| Show TIM THE FIRST EDITION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON W afa lew few days daya ago I 1 received a letter from which I 1 make inake the following extract in conversation with a gentleman a short time ago who had come out to the public park of this place dun fermaline ferm line liDe scotland to ask some questions I 1 mormonism 11 he on brought up some new opposition to the book of mormon that is new to us which ch is as follows the first edicio of the book of mormon that was published had an on its title page joseph smith author and proprietor he intimated that this edition was all destroyed with the exception of two copies one of which is in the hands of a minister in the united states the other obber copy is in the british museum in london he said the next edition was given out in its present form stating that joseph smith is the translator and that he found it buried in the earth and thus iose imposed a fraud upon the world now ow yu being in london we thought you go to the museum and see if there is such a book there this gentleman is spreading this his piece of news gratis to any and a au that he can get to listen toland believe it if you will give this your kind tind and immediate attention you will very m much tach 0 oblige your brethren in the missionary field THOS buos G LOWE I 1 WM HENDERSON the fol following owing is my r reply e wy DEAR your letter of au august was duly received and your requests Pom complied plied with so far far as circumstances nave have permitted you state that your opponent alleges that the ali alist st edition of the book of mormon had on its title page joseph emith author and proprietor that this edition was all destroyed axce except t two copies one of which was te it age the I 1 british museum that the next edition was given out in I 1 n its present form etc and thereby a fraud was imposed upon the world on the of august I 1 went to the M museum am in company with elder E davis and miss hl on application two copies of the book pf af mormon were handed to us tor for examination I 1 herewith send you the certificates of the librarian and also a pamphlet containing the letter and other information referred rel erred to 0 below both books were found to be genuine copies of the book of mormon and after a careful comparison of their contents content swe we fat failed led to discover tile the least difference of a syllable or word in them on the title page of both was the statement edt that their contents were translated from plates found in the earth by the gift and power of grod godby by joseph smith jun as also the testimony of the witnesses in ill 11 this both books were exactly alike one of them was published at palmyra U S A in IM 1830 and on the flyleaf was the announcement that the book b bad a d been entered at the copyright 1 gl 1 t office new york by S smith m i t b author author and proprietor the other book was published at liverpool england in 1841 and of course did 0 not havethe have the notice that it had been copyrighted copy righted in america in mo 1830 as that would have been a falsehood we therefore admit what your opponent stated that a copy of the first edition of the book of mormon Is in the british museum and that it has on its title page joseph smith author and proprietor but what of et it no doubt the gentleman flatters himself that he be has discovered a powerful argument b by which he can demolish the claim of y divine authority of new revelation and be perhaps feels as proud of it as the old hen ben did when she found a chalk egg in her nest and then went strutting and cackling about to make believe that sue she had laid it it is an old bubble babble blown up afresh and needs only the straight pin puncture of argument to loose and dissipate its foul joaeph smith was the author and proprietor of the first edition of the book of mormon and the laws of the american Ameri cac copyright copy right obliged him to state on the title page of the book who its author a and rj proprietor was before ne could get the patent he was also the author or translator of the second edition published at liverpool in 1811 as the book itself states this edition was published by eight ot tile the apostles of the church and was the property of the british mission there being no difference in the contents tents of the two editions and the same testimonies to the divine authenticity of the records being appended to both books where Is the evidence of fraud the holy bible has been published and copyrighted copy righted by the american bible union and has since been published in england by the british bible society does the english edition prove the american edition a fraud As to the statement that all or any of the first edition of the book of mormon was destroyed desti oyed it is as false as it is absurd and malic malicious ibus the early history of the church and the published biographies and journals urnald of the state ments about the distribution of the first edition of the book of mormon and also of its powerful effect in enlightening and converting the people twill I 1 will cite one conclusive proof that no such inhibition or destruction of the book was ever contemplated or taken into effect in a letter written by joseph smith at the request of the editor of the chicago democrat and published in that paper in 1842 the pro prophet liet after giving a short synopsis of age the contents of the book says tor for a more particular account I 1 would refer to the book of mormon which can be purchased tied at nauvoo or from any of our traveling elders see pam page 38 the book then on sale at nauvoo and in the hands of f the traveling elders wan the first edition of 1880 1830 coples of which had bad for years been sold all through the united states 1 in england and in many other english speaking countries will not some callow carping antl anti mormon rise and explain how under these circumstances all the copies but two of that first edition were destroyed these are the silly and bontem contemptible t ht shifts resorted to by frantic arit truth haters baters to destroy the evidences of the divine origin of mormonism and to bolster up their own rotten and tottering systems of man made creeds and christian frauds your brother in the gospel JOHN if KELSON millennial star |
