| Show I i The Americana magazine for Novem November November November ber published by b the Americana New York Tork contains another install installment Installment I ment mont of or History His to r of or tho the Mormon Church uy by b President ent B H Roberts This Thill part Is devoted to tho the testimony I of tho the witnesses who have declared to toI I I tho world that they tho examined the or 01 original orIginal plates of the Ule Book of or Mormon I Beautiful engravings s of or portraits of or Oliver Cowdery David Vh It mer and I Martin Marlin Harris Illustrate this part of I I the tho History 1111 tor torI I The Tho testimony first of the three and andS andI I S then of or the eight witnesses forms a arock aI I I rock against which tho waves of ot un unbelief UnI I J belief as regards a the Book of or Mormon break br ak In vain Their statements are Ire IreI Irrefutable Before any auy Impartial Jury I I their ther combined force would compel a ail aI il I unanimous verdict in favor of or the rec records records records If Ir Cook tho explorer had had hadI I one ont small part of such direct and II positive evidence In Ii h support of or his I claim to having reached tho tue North Pole no one would have expressed any an doubt on that subject Tho The entire I I world would have hailed him as the i first to actually reach the geographical point II that has been Leen the goal of oC so many manyA Arctic A roti c sailors The testimony Is so 10 o ostrong strong that If It It lt Is rejected all sim similar liar Bar testimony many m n be bo rejected on equally good grounds gro and a d what can then bo he established What becomes of oC o huran knowledge since most of what Is accepted as ns fact rests rest on testimony S There would be no certainty in history his tor torI I and even cven the testimony of or our own tenses emes would have havo to be rejected on the ground d that we may ma be deceived by ly or what not We Ye could nevor bo be 1 0 sure that we see lice what we wo see sei sc or hear what we hear If IC tho the witnesses to the Book of or Mormon are areto areto areto to be rejected as al deceived and de do deceivers For their ther testimony n Is still stillmore stIllmore I more fortified by b tho the fact that they theyS the I w S continued to assert tho the truth of or their 4 l statements itom even when they were out outI I sido the Church and which when a denial I might have hac been seemingly see an ad advantage a advantage vantage to them from fron more than one point of ot view vl In this connection we vc e may refer reCer to toan toan toan an incident which Judge C M r Nielsen Nielson has hat frequently related In public and andI I private Mr Nielsen while on n his mis mission slon sion In the eastern states met a gen gentleman geni i tieman who knew Oliver Cowdery at atthe atI atthe I the time ho was outside the Uie Church I Cowdery Cowder was practicing law lav and on one occasion the lawyer en endeavored red to prejudice th Jury jur I him by b referring to his co connection with the Book Bool or of Mormon Do you be believe beI I I 1 lieve Hove he hc was Wal asked aske that your tes testimony tesI I was true truo Oliver Cowdery Cowder 1 slowly slow I and deliberately rose roso in the courtroom In which the deepest silence I prevailed prevalle and said I do not S i it I know it It is not a matter of or f belief beller with me mc It Is knowledge The gentleman who related this to Mr Niel Nielsen I sea Hen said sad it mado ma o an Indelible Impression s sS S sion slon on his mind and he never hover forgot I that Scene In the courtroom This ad adherence a to the tho testimony by b all nil the witnesses ses In tho the Church or outside the 5 Church precludes es the supposition of oC I 4 or fraud frauda a point that Is 5 made very vel clear In the part of or the history before us In this tIlls number of the theS S Americana magazine 4 Wo Wa are aware that recent anti antII I Mormon writers claim that Oliver 4 Cowdery joined join d the tho Methodist church at Tiffin riffin Ohio and aud that he lie was a re recorder reI recorder LI I corder of that church In 1841 1044 We Ye arc alO 1 not prepared to discuss that question l fully ull Just now Bishop E L I Kelly Kell t who went lo to Tiffin In lOi 1907 to examine examineS S the records and who did go so O in the Ih presence o of oC MY C J Tingling who had charge of ot them says he discovered discovered ered that the thit record simply contained I Oliver work worle as asan asan an attorney and that Mr Tingling himself readily S assented to that proposition when the theS S r fact was as pointed out to him But Mr Tingling has later changed his opinion on this point In a letter to R n B D Neal of oC Ky K he says sa the thu minutes should be conclusive evidence I that Oliver was a m of oC the Methodist church chuich That ThatIs Is not very vel positive But be that as IlS asit k it may m 1 If Ie Oliver Olier was a Methodist It nt the time he lie gave his testimony testimony i mony In the tue courtroom the fact sim Ilm simply ply proves that not Slot even church affiliation affiliation t tion could make him deny the mime mirac miraculous mimeS S ulous manifestations to which he lie had S testified as liS one ono of oC the three witnesses Mid And An the fact that he returned to tho the Church Chuich at a time when the end of oC It teemed to be he In sight settles all nil con 1 as all to lo his real conviction with p to that thai testimony If Ir ho had hadnot hadnot hadi i not known It to be bo true he lie would not notI I have hue Joined the Church There arc are many other oilier excellent pa papers pers IOrli In this number Wo Wu Vo notice i Ancient Abodes bodes A of oC Annapolis by Catherine Frances Cavanaugh h Thu Tho Thui i Genesis of Thanksgiving D b by helen Holen helenS S Harcourt Rise of or tho tim United EmpIre J Loyalists concluded conclude by b Viscount do de doI I A Famous r amous American Church by b Henry Henl Waterman His History History Il tory of oC Slavery by b Mm Mrs C F 1 Mc I Lean The Men Ien Behind the tho Chisel by h Henry Wilson Carll Civil War Val Reminiscences by Andrew M 1 Shier Sher Sherman Shelman I man Folklore of or our Hearthstones by Miriam Miriani CruIkshank Hawthorne I Uld Lincoln Lin by bi b Ch f Oscar Paul oJ ir L Ill flu and an A Swiss Village In America by B l S 8 Hanson Hanen I The Americana Is h a monthly mart ning ma name of or history his to genealogy and ture and It Is ono one that ought to be bo It in In I every eyer cultured American home |
