Show independent ON THE BOOK OF or MORMON the revival of the old ing romance legend la Is only another exhibition of the flimsy and illogical hypotheses which either weak and indolent or conceited and arrogant minds minda will adopt in preference to a careful patient and scientific investigation of any new or strange phenomenon this is no new now phase of human nature nor has its manifestation been confined to religious subjects subject a every new now truth so called whether in physics politics or religion has been opposed at first with the same weapons of falsehood misrepresentation and ridicule no sane man would ever have drea dreamed of obtaining thoa thea lightest attention to or for the book of mormon as a romance the genius beauty style and aud literary ability displayed in the works of scott bulwer and dickens and that so fascinate the reader are wanting considered as a work of fiction the intellectual mind can not help regarding it as an exceed angly dull uninteresting awkwardly told story no dib die disrespect ct is intended by these remarks the point Is that this book is not and could not boot be of the slightest possible interest or value to anybody unless it be true or what is the same thing to the individual mind atlease at least believed to be true how utterly illogical and absurd to suppose that the men who first presented it to the world could it to be received as it has been by thousands thou sandrs of intelligent men and wo to build upon it a mighty religious and political system unless they had been convinced that it was just what it professed to be the more intelligent among its opponents will hardly dare to assume that the manuscript from which they profess to believe the he book of mormon was compiled was purposely mutilated and dis disfigured figuro by joseph smith and sidney rig kig don dou in order that their enemies might not be able to charge their success to its plausibility and attractive style this would be altri buting to them a power of foresight and a mode of action utterly inconsistent with human nature impostors always use the most plausible methods and neglect nothing however miling trifling that will attract and fascinate those whom they wish they deceive had the book of mormon mermon been an imposture no effort would have been spared to make ib it suit the popular taste but if it be true truer then there cerla ceria certainly certainly appears to be a profound degree of wisdom in permitting it to go bo be fore the world just juat as it ia Is for upon that feature alone does it depend for success thero thera is one peculiarity among others about the book of mormon which Is not possessed by any other book i having no grea gres greater grester ter claim to genius or ability or indeed by any work of fiction namely that when even the possibility ot of its truth is admitted it becomes one of the most interesting books in the world there are abundant evidences however bo wever both internal and external that the theman man or men who wrote that that book believed lieveld what they wrote and if so then it is not an imposture and they were not impostors to those at all acquainted with the facts of their life and eind the tilo history of your people no argument ia is necessary to prove this and for others the facts are accessible in your own works if a knowledge of them is desired one ot of the prominent objections formerly made by ers erb in science to the book of mormon has recently been swept away by the logic of or facts that book baya says that were used by the ancient inhabitants of this continent now when america was discovered and were sub dued by by such diabolically religious people as cortez and rind pizarro not only were no horses found oil ou the con cou continent but the aborigines were utterly unacquainted with them what sneers arose the world over at joseph ignorance and stupidity in putting utting horses into his book boob atut but recent geological discoveries prove that there were at some former period numerous herds of horses on thia thial continent had mr smith and aud mr bigdon rigdon concocted an imposture would they not have carefully excluded from their book this thia for so many year years pressed into the service of their enemies but as one falsehood needs to be sup ted by another perhaps it will be said that these thebo gentlemen had by some human means become acquainted with this fact although it was northen not then recognized in any geological work of which we havo hago ha any knowledge the all important question as it appears to me much where the book of mormon originated how it was translate translated ds or why ic it was not clothed in more acceptable style and language but Is it true that is what all must decide for themselves not by the sneering criticisms of newspaper scribble scribblers rs but by careful sed investigation it is but a few years since it was waa thet fashion to denounce mahomet as a vile impostor but a better acquaintance with the facts of his life has changed the tho opinion of moat most christian scholars upon that point whatever they may think of the political system which ho he founded and today to day those who thus speak of dimare him are considered by literary people as uninformed and un philosophical and so will it be before many years in regard to joseph smith this cry of 0 Impost imposture urey urel is worn threadbare indeed it always was too thin the mentho men who resort to it are in most cases either im impostors posters themselves or else shamefully igno rant of the ten ton thousand facts connected with the work they oppose and upon which common benso would dictate they should thoroughly inform themselves before entering the lists against it tho the time is not fardis taut when unless they wish to become ridiculous in the eyes of all intelligent men they will have to change their tao ties independent |