far more interesting than titan the time Book of Mormon and anal durIng during during dur dur- ing the ensuing years he be was the theauthor theauthor author or or as he ho preferred to cai call it the translator the of the of-the the Visions Visions- of oC of theOld tho the a revised translation Moses los Old ld- ld and c No Now Nov Testa Testaments and the i Book of ot Abraham It is is' is true that he then had assistants but the they mainly etui mainly to correct mar rear for tor the mark of oC his personality r w K f sM II is indelible in ill his ills revelations Whatever else h hU vas was Smith mith was was- not co commonplace As boy he was was conspicuous fo for his lac lacor or of COl orn the dhe or linary ways ys of or making malting a living on n a farm by the sweat of his brow and v we ve shall sec I that as a a man Iuan r ho conspicuous as ls a prophet a general a lover and ami anda amia a self constituted titu ed candidate for president to of States i iThe l. l The Church hurch of of Jesus Christ Christ of of t Latter Latte dayA d Y Saints was was' was was' organized I formally by by Joseph Sm Smith Smith Jr hib liis two brothers brothers' e three Wh Whittlers li and amI Oliver Cowdery w on April G G 1830 v Orson Oron Pr Pratt vho o was the tile n mathematician ael lUa ti tf ian of Mormonism as well wel as as its it's philosopher calculated that April o e 1830 was exa exactly Uy eighteen hundred years to the day after the resurrection resurrect tion of JJesus Jesus Christ The organizers organizers organizers organ organ- met metat at atthe the house of Peter Whitmer Whitmer Whit Whit- mer mer Sr in Fayette Seneca County New York Joseph and Oliver ordained ordained ordained or- or or or- each other and and then the they gave the gift girt of the Holy HolY Ghost Ghost to the other five They named the new organization tl the e Church of or Jesus Christ and it was only some years r ar arlater later that they added unto themselves theta them selves the quai qualification o of oC latter day saints For the occasion of oC the formal formal form form- al o opening Joseph Smith re received a revelation 1 which was in th the nature nature nature na na- na- na ture of r credentials in which trIO the Lord commanded th that t Joesph Jossph Smith must be obeyed implicitly for h he was Gods God's apostle a Soon after tho the organization of or the Church Martin Harris Joseph Smiths Smith's father tather and mother and Orrin Porter oc were baptized in Seneca JJ Lake ke The Book of or Mormon 10 Im I'm on had creat created a only a ripple of derisive interest in Palmyra when it was published eq there and the prophet was literally without honor in his own neighbor neighbor- hood His neighbors refused erus d to he- he 0 I lieve that the boy whom they ey lia had liaC liaCI l known for so man many many years as the most ragged and nd the laziest boy in the I place who ha had stood u up against I fences for hours with his torn and patched trousers s Jl held ld to his form by bya bya a a pair of oC suspenders made o out l of sheeting l with his leis calico shirt as dirty and bla black k as as the earth eart 1 and ancl his unc uncombed hair hah sticking through the liol hol holes s in his old ba battered er l. l i hat at coula couIn I possibly be bo the elect of God Youn Young Joseph was was was' and ancl lie he had tad I amused them with imaginative e stories rles bitt but brit that t too o. o was was' as' as against i I him as a prophet for real prophets rin in iii the time Bible made fierce predictions and were almost never nevel pleasantly entert entertaining Joseph Smith had also also smoked cigars and drunk liquor and anG none oC of the thereal real prophets had hall had ever been known to to do cIo those those things Brigham Young once pointed ou oui I with a admirable logic the irrelevancy of these ese prejudices against the di divinity 11 vinity ty of Joseph Smith I I recollect a conver conversation I liar l l I with a priest who was was' an arm om ow i of ours b before rore I was personally ac- ac with the Prophet J Joseph JosephI sell l I I clipped he every argument aci ac- ac I i I until al at 0 last he lie came ame out hand and began to rail against Joe Smith Smith saying that he was a mean man Iman man a liar money money-di money digger ger gambler 1 And he charged him hm with everything everything every every- I thing bad that he could conId find lind language to utter I said Hold on Brother I here herc Is tJi the tho doctrine here here I 1 I I i i i I Is the Bible the Book of Mormon and the revelations re that havo have come comei i through Joseph Smith the Prophet I have hav never no se seen him him al and d' d do not not know his private character The doctrine he lie teaches teatimes is all all' I v kno know I 1 about bout t the matter bring anything g against that If you you can canAs As As t to an any any- anything thing else e I do not care If It ho he acts like Bice a devil he has brought forth al u h ht t l do doctrine tr that hat will save us us if we will abide It He may get drunk drunk every everyday everyday everyday day of ot his life run horses and aud gamb gamble e I do not care cari anything in j jabout about that for I never embrace embra e any man in my faith But But the tho doctrine he has pro produced will s save se e you jou a and aud d me and the whole world and if you youcan youcan OU can find fault with that find it n He said I i have d clone Fro Froth From Jot Journal rhal of or Discourses Vol IV IV pp 77 78 This This' was a good argument but the personal character of J Joseph On Last Page I I 1 S. S From Page One I YOUNG 1 I Smith cann cannot t be divorced entirely of H's Hs from front the spiritual ual character as w religion for tor his revelations coincided shall shill see se ee sometimes desires strangely with with his personal charter charte v ne of or seven ell The new church make converts con members began slowly to friends verts of these members' members families Jo joined e eIn In the beginning Brigham Bm Brig Brig- liO how l In b bulk and we have seen family were com con en ham Young's Youngs all ordained tog together Joseph Smith Don 1105 his hia brothers brother's ministers ministers ministers-Heven ht hj Mrs bIns Smith j C Carlos wrote a abut ot Of ota age but fourteen years ears was uncles to all Ms Iris Joseph also wrote to the c. c and amid n l inY invited them them to to join jails remark J Jw On One Ond or of of them Jol John 1 Smith th tb w when ien he lie r received the invitation j Joseph wrote like a Prof Prophets 11 ot of tb tM when he ire heard said Mormon birth hirth of or the time Book Hool of true for tor lie be n i that it was turn turu uP something th knew Ime that S would in his family that lie He 11 rf ed Ize time tho the world brount b. b was Vas o oto till the time Book Dook of or Mormon read nao he to him and amid died lied when eightY el ele being belK through it about half haIr seven soyen years of a age e 1 4 i |