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 THE CASE 
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 MORMONISM 
 
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THE CASE AGAINST 
 MORMONISM 
 
 A plain discussion and analysis of the stock allegations and 
 arguments against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
 Day Saints and its founder, Joseph Smith, loith the 
 intention of determining their evidential value, 
 also their actual significance to the claims 
 made for the system of teaching and 
 practice, popularly known as 
 "Mormonism.^* 
 
 BY 
 
 ROBERT C. WEBB 
 
 Non- "Mormon" 
 
 "Why has Mormonism been so much misunderstood f 
 Simply because the Evangelical churches saw in its suc- 
 cess their own downfall, and they dare not let their 
 own followers know what Mormonism really is, lest they 
 should embrace it." — Charle* EUU, non-*' Mormon," 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 L. L. WALTON 
 
 1915 
 
Copyright 1915 
 By L. L. WALTON 
 
THE CASE AGAINST 
 MORMONISM 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 MORMONISM AND ITS CRITICS 
 
 Anti-Mormon Literature. — In almost any large 
 public library one may discover several hundred 
 books, large and small, dealing with the general sub- 
 ject of *'Mormonism." A goodly percentage of such 
 books are unfriendly criticisms of the system and its 
 founder: almost none, even those written by scholars 
 and men of attainment — such men usually try to be 
 fair, and *'see both sides'' — even attempt to be favor- 
 able. The situation as regards the system known as 
 **Mormonism,'' its founder and people, is a curious 
 one ; and it is by no means doubtful that considerable 
 injustice has been done all of them. Also, as a side- 
 issue, we may claim that the world has missed ac- 
 quaintance with several highly significant facts, of 
 interest in theology, sociology and economics, just be- 
 cause we have formed the evil habit of condemning 
 the system under discussion and its adherents, without 
 the formality of a fair trial. 
 
 Anti-Mormon Arguments. — A certain noted humor- 
 ist, in a line of advice to the prospective traveler in 
 our country, added to other matters relating to the 
 West, **And don't fail to get a whack at the Mor- 
 mons." He was merely reiterating what has been the 
 sentiment in certain quarters as to the correct attitude 
 
2 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 toward these people, ever since they first appeared 
 upon earth. Thus, as is not too much to say, the 
 average anti-Mormon book is simply the result of a 
 determination in the mind of its author to force such 
 facts as he may know about Mormonism and its 
 founder into such a complete indictment of both, that 
 the public must share his preconceived opinion that 
 ** Mormonism" is merely a word synonymous with 
 'turpitude, " and that ** Joseph Smith" — ^the name 
 of the founder of the system — is merely a combination 
 denoting, in this connection, something like **vaga- 
 bondish imposture." It is scarcely remarkable, then, 
 that the average argument against the system and its 
 adherents is no less than frivolously absurd — and that, 
 quite apart from anything that may be urged * ^ on the 
 other side" — also, that the most ridiculous theories 
 have been advanced and defended, merely to put 
 ** Mormonism" in such a light that no sane person 
 could possibly suppose it otherwise than a mere tissue 
 of meaningless verbigeration and irredeemable deprav- 
 ity. The candid observer of all this can scarcely fail 
 to conclude that there must be something really inter- 
 esting in a system, in opposition to which people will 
 thus stultify themselves and lie, as so many anti-Mor- 
 mon writers have done, and which, in spite of the con- 
 temptible character ascribed to it, still seems suffi- 
 ciently important to excite so great antipathy. 
 
 A Careful Study Desirable. — ^What is needed in 
 the premises is a careful and conscientious examina- 
 tion of the origin and claims of '* Mormonism, " in 
 order that intelligent people may oppose it intelli- 
 gently, if so disposed, or, in any event, estimate at a 
 fair appraisal this system of teaching and practice. 
 Within a very few months this very attempt was 
 made by a prominent Methodist theologian, who, as 
 stated in his preface, proposed to make ''a comprehen- 
 sive and thoroughly articulated criticism of the Mor- 
 mon religion." This effort was published under the 
 hopeful title, '*A Fourfold Test of Mormonism," its 
 
MORMONISM AND ITS CRITICS 3 
 
 author being the Rev. Henry Clay Sheldon, Professor 
 of Systematic Theology in Boston University. As 
 suggested by his title, he divides his treatment into 
 four heads or sections, called, respectively: (1) His- 
 torical Test; (2) Critical Test; (3) Rational Test ; (4) 
 Practical Test. In outlining his proposed treatment, 
 this author writes: 
 
 "Scholars generaUy have had such a lively impression of 
 the utter groundlessness of the claims of Mormonism that 
 they have been inclined to shrink from awarding those claims 
 any serious consideration. We can appreciate this mental 
 attitude; but we remind ourselves that it is not always wise 
 and profitable to follow the dictates of even a just disdain. 
 Apart from its intrinsic merits, a system which seeks to 
 perpetuate and extend itself by a great force of missionaries 
 kept constantly in the field may well be awarded a measure 
 of careful scrutiny. This conviction has led us to prepare 
 the present treatise." 
 
 Sheldon's ** Fourfold Test."— After reading this 
 fair promise and grand guarantee of fair and intelli- 
 gent consideration, it is with genuine regret that one 
 discovers that the author of the book in question has 
 carried his iuvestigations no further, apparently, than 
 the covers of some half dozen familiar and standard 
 anti-Mormon diatribes, which he seems to consider 
 quite in the light of authoritative, careful and schol- 
 arly productions. It is regrettable, also, that, with 
 all his scholarship and evident mental acumen, he 
 seems unable to perceive the essential rottenness of the 
 favorite theories on the origin and significance of 
 Mormonism, and the utterly contemptible character of 
 the ** evidence'' upon which they are based. He has 
 done one great service to the cause of fair and candid 
 discussion, and that is to summarize briefly and forci- 
 bly the main points of anti-Mormon allegation, giviug 
 his reader a tangible body of contention to analyze 
 and criticize, in the process of forming his own opin- 
 ion on the matters at issue. Since, however, there 
 would be no use in attempting a careful examination 
 of the claims of Mormonism, until the charges of anti- 
 Mormon writers have been disposed of, we may begin 
 
4 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 our study of the subject by carefully analyzing these 
 charges, with a view to determining how far they are 
 actually effective in discrediting or obscuring the 
 claims made on the other side, and the real issues at 
 stake in the controversy. Professor Sheldon has pro- 
 posed himself as the champion of anti-Mormonism, and 
 it is only fair that his challenge be accepted. 
 
 What Mormonism Is. — As may be unnecessary to 
 state at the present time, the system popularly known 
 as ''Mormonism'' was founded on the teachings of 
 Joseph Smith (1805-44), a native of Vermont, and a 
 resident of New York State through most of his early 
 life, who claimed to have had revelations from God, 
 in the form of visions and theophanies, and to have 
 been authorized to act as agent in restoring the Gos- 
 pel of Christ, which, according to these same visions, 
 had been ''made of none effect" by the apostasy of 
 the whole of Christendom. In addition to numerous 
 special revelations given at various times, Smith 
 claimed to have received the manuscript of an ancient 
 record inscribed on "plates having the appearance of 
 gold," and to have been able to translate them "by 
 the gift and power of God." The translation was 
 published under the name "Book of Mormon," and is 
 recognized by the disciples of Smith to this very day 
 as "the word of God" in a very real and sufficient 
 sense. In addition to these marks of his prophetic 
 office, Smith founded the organization, known as the 
 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which 
 claims to be the vehicle of the restored Gospel, and 
 made himself a conspicuous figure in the history of 
 his time, as a successful founder of cities and settle- 
 ments of his disciples, and as a vigorous and original 
 thinker along political, sociological and theological 
 lines. Many of his ideas on these subjects, as we shall 
 see later, are notable, while his foundation and ad- 
 ministering of the organization of his Church, a mas- 
 terpiece of executive genius, example his ability in 
 practical affairs. His life, however, was a stormy one 
 
MORMONISM AND ITS CRITICS 5 
 
 — ^his successes and achievements being opposed or 
 neutralized by constant displays of violence on the 
 part of his opponents — and was closed by his brutal 
 murder in the jail at Carthage, 111., in June, 1844. 
 Apart from the broad claims made by Smith and his 
 disciples — which must excite the resentment and oppo- 
 sition of other religious bodies— it would be difficult 
 to explain the bitterness with which he and his people 
 have always been attacked. From the very day of its 
 organization, when it consisted of but six persons, all 
 of them inconspicuous and unlearned, this Church has 
 been the object of violent attacks, physical, verbal 
 and judicial. It would be absurd to state that 
 these doings resulted from the errors taught by Smith, 
 or even came as a consequence to his own bad conduct 
 or that of his followers. However much the disor- 
 derly elements may have detested him or them, it is 
 quite evident that the violence with which ** Mormon'' 
 history abounds, was in a very large number of cases 
 directly encouraged by the abusive harangues of men 
 in authority politically or religiously. It is also dis- 
 couraging to read that ordained preachers of various 
 denominations were often in the mobs that committed 
 actual and grievous violence on persons and destroyed 
 property. 
 
 Character of ''Mormon" Teachings. — In many 
 particulars the teachings introduced by Joseph Smith, 
 and followed to this very day by his Church repre- 
 sented radical departures from traditional standards. 
 Foremost among these departures, in point of time, 
 at any rate, may be mentioned the doctrine of ** gath- 
 ering," according to which, the new church was not 
 to be merely a new body of belief and practice in 
 things religious, but was to form the actual nucleus 
 of social and community life. As a consequence, the 
 significance of the new movement may have been for 
 many minds something primarily political — ^hence a 
 ** menace" to society, as is claimed to this very day. 
 It is only fair to say, however, that the idea in the 
 
6 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 mind of Joseph Smith was rather the foundation of a 
 ** peculiar people," a modern Israel, in which should 
 be made possible the moral and ethical teachings of 
 the New Testament. An early attempt at actual com- 
 munity of property, or of ** consecrated property'' 
 was made in the so-called *' United Order,'' or Order 
 of Enoch, but its failure by no means eliminated the 
 ideal of cooperation among the people, which is still 
 held and followed to a great extent. The first ' * gath- 
 ering place" of the Mormons was at Kirtland, Ohio, 
 where they formed a thriving and populous settle- 
 ment, built a temple^ and gathered their new acces- 
 sions to their faith. This locality was abandoned in 
 1837, largely because of increasing opposition, both 
 political and religious, on the part of their neighbors, 
 and large settlements were made in "Western Missouri. 
 Here again violence arose within a very few months, 
 much augmented probably by the fact that the ma- 
 jority of the Mormon settlers were from the Northern 
 and Eastern States, hence opposed to slavery. Quite 
 apart from the evidently wanton charges of thieving, 
 etc., made by their enemies, it may be said that the 
 fear that a large anti-slavery population might con- 
 trol the State on the most vexed issue then before the 
 country was undoubtedly the reason for the extraordi- 
 nary violence of the mobs, and the brutal severity of 
 the state decrees issued against the Mormons. Of 
 course, as in other places, the religious prejudices of 
 the populace were industriously exploited, as even to 
 the present day. But neither of these ** causes'* 
 should justify the wanton doings of the *' righteous 
 element," nor excuse murder and violence. After 
 being driven from the State of Missouri, the Mormons 
 traveled east, and formed settlements in Eastern Iowa 
 and Western Illinois, along the banks of the Missis- 
 sippi Eiver. Here they founded the city of Nauvoo, 
 which saw an existence of prosperity for seven years 
 (1839-46) in their control. Within a few years, how- 
 ever, violent opposition again manifested itself, not 
 
MOEMONISM AND ITS CRITICS 7 
 
 because of the dishonesty of the Mormons, as some 
 claim, but largely because of political and sectional 
 feelings, coupled, of course, with sectarian spite, which 
 may be gathered from the historical account left by 
 Governor Thomas Ford, who was an active figure in 
 the public life of the State during the entire period 
 of Mormon occupation of Nauvoo, and Governor at 
 the time of the murder of Joseph Smith. After this 
 tragic event, the opposition sedulously fostered against 
 the Mormons grew in bulk and severity, with the re- 
 sult that the entire population, with very few excep- 
 tions, migrated from Nauvoo in the winter of 1846, 
 and journeyed overland to the confines of the present 
 State of Utah. Even in this sequestered region popu- 
 lar opposition could not be stilled, and many things 
 were done which show this. However, this is merely 
 history, also the record of events, in which, as in all 
 things human, there are *Hwo sides'' that should be 
 considered by the intelligent reader. 
 
 Why Mormons are Disliked. — In seeking for a 
 justification of the popular habit of abusing and agi- 
 tating against Mormonism and Mormons it must be 
 insisted that history does not show that all the fault, 
 nor even the greater part of it was on their side. The 
 charges that they committed acts of violence and bri- 
 gandage themselves, is by no means established by 
 respectable evidence, and was not made by contempo- 
 raries, except in Missouri. Indeed, Governor Ford 
 attempts to explain the mobocracy of Illinois on po- 
 litical grounds. He says of the ** Mormons," in fact: 
 
 "Scattered throughout the country, they might have lived 
 in peace like other religious sects, but they insisted upon 
 their right to congregate in one great city. The people were 
 determined that they should not exercise this right; and it 
 will be seen in the sequel of this history, that in their case, 
 as in every other case where large bodies of people are as- 
 sociated to accomplish with force an unlawful but popular 
 object, the government is powerless against such combina- 
 tions (mobs, Ac.)." — History of Illinois, p. 251. 
 
 Anti-Mormon Persecutions,— ]iVTiile, as Ford 
 
8 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 claims, political considerations may have been power- 
 ful in the anti-Mormon mobbings in Illinois, as well 
 as in Missouri, where the anti-slavery sentiments of 
 most of the ** Mormons" was undoubtedly a strong 
 factor in inciting violence against them, it is not too 
 much to claim that the leaders in both States were of 
 the same stripe as those who precipitated the *' Know- 
 Nothing" atrocities against the Catholics in the early 
 and middle *^ fifties" of the Nineteenth Century. 
 This view, indeed, has been expressed by several well- 
 informed persons, notably Hon. A. B. Carlton, Chair- 
 man of the Utah Commission appointed by Congress 
 in 1882. He says in a book published in 1891 : 
 
 "The advocacy of religious liberty is no new thing with 
 the author of this volume. More than a third of a century 
 ago, he defended the Catholic against the Know-Nothing 
 crusade. He was not a Catholic and is a native of America, 
 as were his ancestors for many generations; but a sense of 
 justice and devotion to the Constitution, together with a 
 natural disposition to take the side of the under dog in the 
 fight, impelled him to take an active part in opposition to 
 bigotry, intolerance and persecution. It is curious to ob- 
 serve that the same war cries and catch-words were invoked 
 in the crusade against the Catholics as are now employed 
 against the Mormons, for example, 'allegiance to a foreign 
 power'; 'abject obedience to the commands of the head of the 
 Church*; 'danger of the government being overthrown'; 
 'Americans must rule,' etc. In those days, too, similar means 
 were employed to inflame the public mind. Books purport- 
 ing to be written by apostate priests and escaped nuns, em- 
 bellished with monstrous pictures, were circulated all over 
 the country." — Wonderlands of the Wild West, p. 344. 
 
 Know-Nothing Atrocities. — Judge Carlton then re- 
 cords that the Know-Nothing agitation culminated 
 *^in the murder of a large number of Catholics and 
 foreigners, and the burning of churches and dwell- 
 ings in Louisville, Ky.," in 1855; doings precisely 
 similar to things done to the '^Mormons" in Missouri, 
 and quite analogous in nature and intent to the 
 sumptuary legislation passed by Congress in the 
 *' eighties" at the behest of sectarian agitators. 
 "Whatever may be the character of either Catholics or 
 
MOEMONISM AND ITS CRITICS 9 
 
 ''Mormons/' such lines of behaviour can find no ex- 
 cuse in any calm and reflective mind. Yet such is 
 constantly the attitude of bigoted and superstitious 
 minds, who are not content to observe the Constitu- 
 tional guarantees to our people to believe as they 
 please, and to be respected in their beliefs, so long 
 as they create no public disorders. 
 
 Bigotry Resurgent. — In view of such facts as are 
 embodied in the foregoing quotations, evidences, one 
 and all, that the bigotry and persecuting spirit, so 
 hideously rampant throughout history, are not yet 
 dead, it is scarcely remarkable that, in many quarters, 
 detestation and condemnation are considered the 
 proper sentiments toward Smith and the * ' Mormons, ' ' 
 even when dignified by the comparatively mild term, 
 ''just disdain." Such attitudes have led to the writ- 
 ing and publication of numerous books about "Mor- 
 monism,'' which contain so many such utterly pre- 
 posterous charges against the characters of both, based, 
 in the beginning, upon alleged "affidavits,'' said to 
 have been uttered by "eye-witnesses," "old neigh- 
 bors," and others, all utterly unknown and un- 
 heard-of in any other connection, that a candid and 
 informed mind can hardly escape forming the con- 
 clusion that there is exaggeration somewhere, and the 
 misdoings with which '* Mormons" may be justly 
 charged are utterly lost to sight. Never do anti- 
 Mormons seem to have discerned the fact that, in 
 exaggerating "Mormon" faults and failings, they 
 have largely discredited their own case against "Mor- 
 monism." Thus, they fail quite entirely to under- 
 stand that, in heaping reproaches on the head of Mr. 
 Smith, they are arguing, not that his claim to having 
 received revelations is preposterous and impossible, 
 but, in fact, that he was not at all the kind of person 
 to be chosen for any such marks of divine favor. 
 They fail, also, to understand that the sort of things 
 charged against him in the traditional host of "affi- 
 davits" by no means warrants the wholesale and bitter 
 
10 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 condemnation with which they regard him. On the 
 other hand, could ''scholars" recover sufficiently from 
 their ''lively impressions'' and "just disdain'' to be 
 really scholarly, it is undoubtedly true, that, in the 
 history of Joseph Smith and "Mormonism," they 
 would be able to discern nearly the most interesting 
 and significant episode of the Nineteenth Century. 
 
CHAPTER ONE 
 
 MORMON HISTORY AS TREATED BY THE 
 ENEMIES OP MORMONISM 
 
 Anti-Mormon ' * Testimonies ' ' Appraised. — ^When 
 considering the alleged ** affidavits'' of supposed **old 
 neighbors'' of Smith's youth and early manhood, 
 which constitute the bulk of the ** evidence" against 
 him, it is perfectly admissable to call attention to the 
 evident prejudice which they manifest : it is also just 
 to insist that the authors were, in very many cases, 
 closely related to the disorderly elements which perpe- 
 trated the first violence against Smith and his fol- 
 lowers in the region around Palmyra. But, above all, 
 as an unprejudiced mind must discern, the element 
 of slanderous rural gossip is much more prominent 
 than any other. Thus, the accusations brought 
 against the young man are of the kind most likely to 
 be heard in small communities, when attempts are 
 made to discredit anyone's reputation. The accusa- 
 tions of * * shif tlessness, " * * indolence, " * * exaggera- 
 tion," **vagabondish character," and the like, are the 
 very line of accusations common, particularly in the 
 mouths of village dignitaries and of other persons of 
 no importance whatever, who desire to establish their 
 own superiority. They can, evidently, be nothing 
 more in the case of Smith, for the very excellent rea- 
 son that they furnish not the slightest clue to the 
 ability manifested by him to gain the allegiance of 
 his followers, and to hold them together in a compact 
 solidarity, as he certainly did. These stock accusa- 
 tions, which are dignified into ** evidence" by virtually 
 
 11 
 
12 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 all anti-Mormon v/riters, would argue merely that 
 Smith must have been quite a worthless sort of person, 
 although quite harmless, even somewhat absurd. 
 There are recorded no grave charges against his moral 
 character, or against that of his family, other than 
 such things as may be charged to ignorance and lim- 
 ited experience. Curiously enough, also, we read no 
 allegations to the effect that this singularly worthless 
 young man, as represented by his enemies, was ever 
 haled before a court of even rural justice. 
 
 Misfit Misdemeanors. — Now, considering Smith's 
 character in the light of his doings in later life, one 
 would expect, logically enough, on the theory of his 
 complete duplicity and rascality, to read reports to 
 the effect that he had early manifested a precocious 
 ability to exploit his fellows for his own profit, mak- 
 ing them work for his benefit, and pocketing the pro- 
 ceeds of their industry, or taking possession of their 
 property and successfully evading prosecution. Such 
 a record as this might seem to demand some explana- 
 tion, in view of the large achievements of his after- 
 life, and of his undoubted ability to persuade people 
 of the truth of his claims, and to retain their alle- 
 giance in the face of hardships and persecutions. It 
 is the evidence of conscienceless plausibility and the 
 talents of a first-class swindler that we should expect 
 in a pure '^impostor" of large success, rather than 
 the gossiping charges about '* exaggeration, " **shift- 
 lessness," etc., which are so confidently proposed for 
 our acceptance. But we have heard no such charges 
 as these, and it is now rather late in the day to un- 
 earth them. Even the ** peep-stone performances,'' 
 which, as we learn, *^he practiced at intervals from 
 1820 to 1827," have never been offered as evidence 
 that he profited largely by the ** credulity" of his 
 neighbors. They example merely one of the primitive 
 superstitions common in rural communities even to 
 the present time, being closely allied to the supposed 
 ability of some persons to ** witch for water," or locate 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 13 
 
 well-springs by the use of a hazel rod. ^Whether 
 such ''clairvoyant" and well-witching pretensions be 
 groundless, or not, it is certain that the claimed or 
 reputed abilities based upon them involve no evidence 
 of capacity to engineer wholesale hoaxes. At worst, 
 they are merely the extravagances of ill-informed 
 minds. The awarding of such excessive significance 
 to accusations of this order is about as reasonable as 
 to assume a man capable of house-breaking, because 
 he uses tobacco. Both acts may be classed as sinful, 
 but it requires little physical courage and no enter- 
 prise whatever to commit the latter error. 
 
 The **Case'' for the Prosecution. — In order to 
 show the sort of wretched nonsense that our author 
 considers, in this connection at least, ** conclusive evi- 
 dence," it may be in place to quote him briefly. 
 Thus: 
 
 "Pomeroy Tucker, who was well acquainted with Joseph, 
 his family, and most of his early followers, testifies that as 
 a youth and young man he was 'noted for his indolent and 
 vagabondish character, and his habits of exaggeration and 
 imtruthfulness.' Daniel Hendrix writes from personal knowl- 
 edge of Smith: *He was a good talker, and would have made 
 a fine stump-speaker if he had had the training. He was 
 known among the young men I associated with as a romancer 
 of the first water. I never knew so ignorant a man as Joe 
 was to have such a fertile imagination. He never could tell 
 a common occurrence in his daily life without embellishing 
 the story with his imagination* (quoted from Linn). S. S. 
 Harding, a native of Palmyra, makes note of the fact that 
 Smith as a boy had such a reputation for exaggeration that 
 it was a customary comment in the neighborhood when a 
 specially incredible story was narrated, *That is as big a 
 lie as young Joe ever told' (quoted from T. Gregg). In 
 1833 eleven residents of Manchester and fifty-one residents of 
 Palmyra (the two neighboring towns in which the Smith 
 family lived during their stay in the State of New York) 
 recorded their judgment on the shiftless and untrustworthy 
 character of the Smith family, Joseph included (cited from 
 Howe ) . 
 
 "Not less full and explicit is the testimony of witnesses, 
 having personal knowledge, to the radical bent of Joseph 
 Smith to play the role of a magical occultism in search for 
 hidden treasure. The fifty-one residents of Palmyra men- 
 
14 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 tioned above refer to the lairge amount of time spent in 
 digging for money imagined to have been concealed in the 
 earth. Pomeroy Tucker narrates how Joseph claimed by 
 means of a *peep-stone/ or 'seer-stone' — a peculiar stone which 
 was discovered in 1819 while a well was being dug on the 
 premises of Willard Chase — to be able to point out the loca- 
 tion of buried treasure. He says that he practiced this im- 
 posture at intervals from 1820 to 1827. . . . 
 
 "Antecedents of this kind have an unmistakable signifi- 
 cance. Where in all the world could a more select agent be 
 found for concocting the fiction of the 'Golden Bible' than 
 the yoimg man notorious for telling fantastic yarns and for 
 claiming to be able with his magical peep-stone to locate hid- 
 den treasures? Who can fail to see that the story of the 
 finding and translation of the Book of Mormon was squarely 
 in line with the swollen talk and peep-stone performances of 
 this latter-day Joseph? All these things fall into one con- 
 tinuous series." 
 
 The ** Marks'* of Imposture. — Continuing his ef- 
 fort to demonstrate the complete insincerity and im- 
 posture of Joseph Smith in the matter of the reported 
 finding and translation of the *^Book of Mormon," 
 Dr. Sheldon writes as follows: **In the second place 
 the different stories which Smith told about the plates 
 of the Book of Mormon impeach his honesty and 
 veracity in the matter." He then wheels up his heavy 
 artillery of stray statements and '* affidavits" to fur- 
 ther destroy this hereditary enemy of Methodism. A 
 certain Sophia Lewis is quoted by Howe as stating 
 that the book of plates '* could not be opened under 
 penalty of death by any other person than his 
 [Smith's] firstborn." [We have heard as yet of no 
 person who professed to have *' opened" this book.] 
 He then attempts to place in '* conflict" the statement 
 of the Doctrine and Covenants (v. 10-14) that ** three 
 of my servants . . . shall know of a surety that these 
 things are true, for from heaven will I declare it unto 
 them," with the fact that there are also '* eight besides 
 the three" who **had not only seen, but handled, the 
 plates." [But this matter will be discussed later.] 
 A Rev. Lewis is also cited on the authority of Howe, 
 as stating *Hhat at a certain future time, when the 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 15 
 
 plates would be placed on exhibition, there would be 
 a chance for him to view them. ' ' 
 
 Wicked or only Imbecile? — These allegations seem 
 to furnish rather meagre evidence for a complete im- 
 peachment of Smith's *' honesty and veracity in the 
 matter," and are worthless to prove anything, unless 
 used, as in the present case, without examination or 
 analysis of conditions. [It might be asserted that, 
 even if Smith's claims were true, he, being human, may 
 have been liable to misunderstanding of some such 
 minor conditions as these, rather than ** dishonest" 
 and unveracious, as Sheldon assumes.] But, as we 
 may suppose, the object of proving Smith a liar and 
 impostor is not to be achieved, unless he be made out a 
 fool also. Thus we are favored with the ** affidavit" 
 of a certain Peter IngersoU, alleged to have been ut- 
 tered in 1833, and one of the Howe collection, which 
 alleges as follows: 
 
 "He [Smith] made me his confidant, and told me what 
 daily transpired in the family of the Smiths. One day he 
 came and greeted me with a joyful countenance. Upon ask- 
 ing the cause of his unusual happiness, he replied in the 
 following language: *As I was passing yesterday across the 
 woods, after a heavy shower of rain, I found in a hollow 
 some beautiful white sand that had been washed up by the 
 water. I took off my frock and tied up several quarts of it, 
 and then went home. On entering the house I found the 
 family at the table eating dinner. They were all anxious to 
 know the contents of my frock. At that moment I happened 
 to think about a history found in Canada, called a Golden 
 Bible; so I very gravely told them that it was the Golden 
 Bible. To my surprise, they were credulous enough to be- 
 lieve what I said. Accordingly, I told them that I had re- 
 ceived a commandment to let no one see it, "for," says I, 
 "No man can see it with his natural eye and live." However, 
 I offered to take out the book and show it to them, but they 
 refused to see it and left the room. Now,' said Joe, *I have 
 got the d — d fools fixed, and will carry out the fun.' Not- 
 withstanding he told me he had no such book and believed 
 there never was such a book, he told me he actually went to 
 Willard Chase to get him to make a chest in which he might 
 deposit the Golden Bible." 
 
 According to Howe, who first presented this ''afifi- 
 
16 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 davit" to the attention of a confiding public, Mr. 
 Chase testified that an order for such a chest had 
 actually been left with him — it was not filled, how- 
 ever, *' because the desired guaranty of good faith 
 was not furnished" — and several of Mr. IngersoU's 
 neighbors gave ''affidavits" testifying to *'his integ- 
 rity and reliability." Upon such bases as these, our 
 author concludes that Ingersoirs ''affidavit" is "well 
 adapted to carry the conviction that it is a true report 
 of the inception of the Golden Bible project," and 
 remarks that "it is any amount more credible than 
 all the stories told about the visitation of angels or 
 the attempts of satanic foes to wrest away the newly 
 discovered treasure." Precisely why these latter ex- 
 periences are any less "credible" now than in an- 
 cient times it would be difficult indeed to understand. 
 If there is any truth at all in the narrations believed 
 to give the foundation to the Christian religion, they 
 are not incredible at all ; the sole question with which 
 the consistent and logical critic could be concerned 
 should be as to whether these things actually took 
 place in the case of Joseph Smith or not. This re- 
 mark is one of the cases in which an expression proper 
 only to skeptical "rationalism" sounds very ill in the 
 mouth of a professed Christian. 
 
 Yearning for Confidants. — According to IngersoU, 
 the occasion of Smith's making him [IngersoU] "his 
 confidant" was a reported rebuke administered by 
 Smith's father-in-law, Isaac Hale, who, as stated, had 
 admonished him "to give up his foolish search for 
 money by means of the peep-stone," although he 
 [Smith] "felt that his family would wish to push 
 him on in the old line." Because of this "dilemma," 
 therefore, in which he confided in the loquacious In- 
 gersoU, Smith fakes his family — ^not Mr. Hale — and 
 then reports, in excellent grammar, his satisfaction 
 
 over the alleged fact that he had ' ' got the d d fools 
 
 fixed," and proceeds to "carry out the fun" by asking 
 a certain Chase — ^he whose well had yielded the orig- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 17 
 
 inal *' peep-stone" — to make a chest to contain the 
 **book/' which had no existence. Whether, or not, 
 this alleged '* affidavit'' is^^'any amount more credi- 
 ble" than some other narrations, it must be evident 
 that it involves nothing other than that, if true, 
 Smith was not an *' impostor" at all, but a very well 
 developed case of imbecile. "Why have we read no 
 ** affidavits" to the effect that Smith was the *'town 
 fool," and that *' every one knew that he was crazy"? 
 Here is a man nearly twenty-two years of age, old 
 enough, in fact, to be married, who, whatever his 
 vagaries, had supposedly enough common sense to 
 behave rationally. Nevertheless, on finding some 
 ** beautiful white sand" in the woods, he ties up sev- 
 eral quarts of it in his frock, and takes it home. Had 
 he found a curious or beautiful stone, or even a few 
 dozen Indian arrow heads, his procedure might be 
 intelligible; otherwise, it is merely nonsensical. Not 
 only is Smith represented as behaving thus in im- 
 becile fashion, but he is also credited with a most 
 unnatural disregard for his family — speaking of them 
 
 as **d d fools" — an attitude of mind of which his 
 
 later career shows no trace. Assuming that Ingersoll 
 really uttered the ** affidavit'* attributed to him — and, 
 as we shall see later, there are good reasons for not 
 accepting many of Howe's ** affidavits" at their face 
 value — the conclusion is inevitable that he is mingling 
 some anecdote of Smith's childhood with some events 
 of his maturer life. The same remark applies also 
 to the matter of the ** peep-stone," supposed to have 
 been found in 1819, when Smith was but fourteen 
 years old. The fact that, as represented. Smith actu- 
 ally asked Chase to make a chest to contain the *' non- 
 existent book" might be adduced to show that Inger- 
 soll was not the ** confidant" he supposed himself to 
 be — was laboring under several serious misapprehen- 
 sions, in fact — and that, if Smith had got anyone 
 *' fixed" in the matter, that one was Ingersoll him- 
 self. It might be asked further why it should have 
 
18 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 happened that Smith would wish to '*fake^' Chase in 
 the matter, while giving Ingersoll his full confidence ; 
 or why that he should assume such a preposterous 
 attitude toward his own family, who always supported 
 him in his claims, and, as represented here, '* would 
 wish to push him on in the old line," while ** giving 
 the whole thing away" to a town gossip. 
 
 Things '* Incredible" and Otherwise.— It is quite 
 evident, however, that things called **any amount 
 more credible" than some other things have very 
 often been the things that people so speaking have 
 wished to believe. Thus it is that we find very many 
 *' profound theologians," who have gone to the Word 
 of God, not to find out what it really teaches, but to 
 force out confirmations — ^verbal justifications — for 
 their own preconceived conclusions. This is the old 
 process of ** twisting texts to suit the sects," and has 
 been conspicuous in the history of theology. How- 
 ever, our author continues: 
 
 "In other resppcts also his [Smith's] stories failed to match. 
 In the final version an angel served as the custodian of the 
 plates. But as Hiel and Joseph Lewis, sons of N. C. Lewis, 
 declare. Smith reported to their father that the figure which 
 confronted him when he attempted to get the plates was that 
 of *a Spaniard having a long beard down over his breast, with 
 his throat cut from ear to ear and the blood streaming 
 down.' " 
 
 What our author neglects to state is that these 
 **sons of N. C. Lewis" — seems as though we ought to 
 know who he was — ^uttered their allegations in 1879, 
 fifty-two years after the date of the alleged event, and 
 that no one had ever heard the story before. For 
 fifty-two years the story of angelic visitations had 
 been accepted — and rejected — but now another pro- 
 fessed confidant of Smith's comes forward in the 
 persons of his sons to give the *^ correct and original" 
 version. Although, in another connection, Dr. Shel- 
 don insists that *'the plea that the late date of [a 
 certain] testimony is ground for challenging its truth- 
 fulness is far from disposing of the sworn statement" 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 19 
 
 — no anti-Mormon deponent could possibly commit 
 perjury, make erroneous statements, even inadvert- 
 ently, or be misquoted, we may suppose — we have here 
 another statement '*born out of due time" that is 
 not even sworn to. [It was in a letter to a certain J. 
 T. Cobb of Salt Lake City.] It is fairly to be chal- 
 lenged by the words of a *' Mormon" writer, N. L. 
 Nelson, as follows : 
 
 "Mr. Linn (who first introduced it to the public) actually 
 credits this story, as will be indicated by the following com- 
 ment: 
 
 " *We may now contrast these early accounts of the dis- 
 closure with the version given in the Prophet's autobiography 
 (written, be it remembered, in Nauvoo in 1838), the one ac- 
 cepted by all orthodox Mormons. One of its striking fea- 
 tures will be found to be the transformation of the Spaniaxd- 
 with-his-throat-cut into a messenger from heaven.' 
 
 "That is to say, Mr. Linn would have the reader believe 
 that not imtil Sidney Ridgon came into the Church to shape 
 and imify its teachings, did the story of the Book of Mor- 
 mon take its present form. It is in such suggestions that 
 Linn shows the weakness of pure malevolence. Could the 
 Prophet's parents and brothers and sisters and the Whitmers 
 have been made to give up Presbyterianism and join the new 
 Church, with such a tale? There were at least ninety souls 
 baptized before Sidney Rigdon came into the Church. Were 
 these converted by a *bloody ghost' story? The simple fact 
 is that from the date of his first vision in 1820, and con- 
 tinuously thereafter, the Prophet told one consistent, undevi- 
 ating story — a fact which contemporaneous records abimdantly 
 prove. Under no other circumstances could he have made 
 converts of people intimately acquainted with all the facts 
 of his life."— TTie Mormon Point of View, pp. 187-188. 
 
 Prophets, Pirates and Presbyterians. — ^Apart from 
 the essential absurdity of accepting so radical a vari- 
 ation of a traditional episode — one also utterly incon- 
 sistent with the rest of the narration (a ghostly Span- 
 ish pirate guarding a buried divine revelation!) — on 
 the authority of a single unknown, and unsupported 
 individual, it is in place to object that had such a 
 story as he tells been the *'true, original version'' in 
 any sense, it is surprising that Howe and Tucker, with 
 the cheerful assistance of so many persons **who knew 
 
20 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 Smith intimately," never' mentioned it. This is a 
 fine line of ** evidence" indeed for use in a deter- 
 mined attempt to force a case against a man whose 
 initial offense seems to have lain in his statement, to 
 his own mother, *^I have found out for myself that 
 Presbyterianism is not true." Why must one stoop 
 thus to the imbecilities of malicious rural gossip, in 
 order to discredit a ''false prophet"? Smith may 
 have told one or two absurd stories, merely to protect 
 himself from the IngersoUs, Lewises, et al.y whose 
 curiosity as to his doings might thus be satisfied, and 
 silenced. Such reports need mean nothing worse. 
 
 Extenuating Circumstances. — ^As a further demon- 
 stration of the downright unfairness of the average, 
 and typical, anti-Mormon line of argument, it must 
 be objected that, had Smith chosen, or been forced 
 into, another line of activity than the one in which 
 he gained his fame and won the enmity of so many 
 ''gifted writers"; had he, for example, become a 
 poet or a writer of fiction, the ill-natured "recollec- 
 tions" of his "old neighbors" and discarded "con- 
 fidants" would have been interpreted to indicate that 
 he had been a "dreamy and introspective youth," 
 rather than one of "vagabondish character," and in 
 the other doings mentioned one would have been ac- 
 customed to see the "expressions of a vivid and strong 
 imagination." [Something of this sort was done in 
 the case of Lord Byron, for example.] The two 
 cases, the real and the possible, match, however, in the 
 particular that both have to do principally, if not en- 
 tirely, with the doings of the man's childhood. In 
 fact, in most of the aggravated examples of "impos- 
 ture" mentioned by anti-Mormon writers, the public 
 is asked to condemn the vagaries of a child, on the 
 doubtful authority of a gang of "affidaviting" yokels 
 oppressed with vague memories of a troublesome boy. 
 
 "Scholarship" Versus Mormonism. — The iron-shod 
 Juggernaut of anti-Mormon condemnation does not 
 stop at this point, however. Our author proceeds to 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 21 
 
 question the traditional account of the **coming- 
 forth'' and ^'translation'' of the ''Book of Mormon," 
 on the ground that it was only one of Smith's numer- 
 ous attempts at "imposture." Thus he says: 
 
 "The ample list of demonstrations given by Joseph Smith 
 of his capability of downright faking are destructive of faith 
 in the supposition that he either possessed or translated any 
 antique documents. At the head stands the demonstration 
 which he incautiously gave in connection with the Book of 
 Mormon." 
 
 Here he refers to the "transcript" of characters 
 from the plates, given to his friend, Martin Harris, 
 and by him shown to Professor Charles Anthon of 
 New York. This is a famous episode, and is always 
 represented as "scholarship's first formal condemna- 
 tion of Mormon claims." Anthon 's letters on Har- 
 ris's visit have done yeoman service in "keeping his 
 memory green," more effectually, perhaps, than even 
 his own excellent text-books on the classics, which have 
 been largely supplanted by the works of later redac- 
 tors. In one of his letters, as quoted by Sheldon, Dr. 
 Anthon describes the "transcript" shown him by 
 Harris in the following words : 
 
 ''It consisted of all kinds of crooked characters, disposed 
 in columns, and had evidently been prepared by some per- 
 son who had before him at the time a book containing vari- 
 ous alphabets. Greek and Hebrew letters, crosses and flour- 
 ishes, Roman letters inverted, or placed sideways, were 
 arranged in columns. ... I am thus particular as to the 
 contents of the paper, . . . and well remember that the paper 
 contained anything else but Egyptian hieroglyphics." 
 
 Speaks for Itself. — Our author makes no further 
 comment on this quotation, evidently considering that 
 it ** speaks for itself." He seems to be unaware, 
 however, that, while the paper shown to Anthon has 
 not been preserved for us, there exists another alleged 
 ** transcript," now in the possession of Joseph Smith's 
 grandson, Frederick M. Smith of Independence, Mo., 
 which might seem to put another construction on the 
 matter. Like the paper mentioned, it consists of **all 
 kinds of crooked characters," several of them sug- 
 
22 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 ©•« >Hrr o q-r A-? a 5^ OB S-i^- &« 
 
 a 
 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 23 
 
 gesting Greek, Hebrew and Roman letters, variously- 
 disposed. Allowing, however, for the evident un- 
 skillfulness of the writer as a penman — and this fact 
 might be urged to indicate that he had copied many 
 of the characters poorly, and inaccurately, distorting 
 some of them in fact — ^the entire screed closely re- 
 sembles a manuscript in some ancient form of Egyp- 
 tian Hieratic. [This latter text, in a general sense, 
 held about the same relation to Hieroglyphic as hand- 
 written script holds to square printed type; being a 
 ''cursive form,'' in fact, hence diverging from Hiero- 
 glyphic in very many particulars.] Thus, it is pos- 
 sible to find several striking resemblances to common 
 Hieratic characters in this paper, and close study has 
 
 
 --1 -t :>C^ */n 
 
 IT K ^ ^ 
 
 Selected specimens of phonetic characters found in Egyptian 
 Hieratic manuscripts, as given by ChampoUion and other authorities. 
 It is noteworthy that the same sound may be represented by a 
 number of different characters; also that there are, in addition, 
 very many characters used as "ideograms," "determinants," etc.; 
 and that all characters are written together in convenient combina- 
 tions, rather thai> on single lines. Suggestions of many of these 
 characters may be found in the alleged "transcript" shown on thtt 
 opposite page. 
 
 revealed several others with the same possible descrip- 
 tion. One curious fact about this writing is that, 
 although, evidently copied by the penman beginning 
 at the left hand upper comer, as in modern Euro- 
 pean languages, it seems to represent, or to be in- 
 tended to represent, a text reading from right to left, 
 as did Egyptian texts of all varieties, as well as the 
 writing of most Semitic languages. This conclusion 
 might be formed by noting the fact that three square 
 figures, closely suggesting stops of some kind, as be- 
 tween sentences or sections, are to be seen in the writ- 
 ing, the third of them being at the extreme left hand 
 
24 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 end of the seventh, or last, line. If a ^^fake," pure 
 and simple, it is certainly an extremely clever one, 
 somewhat more carefully concocted than one might 
 expect from **so ignorant a man as Joe." 
 
 The Lapses of Dr. Anthon. — ^Dr. Sheldon then adds 
 the following footnote, which is worthy quotation for 
 several reasons, as will appear later. He says: 
 
 *'A letter of Anthon seven years later refers to this visit, 
 and also gives account of a second visit. Mormon apologists 
 are able to point out some discrepancies between the two 
 letters. But they are such as might result from a memory 
 not supported by records at hand, and on the main poini^ 
 the character of the pretended excerpt from the Book of Mor- 
 mon — the two letters show complete agreement." 
 
 As already seen, this **main point" is quite beside 
 the mark. Our author does not take the trouble to 
 specify that the two letters disagree in an essential 
 point of fact; the second stating that Anthon had 
 given Harris a written opinion of the matter, the first 
 denying this. This is, to be sure, a minor point in the 
 argument, but it evidences the liability to forget de- 
 tails in the lapse of years, a failing shared by both 
 ignorant and learned. In this manner, as Dr. Shel- 
 don agrees in this particular connection, it is evident 
 that a statement on essential facts made years after a 
 given occurrence, does not always have the force of 
 one made upon a comparatively recent event. Most 
 of the strongest and oftenest-quoted arguments of 
 Anti-Mormon writers are based upon statements made 
 many years after the events described; among them 
 the remarkable *^ first version" given by the Lewis 
 brothers, as quoted above. If writers like Sheldon 
 can excuse the lapses of Anthon on the grounds just 
 given, it may be that, in using the * testimonies" of 
 other ^'deponents" to establish the long-past events, 
 which they profess to describe ** accurately " and 
 '* minutely," as though Anthon were the only man 
 subject to forget fulness, they may find themselves 
 *' hoist with their own petard." 
 
 Imposture upon Imposture. — Sheldon then pro- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 25 
 
 ceeds to massacre the reputation of the ''Mormon" 
 Prophet by alleging other subsidiary examples of ** im- 
 posture. ' ' He writes thus : 
 
 "That Smith's claim to have an antique book written in 
 Reformed Egyptian was a capital instance of faking is further 
 placed beyond reasonable doubt by subsequent instances of 
 a like unscrupulous procedure on his part." 
 
 He then proceeds to catalogue the professed trans- 
 lation of an Egyptian papyrus, found with a mummy 
 purchased by Smith in 1835 ; his alleged misinterpre- 
 tation of the nature of a Greek psalter in 1842; his 
 alleged mistranslation of certain brass plates found 
 at Kinderhook, 111., in 1843, and subsequently alleged 
 to have been ** faked'' by a certain Fulgate; and, 
 finally his ** double outrage against the text" of Scrip- 
 ture, in the production of the so-called ** Inspired 
 Translation." It might be urged with some show of 
 cogency that, in the four instances mentioned above, 
 or in the first three of them. Smith had an actual 
 writing in an unfamiliar text to interpret, while, in , 
 the case of the **Book of Mormon," as Sheldon insists, 
 he had no such document to work upon. Sheldon 
 evidently denies the truth of the account of the plates, 
 and even doubts that there were any plates whatever. 
 For, as he remarks in connection with discussing the 
 ** Eight Witnesses": 
 
 "Supposing plates to have been actually seen and handled, 
 the only rational conclusion would be that they were de- 
 vised for the occasion; and for witnesses drawn from the 
 Smith and Whitmer families we can be assured that a very 
 cliunsy device would have answered the purpose. It would 
 not have needed anything so well executed as the Kinderhook 
 plates referred to above." 
 
 If the supposed ** clumsy device" were in any sense 
 as good as the ** transcript" previously discussed, it 
 might be asserted that others, beside members of the 
 families named, might have been *' deceived." 
 
 What Is a Prophet? — In considering these four 
 later examples as evidence of consistent ** imposture" 
 on the part of Smith, it is only fair to urge as answer 
 
26 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 that, in the case of the *'Bo6k of Mormon," he pro- 
 fessed to have made the translation ''through the gift 
 and power of God," or, as he states, '*by means of the 
 TJrim and Thummim," while no such claim is made 
 in the case of any of his other professed '^ transla- 
 tions." In other words, he was acting in the first in- 
 stance, according to accounts, in the capacity of 
 prophet and direct instrument in the hands of God; 
 while in others, as in the 'translation" of the ''Book 
 of Abraham" from the Egyptian papyrus, we are 
 free to suppose that he was exercising such human 
 judgment as he may have believed warranted in the 
 premises. In order to point his distinction, it may be 
 in place to quote him on his estimate of the prophetic 
 ofSce and function. He states in his journal : 
 
 "According to John, the testimony of Jesus is thie spirit 
 of prophecy; therefore, if I profess to be a witness or teacher, 
 and have not the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony 
 of Jesus, I must be a false witness; but if I be a true teacher 
 and witness, I must possess the spirit of prophecy, and that 
 constitutes a prophet; and any man who says he is a teacher 
 or preacher of righteousness, and denies the spirit of prophecy, 
 is a liar, and the truth is not in him; and by this key false 
 teachers and impostors may be detected." — History of the 
 Church, Vol, V. p. 215. 
 
 Again : 
 
 "I was this morning introduced to a man from the East. 
 After hearing my name, he remarked that I was nothing but 
 a man, indicating by this expression, that he had supposed 
 that a person to whom the Lord should see fit to reveal His 
 will, must be something more than a man. . . . Indeed, such 
 is the darkness and ignorance of this generation, that they 
 look upon it as incredible that a man should have any inter- 
 course with his Maker."— 76id Vol. II, p. 302. 
 
 Quite as important in the present connection is the 
 following : 
 
 "This morning, I read German, and visited with a brother 
 and sister from Michigan, who thought that *a prophet is al- 
 ways a prophet'; but I told them that a prophet was a 
 prophet only when he was acting as such." — Ihid. Vol. V. 
 p. 265. 
 
 Prophets in Error. — ^As may be understood, the 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 27 
 
 above passages indicate that, according to Smith's 
 teaching, the prophetic office consists in the use of a 
 man as the direct agent and mouthpiece of God, at 
 given times and for given purposes. That at other 
 times he is not a *' prophet," as above stated, may in- 
 volve that he may even fall into numerous errors, 
 both of speech and conduct, precisely as did Moses, 
 even in the capacity of prophet, at the ** waters of 
 Meribah-Kadesh'' (Numbers xx, 11-13; xxvii, 14), 
 and be punished therefor (Deuteronomy xxxii, 51). 
 In the professed exercise of the prophetic function in 
 the ''translation'' of the ''Book of Mormon," the rep- 
 resentation is, not that he was endowed with a knowl- 
 edge of Egyptian, but that the **gift and power of 
 God" acted on his mind to impart the meaning of the 
 "crooked characters, disposed in columns." 
 
 Did Smith Read Egyptian. — ^As may be seen, the 
 story told about the "translation" of the "Book of 
 Mormon" is perfectly consistent. Whether it be true, 
 or not, is another matter, one, also, which may not be 
 determined, perhaps, by argument. If, as repre- 
 sented, the work was done by divine command, and 
 completed by the "gift and power of God," it stands 
 in a different class from other professed translations 
 produced by Joseph Smith. In the case of the "Book 
 of Abraham," professedly translated from an Egyp- 
 tian papyrus, he distinctly specifies that the work 
 was done as the result of his studies in Egyptian — 
 and we know that he was a student of Hebrew, Ger- 
 man and law, also of some other matters, perhaps of 
 Egyptian. As to the matter of the professed transla- 
 tion, we can say nothing, of course, since the papyrus 
 originally in Smith's possession has been lost. That 
 he had such a papyrus seems evident, however, from 
 the fact that three drawings of Egyptian style are 
 printed with, and believed to illustrate the text. One 
 of these is a hypocephalus ; the other two are of un- 
 certain significance. Smith professed to caption 
 them all, and on the issue of his captions alone is the 
 
28 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 charge of ''imposture," in this connection based. As 
 Sheldon points out, the captions on these plates have 
 been attacked by sundry authorities, including Deve- 
 ria, the French Egyptologist,, Budge and Woodward 
 of London, and a number of Egyptologists and non- 
 Egyptologists, whose opinions were presented in 
 pamphlet form by the late Bishop F. S. Spaulding of 
 Utah in 1912. These gentlemen asserted, to be sure, 
 as our author states, that *'the facsimiles were speci- 
 mens of characters commonly found in Egj^ptian 
 tombs, and that the interpretation by Joseph Smith 
 . was utterly aside from their meaning/' He does not 
 inform us, however, that their identifications of the 
 plates did not agree, showing that there was a wide 
 range of uncertainty as to their real reference, and 
 that, particularly in the case of the hypocephalus fig- 
 ure, there are strong reasons for believing that the 
 man who wrote the captions ascribed to Joseph Smith 
 had a working knowledge of Egyptian. This matter 
 is fully discussed in the Improvement Era (Salt Lake 
 ^ City) for February, 1914; and until the allegations 
 made are fully refuted, the charge of ''imposture'' 
 in this connection, at least, is purely gratuitous. In 
 this case, the question is one of pure Egyptological 
 and Semitic scholarship — ^to determine the question, 
 whether or no Smith knew Egyptian, or had authori- 
 ties for any of his statements. 
 An Ungrammatical "Imposture.'* — Having com- 
 k^mitted this "error of omission," Dr. Sheldon pro- 
 V*^ ceeds with his indictments. "Another instance of 
 fc^^ fraudulent pretense," he writes, "quite as glaring as 
 
 7^ 
 
 *n that just mentioned, is reported by the Rev. Henry 
 M 4L*^ Caswall." To hurry over a trivial and gossiping bit 
 ^^^>^ *^ of insignificance, we may state that this Caswall pre- 
 ^^ sented a book, alleged to have been a ' ' Greek Psalter, ' ' 
 ^ to Joseph Smith, and asked him what it was. Smith 
 asked him what he supposed it to be, and was an- 
 swered that Caswall thought it a Greek book. Ac- 
 cording to report, the answer was: 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 29 
 
 "No, it ain't Greek at all, except perhaps a few words. 
 What ain't Greek is Egyptian; and what ain't Egyptian is 
 Greek. This book is very valuable. It is a dictionary of 
 Egyptian hieroglyphics. Them figures [capital letters at the 
 head of each section] is Egyptian hieroglyphics; and them 
 which follow is the interpretation of the hieroglyphics written 
 in Reformed Egyptian. Them characters is like th^ letters 
 which was engraved on the golden plates." 
 
 **A Phenomenon to Be Explained." — ^Whoever this 
 man Caswall may have been, he was evidently far 
 more interested in telling a good story than in arriv- 
 ing at a fair estimate of the man about whom he later 
 wrote a book. He exaggerates Smith's tendency to 
 use poor grammar — and this discredits somewhat his 
 accuracy in other particulars — which is not so pro- 
 nounced in Smith's later writings and discourses, and 
 was entirely unnoticed by Josiah Quincy, son of the 
 President of Harvard College and sometime Mayor 
 of Boston, who visited Nauvoo in 1844. Quincy, al- 
 though undoubtedly the better scholar of the two, ar- 
 rives at far different conclusions, writing of Smith 
 some years later: 
 
 'It is by no means improbable that some future text-book, 
 for the use of generations yet imborn, will contain a ques- 
 tion something like this: What historical American of the 
 nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence 
 upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no 
 means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may 
 be thus written: Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet. And 
 the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now 
 living, may be an obvious commonplace to their descend- 
 ants. History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as 
 startling as this. The man who established a religion in this 
 age of free debate, who was and is to-day accepted by h\m- 
 dreds of thousands as a direct emissary from the Most High 
 — such a rare human being is not to be disposed of by pelt- 
 ing his memory with unsavory epithets. Fanatic, impostor, 
 charlatan, he may have been; but these hard names furnish 
 no solution to the problem he presents to us. Fanatics and 
 impostors are living and dying every day, and their memory 
 is buried with them; but the wonderful influence which this 
 foimder of a religion exerted and still exerts throws him 
 into relief before us, and not as a rogue to be criminated, 
 but as a phenomenon to be explained. The most vital ques- 
 
30 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 \ 
 
 MJipniiniiniiii/m 
 
 Another of Joseph Smith's Alleged "Frauds," which "Scholarship" has 
 not proved against his allegations. 
 
 Smith claimed that this picture represents the attempted "sacrifice 
 of Abraham" by an idolatrous priest of the "Chaldees," thus giving 
 8 variation of the story told of such incident in the Talmud, and in 
 other ancient Semitic writings. Sundry Egyptologists and sectarians 
 have attacked, this description, and have attempted to "identify" it. The 
 results of their efforts are as follows: 
 
 "An embalming," the reclining figure being the unembalmed corpse 
 and the standing figure, an "embalmer," a "priest," or the god 
 "Anubis" ; the flying bird bein^ called "Isis," the "Hawk of Horus," 
 or the man's "soul." So identifying are Dr. Flinders-Petrie of Oxford, 
 Dr. F. von Bissing of Munich, Dr. Edward Meyer of Berlin, Dr. Henry 
 Woodward of London. [It is noteworthy, however, that Anubis is al- 
 ways represented with the head of a jackal, and that the soul-bird 
 always has a human head.] 
 
 "The Resurrection of Osiris,** the reclining figure representing the god 
 Osiris coming to life at the command of Anubis; the flying bird rep- 
 resenting Isis, wife of Osiris, who had taken the form of a hawk. So 
 identified by Theodule Deveria, the French Egyptologist, writing in 
 1869, and by Dr. James H. Breasted of Chicago, writing in 1912. [It 
 is noteworthy that, as Deveria distinctly states, this resurrection scene 
 is not familiar in funereal papyri found with mummies.] 
 (Oaption continued on page 31) 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 31 
 
 tions Americans are asking each other to-day have to do with 
 this man and what he has left us. A generation other than 
 mine must deal with these questions. Burning questions they 
 are, which must give a prominent place in the history of the 
 country to that sturdy self-asserter whom I visited at 
 Nauvoo." — Figures of the Past, p. 376. 
 
 ** Verdicts'' of "Scholarship." — Quincy does not 
 even remark that Smith used a double negative, but 
 his estimate, being that of a scholar and man of 
 affairs, is all the more valuable. It is immeasurably 
 removed from CaswalFs trivial condemnations, and, 
 as is reasonable to suppose, is a more correct estimate 
 of the man in question. Quincy speaks highly of 
 Smith's abilities as an executive and as a thinker on 
 the great public questions of the day, particularly 
 that of slavery. He does not stoop to record on the 
 ** say-so" of some vile gossiping slanderer, whom 
 Sheldon also considers worthy of notice, any **four 
 instances, as reported to him, with specifications of 
 place and circumstances, in which the Mormon leader 
 was plainly intoxicated" (page 134). What inflames 
 Caswall and Sheldon, however, is the fact that Smith, 
 knowing no Greek, as we may assume, states that a 
 Greek Psalter is written in Reformed Egyptian, al- 
 though even Dr. Anthon noted the resemblances. 
 That marks him as an ** impostor" of course; but 
 when among the ten learned men cited in the Spauld- 
 ing controversy over the plates of the **Book of Abra- 
 ham," as mentioned above, five call a certain picture 
 
 *'Anubis guarding the embalmed mummy," a scene very familiar in the 
 Book of the Dead. So identifying are Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge of the 
 British Museum, writing in 1903, and Dr. Albert M. Lythgoe of New 
 York City. Dr. Budge suggests that the scene has been altered, and 
 Dr. Lythgoe states that the knife has been added in the "god's" hand. 
 [It is noteworthy that in no known representation of an embalmed 
 mummy are the limbs shown in the agitated positions seen, in this draw- 
 ing.] 
 
 If any of these Egyptologists is right, therefore, this drawing must 
 have been radically altered in several essential particulars. In view of 
 their disagreements, it will be necessary to demonstrate any conclusions 
 drawn. Will some learned person be pleased to tell us what this scene 
 represents ! OtherwisCj how can we condemn Joseph Smith for "fraud," 
 because he disagrees with scholars who disagree among themselves? If 
 they know not what it is, did he "conceal the truth" with intent to 
 deceive ? He either knew, or thought that he knew. Precisely the same 
 must be said of all his learned critics. 
 
32 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 an '* embalming"; three, a '* resurrection of Osiris/' 
 and two, a ''mummy guarded by Anubis'' — ^these 
 three religious subjects are as utterly different as a 
 ''Nativity" and a "Crucifixion" — ^there is no thought 
 of "fraudulent pretense," although, as is evident, 
 some of these "scholars" at least, are exceeding their 
 knowledge and making bald guesses. In any event, 
 as his adherents would insist with perfect reason, 
 Smith the Prophet and Smith the man differ in point 
 of authority and liability to common errors. It is 
 not, however, as a translator, or even as a judge of 
 antique Psalters, or as an answerer of disingenuous 
 questioners, that Joseph Smith deserves the greatest 
 regard. His significance is quite other than any of 
 these. 
 
 Was It a Hoax? — Following up his destructive 
 march, Dr. Sheldon next animadverts upon the re- 
 ported "translation" offered by Joseph Smith on cer- 
 tain brass plates, bearing inscriptions in some unfa- 
 miliar character, said to have been found in a mound 
 at Kinderhook, 111., in 1843. These plates, having a 
 peculiar shape, and strung together apparently 
 through an eye-hole at the top of each, have been 
 figured in several "Mormon" books. The supposed 
 characters inscribed on their faces are not readily sus- 
 ceptible of interpretation, but whether this is due to 
 the fact that the wood-engraver who made the orig- 
 inal printing blocks copied them incorrectly, or 
 whether the plates were a mere hoax, containing only 
 such characters as would be traced haphazard by any 
 common, unlearned trickster, it would be quite impos- 
 sible to determine offhand. Suffice it to say that sev- 
 eral of these characters suggest shapes seen in various 
 ancient inscriptions, as might be recognized by 
 learned and unlearned alike. Of course, such resem- 
 blances readily suggest meanings and ideas, and might 
 lead some to attempt a theory on the meaning of the 
 total inscription. On this point our critic remarks: 
 
 **Not a few were deceived by their antique appearance, till 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 33 
 
 at length in 1879, W. Fulgate, one of those to devise the hum- 
 bug, made affidavit as to how the plates had been fashioned 
 and caused to bear the semblance of age." 
 
 So the learned world had to wait thirty-six years 
 for the ** confession'' of Mr. Fulgate, and, in the 
 meantime, others might have been ^'deceived" also! 
 In a footnote he adds the further remark: 
 
 "The plea of a Mormon apologist that the late date of 
 Fulgate's testimony is ground for challenging its truthful- 
 ness is far from disposing of the sworn statement. The 
 necessity that the witness should take account of his con- 
 federates, as well as a natural hesitation to declare his share 
 in a fraud on the public, might easily have induced delay." 
 
 An Unfair Condemnation. — ^Whether our critic 
 knows it or not, or whether the ** Mormon apologist" 
 mentioned was culpable in questioning the ** sworn 
 statement'' of an anti-Mormon — who must have told 
 the truth and been incapable of error of any descrip- 
 tion — it is highly unnecessary to challenge this al- 
 leged ''affidavit,'* or to notice it in any way. All 
 that we have to do is to inquire what Joseph Smith 
 really said about these plates, and from that to deter- 
 mine for ourselves whether we need condemn him for 
 ** downright faking." His comments on the matter, 
 all that he ever made, are in the following words : 
 
 "The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton and 
 were covered on both sides with ancient characters. I have 
 translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history 
 of the person with whom they were found. He was a descend- 
 ant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, 
 and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven 
 and earth." — History of the Church, Vol. V, p. 372. 
 
 Whether the remark in the last clause refers to the 
 ''descendant of Ham" or to ** Pharaoh" is not quite 
 clear from the construction. It is not impossible to 
 hold, however, that the writer of the above might have 
 believed, even on the basis of an adequate knowledge 
 of Egyptian, Hittite, Chinese, or any other form of 
 writing resembling the marks on these plates, that 
 some such meaning was to be derived from the few 
 that seem to be * legible." As is known, also, numer- 
 
34 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 ous characters in Egyptian, and other ancient forms 
 of writing, connote definite things, persons, or ideas, 
 not sounds merely. Consequently, the presence of 
 characters resembling some such ideograms might lead 
 one to hazard a guess as to the significance of the 
 whole inscription. We are asked to condemn Mr. 
 Smith for doing something of this kind — if, indeed, 
 we are to accept him at his own profession — but the 
 learned Egyptologists who have floundered and 
 guessed upon the meaning of the Egyptian plates 
 above mentioned are proposed as competent witnesses 
 on Smith's '* impostures. ' ' Had Mr. Smith been *'on 
 the other side" his very act of refraining from a 
 ''full translation" would have been cited to show that 
 Fulgate's allegation of fraud was, in so far, supported 
 by ''contemporary opinion." We find merely that 
 Mr. Smith was not omniscient, and that also by his 
 own acknowledgment: for he did not profess to 
 "translate" this "inscription." 
 
 Traditional Unfairness. — In many particulars the 
 average and^ representative critic of Mr. Smith and 
 the "Mormon" system is open to the charge of unfair- 
 ness. This is to be found in the pervasive tendency 
 to magnify trivial doings into offenses of the most 
 serious magnitude; or to interpret perfectly legiti- 
 mate and innocent actions into evidences of turpitude. 
 Others than the present writer have noted this tend- 
 ency and deplored it. Among these may be named 
 the Hon. A. B. Carlton, previously quoted, who writes, 
 as follows: 
 
 "I wish deliberately to record my conviction that the Mor- 
 mons have been worse misrepresented and lied about than 
 any people I have ever known. Lies about them have been 
 made out of whole cloth; venial faults and weaknesses have 
 been magnified into gross and monstrous offenses, and inno- 
 cent or indifferent actions have been misinterpreted. I have 
 been an eye witness to transactions, in which the Mormons 
 were cruelly and outrageously abused for conduct that was 
 just, right and honorable. . . . Every now and then lies are 
 set afloat that the Mormons are about to rise in armed in- 
 sxirrection; when in truth, I can say after nearly seven years' 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 35 
 
 observation, that there is no community on the civilized 
 globe less liable than the Mormons to take up arms against 
 the Government. Polygamy aside, the Mormons have been 
 more sinned against than sinning." — Wonderlands of the WUd 
 West, p. 151. 
 
 ''Brazen*' and ''Headlong."— Even Dr. Sheldon, 
 from whom one might expect some discrimination in 
 the use of materials, follows the lead of other writers, 
 not so well equipped as himself, in attributing the 
 most reprehensible motives to acts, otherwise and in 
 other persons, considered perfectly legitimate. He 
 rather exceeds himself in the following: 
 
 "A further instance, in a somewhat different line but 
 equally significant of brazen pretence and headlong disregard 
 for truth, appears in the so-called translation of the Chris- 
 tian Bible. Large parts of the translation do not differ at 
 all from the King James Version, and many other parts differ 
 only by slight verbal changes. But an out and out addi- | 
 tion is made to the fiftieth chapter of Genesis, and the twenty- 
 ninth chapter of Isaiah is arbitrarily amplified, the plain 
 design of this double outrage against the text being the in- 
 sertion of a forecast of the prophetic vocation of Joseph Smith 
 and of the imearthing of the Book of Mormon. In this bare- 
 faced falsification, Rigdon, as being joint translator with 
 Smith, was an accomplice." 
 
 Outraging the Text.— Considering the history of 
 the text of Scripture, with which our author is per- 
 fectly well acquainted, it must be insisted that the 
 apparent severity of his characterizations quite exag- 
 gerates the gravity of Smith's "offense." The 
 "translation" in question is not accepted by the "Mor- 
 mon" Church, which uses the King James Version of 
 the Scriptures, but is published and considered au- 
 thoritative by the body known as the Reorganized 
 Church, of which the son of Joseph Smith, the 
 Prophet, was President from 1860 until his death in 
 1914. There are, to be sure, such amplifications of 
 the text, as are mentioned — another notable example 
 being found in the sixth chapter of Genesis, purport- 
 ing to give the correct account of the Prophet Enoch, 
 whose "testimony" is cited by Jude. The amplifica- 
 tion of Genesis fiftieth merely makes the prescient 
 
/ 
 
 36 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 Patriarch Joseph predict^ the joumeyings of the 
 '^Nephites" or settlers of the New "World, which, as- 
 sumed as true, he should have known and predicted, 
 with the consequent restoration of the truth of the 
 Gospel, and the events of the *^last times." The 
 chapter in Isaiah contains the famous passage, relat- 
 ing to the sealed book, and the remark of ''one that 
 is learned," in answer to the request to read it, *'I 
 cannot — for it is sealed." This episode is interpreted 
 by *' Mormon" writers to refer to the remark of Prof. 
 Anthon, *'I cannot read a sealed book." There are 
 other immediate contexts, which suggest, or, at least, 
 readily lend themselves to the theory that they predict 
 the rise of the Restoration of the Gospel in the Last 
 Times, and are, accordingly, worded so as to express 
 this meaning clearly. 
 
 Meddling with the Word. — ^Whatever may have 
 been the ''authority" back of Smith's "outrage" on 
 the text, he was doing no more and no less than has 
 been done repeatedly by persons having no more ap- 
 parent authority than had he. Many texts and pas- 
 sages that long had a place in Biblical books have 
 been found by modern scholars to be simple interpo- 
 lations — among these may be mentioned John vii, 53- 
 viii, 2, and I John v, 7, which are omitted by the 
 Revised Version of the New Testament — and, accord- 
 ing to excellent evidence, in the form of quotations, 
 etc., there are very many books of both testaments 
 that have been lost. Such radical variations as exist 
 between the Douay and King James versions also indi- 
 cate "editorial activities" on the part of someone at 
 some time in the past. Apart from these facts, the 
 text of Scripture has always been "outraged," more 
 or less, by the insertion of chapter headings and side 
 notes, to confirm explanations, oftentimes purely gra- 
 tuitous, an element most notable in the Geneva Ver- 
 sion and present to a considerable extent in the King 
 James. Worse than this, perfectly arbitrary mis- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 37 
 
 translations of numerous passages still exist in the 
 text; and, worst of all, innumerable passages have 
 been grossly misinterpreted, ^* figuratively applied" — 
 hence, really, emasculated, — so as to *'make God's 
 law of none effect," and suit the theories of ** com- 
 mentators" and '* theologians," who have sought to 
 compel the very words of Christ Himself to support 
 the conclusions of their own brilliant intellects. In 
 this connection, also, we may mention the numerous 
 perversions and gratuitous butcherings of the text 
 perpetrated by so-called ** critics" — and their opin- 
 ions are already destroying faith in the sufficiency of 
 Scripture among Protestants — by which, for example, 
 the account of the Deluge is cleverly (or, rather, 
 ridiculously) dissected into two distinct and largely 
 variant accounts, alleged to have been combined by 
 some ultra-clever, and quite hypothetical ** redactor," 
 who, however, seems to have been as careless as the 
 '* critics" profess to be ** scholarly" and able. 
 
 Evil Examples Emulated. — Therefore, even in this 
 ** brazen pretense" and ** headlong disregard for 
 truth," it is perfectly certain that Joseph Smith can 
 justly be accused of no worse than following the bad 
 examples of his predecessors, whose marginal ** inter- 
 pretations" are often entirely indefensible, as in the 
 case of the **Song of Solomon," or whose persistent 
 ignoring of some of the plainest teachings of Scripture 
 in the formulations of their ** systematic theologies," 
 have established precedents of the worst variety. If 
 he also chose to interpret the text, and to add and 
 alter to justify his principles — whether or not by 
 divine command, as he claimed — he was merely doing 
 what had so often been done before, and with as good 
 apparent authority. Precisely how this *' lapse," this 
 ''brazen pretense," if you will, can be made to argue 
 that the *'Book of Mormon," or other professedly 
 authoritative work of his is mere ** imposture, " it 
 would be difficult to understand. His act in this par- 
 
38 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 ticular is scarcely more reprehensible than Martin Lu- 
 ther 's formal rejection of the Epistle of James, because 
 it combatted his belief in ** justification by faith.'' 
 
 The Authority Claimed by Smith. — Indeed, in this 
 connection, we must protest that no explanation of 
 Smith 's character and career is quite so satisfactory — 
 so perfectly in accord with the facts established re- 
 garding him — as the assumption that he was perfectly 
 sincere in his professions. If he was really the sub- 
 ject of divine guidance, this is perfectly comprehensi- 
 ble, of course ; if, on the other hand, he had had ex- 
 periences which he believed to be ** divine promptings" 
 and *' revelations," it must be asked, by what stand- 
 ards, or according to what rules of inference, one 
 could determine that such were mere delusions. In 
 default of authoritative deliverances on this point 
 from ** modern critical scholarship," we must insist 
 that there was only one rule available to people in 
 Mr. Smith's day — a rule which, as it seems, he ap- 
 plied — and that this is given in the words of I John 
 iv, 1, 2 : * ^ Try the spirits whether they are of God : 
 . . . Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : Every spirit 
 that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh 
 is of God." It is to be remarked that in the afore- 
 mentioned examples of *' brazen pretense," etc., the 
 *' gratuitous additions" to the text of Genesis and 
 Isaiah, the most conspicuous fact is the repeated intro- 
 duction of the name of Jesus Christ as the Eternal 
 Son of God, or distinct and unmistakable references 
 to Him. 
 
 Solomon Spaulding Resurrected. — It may be an- 
 swered to our contentions in the preceding paragraphs 
 that, if a man commits what seems to be, according to 
 our lights, an act of such presumption, it is fair also 
 to conclude that any of his other works, particularly 
 those involved in dispute, were similarly produced. 
 This is, of course, the very thing to which our author 
 is attempting to argue, and which, he evidently be- 
 lieves, he has gone near to proving. We must be con- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 39 
 
 sistent critics, however, and ar^e all conclusions to 
 their logical ends. We may ask, therefore : Why, if 
 Smith gratuitously and deliberately inserted various 
 passages in the text of Scripture, do we not argue also 
 that he must have written the ''Book of Mormon," 
 in precisely similar fashion? The additions found in i/ 
 Genesis vi and vii, giving the accounts of the doings 
 of Adam and Enoch, certainly show a marked capacity 
 for producing the very kind of narrations character- 
 istic of the ''Book of Mormon." One might reason- 
 ably hold, indeed, that their origin was the same, 
 wherever it may have been located. Sheldon, how- 
 ever, as well as most anti-Mormon writers, is barred 
 from the use of this very obvious conclusion for one 
 of his opinions, by the fact that it is necessary to ac- 
 cept the allegations of the Spaulding-authorship 
 theory, merely because it is supported by the same 
 kind of "affidavits" as those of the IngersoUs, Ful- 
 gates, and other exponents of "integrity and reliabil- 
 ity," which have been so often used as "evidence" of 
 Smith's bad character. To question the validity of 
 these "affidavits" in one connection must very seri- 
 ously embarrass their use in another — and all are of 
 the same description, open to the same line of objec- 
 tions. Furthermore, the representative of a family of 
 "shiftless and untrustworthy character" seems so 
 liable, in the eyes of our friends, to perpetrate some 
 troublesome "hoax" of the "Book of Mormon" va- 
 riety, that the two lines of allegation seem — to them — 
 beautifully matched parts of one whole. It seems 
 necessary, therefore, to follow our author into the 
 tedious windings of this contemptible Spaulding 
 theory, in order to demonstrate, if for no other reason, 
 the complete absurdity and futility of its allegations. 
 He introduces his argument as follows : 
 
 "In the fourth place, the high pretensions of Joseph Smith 
 in relation to the Book of Mormon must be regarded as most 
 seriously damaged by the historical demonstration, that, to 
 a conspicuous degree, the groundwork of that book was bor- 
 rowed from a romantic story of Solomon Spaulding entitled 
 
40 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 'Manuscript Found.' This waa begun in 1811 or 1812 at 
 Conneaut, Ohio, was left for a time in the printing office of 
 Patterson in Pittsburgh, was probably taken thence to Amity, 
 Pennsylvania, to be retouched, and was sent anew to Pat- 
 terson's establishment shortly before the death of the author 
 in 1816.'* 
 
 This statement, so far as the dates are concerned, is 
 taken from the revised form of this story, as presented 
 by a certain A. T. Schroeder, who, as our author re- 
 marks, published a ^^very careful review'' of the 
 ''relations" between the ''Book of Mormon" and Mr. 
 Spaulding's romance, entitled "Manuscript Found." 
 Schroeder is the strongest advocate of the theory that 
 Spaulding wrote more than one story of the title men- 
 tioned, a fact not clearly stated or understood before. 
 Apart from his arguments, it has no strong support, 
 and' it is more than probable that it is untrue, as may 
 be judged later. 
 
 Scribbler and Scapegoat. — ^According to accepted 
 data, Solomon Spaulding was born in Connecticut in 
 1761. He is said to have been a graduate of Dart- 
 mouth College, and was for a number of years a Con- 
 gregationalist preacher. He was engaged in mercan- 
 tile business after 1800, having been located at Cherry 
 Valley, N. Y., Conneaut, O., and finally at Amity, 
 Penn., where he died in 1816. While at Conneaut he 
 seems to have become interested in Indian antiquities, 
 particularly in the mounds and other works in the 
 neighborhood, and started to write a romantic story, 
 with the reported intention of explaining them, and 
 describing their builders, their customs, etc. This 
 work, begun in 1808 or 1809, was read by him to a 
 number of his neighbors, as represented in Howe's 
 book, "Mormonism Unveiled," about 1810. Accord- 
 ing to the usual account, his manuscript was never 
 published. According to the theory, it was stolen 
 and, after various vicissitudes, fell into the hands of 
 Joseph Smith, to be recast as the "Book of Mormon." 
 
 History of the Spaulding Theory. — The attempted 
 justification of tbi§ account is made in the alleged 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 41 
 
 event that a '* Mormon" missionary read some ex- 
 tracts from the **Book of Mormon" at Conneaut, 0., 
 in 1834, when former neighbors and several relatives 
 of Mr. Spaulding ''immediately recognized it as his 
 work"; the result being a public meeting and the dep- 
 utation of one Philastus Hurlburt, there conveniently 
 present to visit the author's widow, to obtain the 
 manuscript of the book from which they had heard the 
 extracts read. Whatever may be assumed to be 
 the truth regarding the public meeting or the depu- 
 tation of this Hurlburt on the fool 's errand of seeking 
 for the manuscript of a book already in print, from 
 the family of the author, from whom it is reported 
 to have been stolen, it is probable that Hurlburt 
 actually called on this lady, and that he obtained a 
 manuscript from her. That it was not what he wanted 
 seems established (1) by the fact that he makes no 
 mention of or quotation from it in the book prepared 
 by himself and Howe, (2) by the fact that it was 
 actually recovered by President Fairchild of Oberlin 
 College in 1884, being identified by Hurlburt 's signa- 
 ture and that of several of Spaulding's old neighbors. 
 It bears no possible resemblance to the ' ' Book of Mor- 
 mon," either in plot, treatment or style. Upon this ^ 
 fact is based the theory that Spaulding wrote several ^ 
 manuscripts of ancient American romance, one of 
 which is supposedly described in the ** affidavits" of 
 numerous **old neighbors" of Mr. Spaulding, as given 
 in Howe's book. 
 
 The ''Historical Demonstration.'' — In order to 
 show the sort of thing which, according to our author, 
 constitutes "historical demonstration," when applied 
 to "Mormon" matters, it will be in place to quote 
 briefly from the numerous "affidavits" published in 
 Howe's book, and analyze the allegations to which 
 they seem to argue. We shall find, to be sure, an ele- 
 ment of perfect confidence in the asserted identifica- 
 tion of the "Book of Mormon" as the writing of Solo- 
 jnon Spaulding, but must recognize tJistt tbere is 
 
42 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 considerable margin for forming an opinion contrary 
 to the claims made by and for the *' deponents/' 
 Among the persons uttering ** affidavits" according to 
 Howe may be mentioned a certain John Spaulding, 
 alleged to be a brother of Solomon, and also a resident 
 of Conneaut, together with his wife, Martha; Henry 
 Lake, alleged to have been the ** partner" of Solomon 
 Spaulding, and several **old neighbors," Aaron 
 Wright, Oliver Smith, John Miller, and others. 
 
 Howe's ''Testimonies." — These persons, as repre- 
 sented, agree in asserting that Spaulding had written 
 a romance of ancient America during his residence in 
 Conneaut, and that he had frequently read it, or 
 parts of it, to them at times around the year 1810. 
 In professing to describe its contents some of them 
 come near to describing in a vague way some of the 
 main incidents of the early portions of the *^Book of 
 Mormon," and with a wealth of detail that indicates, 
 either phenomenally good memories, or else strong 
 persuasions on the part of some interviewer, who has 
 cleverly wrought simple suggestions of names and inci- 
 dents into a semblance of recollection. Thus the docu- 
 ment given over the name of John Spaulding alleges 
 of the supposed Spaulding manuscript : 
 
 **It was a historical romance of the first settlers of Amer- 
 ica, and endeavored to show that the American Indians are 
 the descendants of the Jews, or the Ten Lost Tribes. It 
 gave a detailed account of their journey from Jerusalem, by 
 land and sea, until they arrived in America, under the com- 
 mand of Lehi and Nephi. They afterwards had quarrels and 
 contentions, and separated into two distinct nations, one of 
 which he denominated Nephites, the other Lamanites. Cruel 
 and bloody wars ensued, in which great multitudes were 
 slain. They buried their dead in large heaps which caused 
 the mounds so common in this country. Their arts, sciences 
 and civilization are all brought into view, in order to ac- 
 count for all the curious antiquities found in various parts 
 of Northern and Southern America. I well remember that 
 he wrote in the old style, and commenced almost every sen- 
 tence with, *And it came to pass,' or *Now it came to pass.' " 
 
 Mrs. Martha Spaulding deposes also that: 
 
 "He [S. Spaulding] was then writing a historical novel 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 43 
 
 founded on the first settlers of America. He represented 
 them as an enlightened and warlike people. He had for 
 many years contended that the aborigines of America were 
 the descendants of some of the Lost Tribes of Israel; and this 
 idea he carried out in the book in question. The lapse of 
 time which has intervened prevents my recollecting but few 
 of the leading incidents of his writings; but the names Lehi 
 and Nephi are yet fresh in my memory as being the principal 
 heroes of his tale." 
 
 Henry Lake is quoted as stating: 
 
 "Solomon Spaulding frequently read to me from a manu- 
 script which he was writing, which he entitled the *Manu- 
 script Found,' and which he represented as being found in this 
 town. I spent many hours in hearing him read said writ- 
 ings, and became well acquainted with their contents. The 
 Book represented the American Indians as being the descend- 
 ants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, and gave an account of their 
 having left Jerusalem, and of their contentions and wars, 
 which were many and great." 
 
 Aaron Wright is quoted as stating: 
 
 "One day when I was at the house of Solomon Spaulding, 
 he showed and read to me a history he was writing of the 
 Lost Tribes of Israel, purporting that they were the first 
 settlers of America and that the Indians were their descend- 
 ants. He traced their journeyings from Jerusalem to Amer- 
 ica. He told me that his object was to accoimt for the forti- 
 fications, etc., that were to be found in this country, and 
 said that in time, it would be fully believed by aU except 
 learned men and historians." 
 
 Oliver Smith is quoted as stating: 
 
 "Solomon Spaulding boarded at my house six months. All 
 his leisure hours were occupied in writing a historical novel, 
 founded upon the first settlers of this country. He said he 
 intended to trace their journey from Jerusalem, by land and 
 sea till their arrival in America, and give an account of 
 their arts, sciences, civilization, laws and contentions. In 
 this way he would give a satisfactory account of all of the 
 old moimds so common in this country. Nephi and Lehi were 
 by him represented as the leading characters, when they first 
 started for America." 
 
 "Complete Identifications."— In addition to these 
 main statements, which on the professed authority of 
 the persons represented ai^ having signed the alleged 
 ** affidavits/' various writers, following Howe, have 
 accepted as *' historical demonstrations" of the theory 
 
M THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 that Spaulding wrote the *^Book of Mormon," these 
 ** deponents/' and several others make such statements 
 as the following: 
 
 "To the best of my recollection the 'Book of Mormon' is 
 the same as what my brother, Solomon Spaulding, wrote, 
 except the religious matter'' (John Spaulding) ; "I have ex- 
 amined the *Book of Mormon/ and find in it the writings of 
 Solomon Spaulding from beginning to end, but mixed with 
 Scripture and other religious matter, which I did not meet 
 in the 'Manuscript Found*" (J. N. Miller); "Spaulding 
 traced the journey of the first settlers of America from Jeru- 
 salem to America, as it is given in the *Book of Mormon,' 
 except the religious matter^' (Aaron Wright) ; "I have read 
 the *Book of Mormon' and believe it to be the same as Spauld- 
 ing wrote, except the religious parf (Nahum Howard) ; *'I 
 have examined the *Book of Mormon' and have no hesitation 
 in saying that the historical part of it is principally if not 
 wholly &ken from the 'Manuscript Found'" (Henry Lake). 
 
 Others of the alleged ''deponents" state with more 
 or less confidence that the two books are the same, or 
 principally so, and very many of them add that they 
 distinctly remember the names of Nephi, Lehi, Ne- 
 phites and Lamanites. A few add also the names of 
 Mormon and Moroni. These six names are, appar- 
 ently, the only ones ''distinctly remembered" by and 
 among these people, as quoted by Howe. None of the 
 other strange names seem to have been remembered. 
 
 Upon these meagre allegations are based the so- 
 called Spaulding theory, which people possessed of 
 education and critical judgment — in matters other 
 than those concerned with "Mormonism" — confi- 
 dently announce as "historically demonstrated." 
 There are, however, several plain elements incongruous 
 with this conclusion, which form a very firm ground 
 for questioning the accuracy, or even the validity, of 
 these professed "affidavits." 
 
 Amazing Peats of Memory. — In the first place, 
 these "affidavits" were uttered, according to Howe, 
 not earlier than 1834, and profess to describe a book 
 seen or heard read not later than 1810 or 1812 — sev- 
 eral of the "deponents" specify that it was about 
 1810— between twenty-two and twenty -four years be- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 45 
 
 fore the date of the alleged ** testimonies/' In any 
 other connection, or in a court of law, it would be 
 recognized without question that ** precise recollec- 
 tion,'' particularly of names and minor incidents so 
 far in the past must be extremely unreliable ; and that 
 the ability to identify a book seen in print for the first 
 time with one heard read in manuscript some twenty 
 years before is extremely questionable. If one man 
 professes to be able to perform any such feat of mem- 
 ory, he may be credited with phenomenal powers of 
 recollecting, but when several persons, evidently not 
 highly educated, nor given to the cultivation of pre- 
 cision, are credited with any such ability, we have 
 merely a good example of absurd fatuity, or of im- 
 placable prejudice, as in the present case, which seizes 
 any drifting straw of ** testimony," as if it might be 
 strong enough to float with the weight of their theory 
 upon it. Such conclusions as the above even Professor 
 Sheldon, as the most scholarly critic of **Mormonism" 
 in recent years, is bound to recognize. Thus, in the 
 case of Dr. Anthon's lapses of memory, as shown in 
 his contradictions between the first letter, written to 
 E. D. Howe in 1834, and the second, written to T. W. 
 Coit in 1841 — seven and fourteen years after the event 
 described, respectively — ^he writes: 
 
 ''Mormon apologists are able to point out some discrepan- 
 cies between the two letters. But they are such as might 
 result from a memory not supported by records at hand." 
 
 This statement is made, furthermore, in spite of 
 the fact that Anthon remarks in the first letter: **I 
 have frequently conversed with friends on the subject 
 since the Mormonite excitement began,'' indicating 
 that the matter of his conversation with Harris was, 
 during the first seven years at least, somewhat before 
 his mind. If, under such conditions, and also in view 
 of the fact that, as he states in his second letter, his 
 name was constantly being mentioned by ** Mormon'' 
 speakers, particularly in connection with the supposed 
 fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah already referred 
 
46 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 to, the memory of so learned a man could show even 
 such lapses as we have noted, it is quite certain that 
 the plain and unlearned people alleged to have ut- 
 tered the ''affidavits" quoted by Howe, after over 
 twenty years in which, as several of them acknowledge, 
 Spaulding and his manuscript had become somewhat 
 vague in their minds, may be considered as haviug 
 made far more serious lapses. Nor is it any less rea- 
 sonable to hold that the more significant parallels, 
 drawn by them between Spaulding 's reported manu- 
 script and the ''Book of Mormon," were elicited in 
 answer to question, such as, "Do you remember the 
 name Nephi?" This we will discuss later on. 
 
 "Lost Tribes" Pound Again. — In the second place, 
 the statements attributed to Spaulding 's old friends 
 and neighbors by the author of "Mormonism Un- 
 veiled" indicate, either that they were really speaking 
 of some other book, or else that they were affirmative 
 replies to such questions as the above made by some- 
 one who had but the vaguest idea of the contents of 
 the "Book of Mormon," or the main incidents found 
 in it. This is shown in the statements, attributed to 
 John Spaulding and his wife, to Henry Lake, alleged 
 former business partner of Solomon Spaulding, Aaron 
 Wright, with whom, as alleged, he was on very friendly 
 terms, that the story remembered by them represented 
 the Indians as descendants of the "Lost Tribes of 
 Israel." The "Book of Mormon" makes no such 
 claim, representing that the Jewish emigrants from 
 Jerusalem consisted principally of Lehi and his four 
 sons, with their wives and dependents, who were, as 
 represented, utterly different people from the so-called 
 "Lost Tribes" — ^these were the body of Israelites who 
 did not return to Palestine after the Babylonish cap- 
 tivity, and have been sought for and "discovered" in 
 all parts of the earth. Nor is this a "minor inaccu- 
 racy": it shows that the four persons who repeated the 
 allegation were certainly confusing Spaulding 's pos- 
 sible beliefs in the matter — ^for it was as fashionable 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 47 
 
 then to believe that the Indians are the *'Lost Tribes,'* 
 as it is now to believe that all men are descended from 
 apelike ancestors, — with what he may be assumed to 
 have stated in his manuscript. Such slips do not 
 beget full confidence in the allegations touching the 
 remainder of the manuscript's contents. 
 
 Accounting for Antiquities. — In the third place, 
 the allegations made above, to the effect that Mr. 
 Spaulding had intended his story to * ' account for the 
 fortifications, etc., that were to be found in this coun- 
 try'' refer to some other book than the ''Book of 
 Mormon," which treats such matters in a most inci- 
 dental fashion, if at all, and evidently makes no at- 
 tempt to ''account for" anything of the kind. This 
 statement will bear the fullest investigation. If 
 Spaulding really wrote a story that formed even the 
 groundwork of the "Book of Mormon," and his hand 
 was so obvious as to be recognized by ''old neighbors" 
 and others it is remarkable that none of them mention 
 the omission of these references. 
 
 Patient Listeners. — In the fourth place, these wit- 
 nesses are made to state that Spaulding had read them 
 his manuscript sufficiently often and sufficiently fully 
 to give them a knowledge of its contents ; which mdi- 
 cates that it must certainly have been some other book 
 than the "Book of Mormon," which contains, on rea- 
 sonable estimate, at least 340,000 words, most of it of 
 a character by no means calculated to enchain the 
 interest of a casual reader or hearer, nor to "stick in 
 his memory." When, therefore, such a "deponent" 
 as J. N. Miller, as above quoted, states, "I have ex- 
 amined the 'Book of Mormon,' and find in it the 
 writings of Solomon Spaulding from beginning to 
 end," etc., it is perfectly evident that he is exceeding 
 his knowledge, and making a perfectly indefensible 
 allegation. 
 
 The "Added Religious Element."— In the fifth 
 place, the allegations to the effect that the "Book of 
 Mormon" is identical with the Spaulding manuscript 
 
48 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 described, ^'except the religious part/' are amply suf- 
 ficient, to any competent literary critic, to condemn 
 the validity of the entire mass of ''testimony^' given 
 by Howe. If the very va^e and general statements 
 made by these persons be interpreted to indicate that 
 the supposed story in their minds contained no more 
 religious and Scriptural matter than the known and 
 attested manuscript of Spaulding, we may say, with- 
 out hesitation, that their statements are false and 
 mendacious on the very face. Only a casual examina- 
 tion of the '^Book of Mormon" is sufficient for a 
 demonstration of this contention. For, not only do 
 the religious passages appear as parts of the whole, 
 unless we allow a doubt to attach, for the mere sake 
 of argument, to some of the longer orations and dis- 
 quisitions, but it would be impossible for even the 
 most skillful critic to say where the religious element 
 might have been added in any place, or where it could 
 be omitted without changing the whole narration to 
 something quite different. To state, or to tolerate the 
 statement of a person of uncritical mind, that the al- 
 leged writings of Spaulding, or any other man, are to 
 be found in the "Book of Mormon," "mixed with 
 Scripture, and other religious matter, which I did not 
 meet in the * Manuscript Found,' " is merely to assist 
 an "imposture" quite as great as ever the "Book of 
 Mormon" itself has been asserted to be. The reli- 
 gious matter, and the religious character of the entire 
 book positively cannot be separated from the bald out- 
 lines of the story and leave anything that a scholar, 
 let alone an unlearned man or woman, could recognize 
 and discriminate, as from a different specific source. 
 How Names were "Remembered." — In the sixth 
 place, the "singular unanimity" among these "wit- 
 nesses" in the matter of names "distinctly remem- 
 bered" is a most suspicious circumstance in itself. 
 As stated above, the testimony of the entire coterie, as 
 given by Howe, agree upon six names merely, out of 
 all the scores given in the "Book of Mormon." It is 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 49 
 
 strange, for example, that none of these ^ ^ deponents, " 
 all so familiar, as represented, with Spaulding's works, 
 should have remembered to mention Coriantumr, or 
 Jared, or his unnamed brother ; or to have remarked 
 that Nephi had a brother named Sam, which moves a 
 certain critic to animadvert sarcastically on this ' ' Yan- 
 kee nickname' '; or to have remembered that their 
 ** curiosity had been excited by the mention of the 
 'cumoms' and ^cureloms,' " supposed to have been 
 some kind of domestic animals. It is a conclusion al- 
 most obvious that the names of Nephi, Lehi, etc., were 
 given affirmatively as answers to direct questions, 
 asked by persons having a very meagre knowledge of 
 the **Book of Mormon,*' and that they were not volun- 
 teered by any of the ** deponents,'' unless by such as 
 may have read the **Book of Mormon/' and con- 
 cluded that these names were familiar. 
 
 Edited ** Testimonies." — In addition to the fact — 
 which would be unescapably obvious in other connec- 
 tions — that the very circumstantiality with which 
 these several ** deponents" profess to describe Spauld- 
 ing's manuscript, not seen or heard read by any one 
 of them for over twenty years, constitutes a very sus- 
 piciously vivid suggestion that their ** testimonies" are 
 not in the form in which they originated them, or, at 
 the least, were not volunteered by any of them, apart 
 from suggestions and questionings by an interested 
 party, there is excellent reason for assuming that 
 their form in Howe's book represents some very radi- 
 cal editions of several particulars. In the case of 
 documents pertaining to the other side of the contro- 
 versy such a suspicion would be formed, without hesi- 
 tation. Indeed, such suspicions have been frequently 
 stated, and by the writer under discussion. Thus, as 
 quoted above, he calls Sidney Rigdon Smith's ** ac- 
 complice" in the perpetration of a ** double outrage 
 against the text," of Scripture: and '* accomplice" 
 means something other and worse than ''tool," 
 *'dupe," or even ''confidant." Later, in discussing 
 
50 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 the ** three witnesses" to the '*Book of Mormon/' he 
 remarks that *Hhey might with a fair degree of pro- 
 priety be styled his confederates in that project." 
 Yet, in expressing such opinions, to which he is fairly 
 well entitled, no suspicion seems to occur that there 
 may have been some *^ faking" on the anti-Smith side 
 also. The reasons for such a conclusion may be 
 briefly stated. 
 
 Motive for the Fraud. — The book entitled ''Mor- 
 monism Unveiled," which contains the Spaulding 
 **afi5davits," was doubtless largely prepared by Hurl- 
 burt, although signed by E. D. Howe. Hurlburt was 
 himself an apostate ** Mormon," and Howe enter- 
 tained a bitter animosity against the Church, because 
 of the fact that his wife and daughter had joined it 
 contrary to his wishes. That two men of their bitter 
 feelings would miss any opportunity to discredit 
 Smith and his people, or fail to interpret any ''testi- 
 monies" that they may have collected to suit their 
 contentions, is highly improbable. Of Howe we know 
 little, but Hurlburt has left a record that is susceptible 
 of unfavorable interpretation. He was called ''Doc- 
 tor," not because he was a qualified physician, but 
 because he was the seventh son of his father, hence, 
 according to old folk-lore superstition, the supposed 
 possessor of supernatural qualifications as a healer — 
 in other words, it was his name. He is said to have 
 been a member of the Methodist connection at one 
 time, but to have been excommunicated under charges 
 against his character. Early in 1833 he came to Kirt- 
 land, Ohio, "to investigate Mormonism," and later 
 joined the Church. On March 18 of that year he 
 was ordained an elder, and sometime later was sent 
 on a mission to the Eastern States. On June 3 of 
 the same year, on accusation of "unchristian con- 
 duct" involving charges of immorality, he was tried 
 and cut off from the Church. On June 21 he pre- 
 sented an appeal, stating that he had not been justly 
 treated, in the fact that he had been tried while ab- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 51 
 
 sent, and, in consequence of *' confession'' and ** re- 
 pentance," was */ restored." Two days later, how- 
 ever, he was again cut off, because, as stated, he had 
 boasted that he had * 'deceived Joseph Smith's God, or 
 the spirit by which he is actuated." Whatever may 
 have been the merits of the case on either side, it is 
 certain that Hurlburt was anxious to remain in the 
 Church, but was forced out by the authorities on 
 charges of misconduct. Such a circumstance, of 
 course, to use a legal phrase, *' establishes a motive" 
 for his subsequent doings. What more probable than 
 that he should **seek revenge"? This seems to be 
 the leading motive with all ** Mormon" apostates, who 
 seem to be characterized by a bitterness against their 
 former associations that is fairly '* in a class by itself." 
 A Doctored Subjunctive. — In view of the matters 
 discussed above, the origin of the Spaulding author- 
 ship story might seem clear. **Mormonism" was at 
 this time making a considerable stir in New York and 
 Ohio particularly, and the *'Book of Mormon" was 
 being industriously circulated among the people. Un- 
 doubtedly some of the former neighbors and asso- 
 ciates of Mr. Spaulding must have remembered that 
 he had written a romance of ancient America, and the 
 suggestion would have been natural that his book, 
 never printed, ** might have been the same" as this 
 new ** revelation." The lapse from the subjunctive 
 mood to the indicative is easy in the case of rumors 
 in rural communities. Consequently, within a short 
 time, numerous persons might be found willing to 
 state that the two books were certainly the same. But, 
 as frequently remarked, rumor travels almost as fast 
 as it grows in bulk. The professed identification of 
 the writings of Spaulding coming to the ears of such 
 men as Hurlburt and Howe, would have been eagerly 
 followed up by them, and worked to the limit. How 
 conclusive were their ** demonstrations" we have al- 
 ready seen. Hurlburt, as seems established, actually 
 traced the widow of Solomon Spaulding, then an aged 
 
52 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 woman, long married to a second husband named 
 Davidson, and through her obtained possession of a 
 manuscript story of Mr. Spaulding, which was re- 
 covered fifty years later, in 1884, and now rests in the 
 library of Oberlin College, Ohio. This manuscript 
 bears the following endorsement on the outside last 
 sheet : 
 
 "The Writings of Sollomon Spalding 
 
 "Proved by Aron Wright, Oliver Smith, John Miller and 
 
 others 
 
 "The testimonies of the above Gentlemen are now in my 
 
 possession. 
 
 "D. P. HUBLBUT." 
 
 Spaulding 's Real Story.— This apparently well-ac- 
 credited manuscript of Spaulding contains a tale that 
 is conspicuous in no particular. Its spelling is ludi- 
 crous in some places, and its grammar hardly suggests 
 an educated man. These things may indicate a grow- 
 ing habit of carelessness in the author, but they cer- 
 tainly show the confirmed amateur in writing. The 
 date of the story may be fixed by the circumstance 
 that it professes to embody the translation of *' twenty- 
 eight sheets of parchment . . . manuscripts written 
 in an eligant hand with Roman Letters & in the Latin 
 Language," professedly found in *'a cavity within 
 the wall" of *'an ancient fort," ^^near the west Bank 
 of the Conneaught River." Spaulding located at 
 Conneaut, Ohio, about 1808, removing thither, ac- 
 cording to accepted accounts from New York State. 
 The manuscript is, supposedly, therefore, of a date 
 somewhat later ; about 1810, probably, as stated in the 
 ''affidavits" given by Howe. This story, written, ac- 
 cording to statements, in the hope of yielding funds 
 to pay the author's debts, is certainly his ''first ef- 
 fort" — one would dislike reading anything earlier 
 and worse from his pen — and gives very poor promise 
 of improvement as a story-teller, or originator of 
 readable narrations, since, at this time, Spaulding was 
 certainly between 48 and 49 years of age; quite too 
 old "to learn a new trade." The construction of his 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 53 
 
 plot, indeed, shows very unhopeful signs of ability to 
 do more extended work, or to produce any writing as 
 elaborate as the **Book of Mormon/' He was evi- 
 dently, also, a slow and laborious writer, constantly 
 erasing and rewriting: which facts show that this 
 Oberlin manuscript was his ** first draft/' This very 
 opinion, indeed, is expressed by L. L. Rice, formerly 
 state printer of Ohio, in whose possession the manu- 
 script was found by President Fairchild of Oberlin. 
 He writes : 
 
 "I should as soon think the Book of Revelation was writ- 
 ten by the author of 'Don Quixote,' as that the writer of 
 this manuscript was the author of the 'Book of Mormon.' 
 ... I am of the opinion that no one who reads this manu- 
 script will give credit to the story that Solomon Spaulding 
 was in any wise the author of the 'Book of Mormon.' It is 
 unlikely that any one who wrote so elaborate a work as 
 the Mormon Bible would spend his time in getting up so 
 shallow a story as this, which at best is but a feeble imita- 
 tion of the other." — From Letter to Joseph Smithy 3d., La- 
 monif Iowa (1884). 
 
 This Book Described by "Witnesses." — As sug- 
 gested above, Hurlburt probably showed the manu- 
 script obtained from Mrs. Davidson to several persons 
 residing in Conneaut, and, as he states on his endorse- 
 ment, took their * * testimonies ' ' ; probably touching its 
 genuineness, etc. Whatever they may have said in 
 these '* testimonies," it is certain, as indicated above 
 that they did not describe the contents of the *'Book 
 of Mormon," which has no history of the '*Lost Tribes 
 of Israel," etc. These ** doctored" statements, how- 
 ever, actually do specify the contents of a tale closely 
 like that given in the * ' Manuscript Found, ' ' recovered 
 by President Fairchild. Thus, Spaulding 's attested 
 work actually describes the inhabitants of pre-Colum- 
 bian America as ** separated into . . . distinct na- 
 tions" — the Kentucks, Ohons, and Sciotans — which 
 waged ** cruel and bloody wars." Thus, to quote from 
 the book in question; giving all the peculiarities of 
 spelling, etc., as in the original : 
 
 "It was indeed a meloncolly day. — ^The contest was not de- 
 
54 THE CASE AGAINST MOKMONISM 
 
 sided — ^Neither army had gained a victory or had reason to 
 boast of any superior advantages obtained or any heroio 
 atcheivments, which were not matched by contending war- 
 riors. An emence slaughter was made. Near one hundred 
 thousand were extended brethless on the field — This was only 
 the beginning of the war — & what must be its dreadful calam- 
 ities if it should continue to rage — if a few more battles 
 should be faught & the infuriated Conquerer should turn his 
 vengful sword, against defenceless women & children & min- 
 gle their blood with the blood of heroes, who had fallen 
 bravely fighting in their defence. When both armies viewed 
 the emence slaughter that had been made of their respective 
 friends — instead of cooling their ardor for the war, it only 
 served to encrease their malice & their thirst for revenge." 
 — Manuscript Found, p, 95. 
 
 It may be readily seen that such, a war as this must 
 have been dreadful indeed, quite worthy to be de- 
 scribed in the words of the author's *^ brother," as 
 quoted above. It takes very little imagination, how- 
 ever, to understand how thoroughly one must need 
 revise such a story as this to make it of distinctly 
 ** religious" significance, and how difficult it would be 
 for one to recognize it after the alteration. 
 
 Antiquities Discussed. — In another particular 
 Spaulding's manuscript answers to the description 
 given in several of Howe's ** affidavits," wherein it is 
 stated that the book heard read to them contained an 
 account of the *'arts, sciences and civilization," also 
 '*a satisfactory account of all the old mounds so com- 
 mon in this country." Immediately following the 
 account of the dreadful battle, just quoted, we find 
 that the surviving soldiers of both armies buried their 
 dead comrades in trenches and heaped mounds of 
 earth upon them. "We find, also, that out of the thir- 
 teen chapters of the story, chapters 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 
 six in all, are principally devoted to extensive disqui- 
 sitions, customs of natives, * ' Discription of the Learn- 
 ing," religion, military arrangements, amusements, 
 money, etc. Such long chapters, if read several times 
 to any one person — ^providing that he were willing to 
 listen — must have left strong impressions on the mind, 
 of the author's '' learning," if no more. 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 55 
 
 Strange Names Galore. — In regard to the ''distinct 
 recollections'' of certain names, it is perfectly possible 
 to account for that, also. Spaulding uses numerous 
 strange names, some classical — ^for his hero, the pro- 
 fessed author of the parchment manuscript, is a 
 Roman — some fanciful. Among these are: Fabius, 
 Crito, Hadokam, Bombal, Hadoram, Lobaska, Ham- 
 boon, Moonrod, Elseon, Lamesa, Hambock, Drafolick, 
 Habelon, Ulipoon, Labano, Hamelick, Hamelon, Ta- 
 boon, Hamsien, Kelsock, Hamkoo, etc. It is probable 
 that such a rush of strangers would leave an impres- 
 sion on the mind of the average listener that would 
 enable him to ** remember distinctly," such other un- 
 familiar names, as those given in the ''Book of Mor- 
 mon,'' particularly if brought to his attention in the 
 form of direct questions, as previously suggested. 
 
 What Memory Cannot Do. — ^Nor need we assume 
 that the ''distinct recollections" of the phrase "it 
 came to pass" is in any other category. It is, in fact, 
 mere fabrication. The supposition that a man who 
 could write no better than the author of the "Manu- 
 script Found," should, even if persisting in reading 
 his writings to complacent neighbors, be able to create 
 Buch a furore in a rural settlement that people would 
 remember details for over twenty years is altogether 
 too preposterous for serious consideration. Let any- 
 one doubting this statement try for himself to see how 
 clearly he can remember the details of stories, ser- 
 mons, articles, etc., read by him or to him twenty years 
 ago. He can then judge of the reliability of these al- 
 leged "affidavits" of Howe and Hurlburt. 
 
 An Interveiw with E. D. Howe. — In this connec- 
 tion it will be interesting to repeat a conversation be- 
 tween Mr. Howe and Edmund L. Kelley of Inde- 
 pendence, Mo., held in the summer of 1883; Mr. 
 Kelley being the questioner : 
 
 "Q. What do you know personally about the 'Book of 
 Mormon' and the Spaulding story being the same? 
 
 "Ai I don't know anything. 
 
56 THE CASE AGAINST . MORMONISM 
 
 "Q. Why did you publish a work claiming that the *Book 
 of Mormon' was the Spaulding romance? 
 
 "A. Because I could better believe that Spaulding wrote 
 it than that Joe Smith saw an angel. 
 
 "Q. Are those your grounds? 
 
 "A. Yes, sir, they are; and I want you to understand that 
 you can't cram the *Book of Mormon' down me. 
 
 "Q. Do you swallow the Bible? 
 
 "A. That is my business. 
 
 "Q. Have you not published a pamphlet which does not 
 endorse the Bible? 
 
 "A. Yes, I ha,ye."—'Braden and Kelley Delate ( 1884) , p. 83. 
 
 What Spaulding 's Daughter Said. — The same in- 
 terviewer also reports a conversation with Mrs. 
 Martha McKinstry, a daughter of Solomon Spaulding, 
 then an aged woman residing in "Washington, D. C, 
 which took place, he states, on April 4, 1882. 
 
 *'Q. When did you first think about the names in the 
 *Book of Mormon' and the manuscript agreeing? 
 
 "A. My attention was first called to it by some parties 
 who asked me if I did not remember it, and then I remembered 
 that they were." — Ihid., p. 82. 
 
 It is to be regretted that the *' parties'' questioning 
 this lady — and others — did not have a larger supply 
 of **Book of Mormon" names to ^* recall to her mind." 
 
 An Expert Opinion. — In spite of all these facts and 
 considerations, of which our author says nothing, and 
 has evidently made no account, he states as follows : 
 
 "Several witnesses, shortly after the appearance of the 
 *Book of Mormon,' affirmed, in the most explicit terms, that 
 the Spaulding story to which they had listened had this pe- 
 culiar cast (i.e. the voyagers were represented as starting 
 from Jerusalem). Moreover, the testimony of the brother of 
 Solomon Spaulding, of his business partner, and of several 
 others assures us that the story in this form represented the 
 voyagers to America as being Jews and as starting from Jeru- 
 salem. Herein it corroborates the statement of Howe, who 
 says that the Oberlin manuscript was shown to several of 
 the witnesses whom he cites and was characterized by them 
 as the earlier and discarded form of the Spaulding romance. 
 [Reference here to Howe, p. 288.] It is utterly vain, there- 
 fore, for Mormon apologists, as they have been wont to do, 
 to plead the unlikeness of the Oberlin writing to the 'Book 
 of Mormon' as disproving the obligations of Joseph Smith to 
 Spaulding's manuscript. It affords not the slightest instal- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 57 
 
 ment of a disproof of substantial obligations. The most that 
 could be alleged would be that its style is in contrast with 
 that of the 'Book of Mormon.' The contrast, however, may 
 be explained by the twofold fact that Spaulding in the later 
 version of his story wrote of set purpose in a peculiar style, 
 and that Joseph Smith, in working over the materials fur- 
 nished by Spaulding, conformed them to a very appreciable 
 degree to his own habits of expression." 
 
 With all respect for the attainments of our author, 
 it must be protested that this line of argument is not 
 ** explanation'* at all, but *' special pleading'' pure 
 and simple. The point at issue is not as to whether 
 Spaulding wrote the ** groundwork" of the book, but 
 as to whether, after Joseph Smith had * ' worked it 
 over" and ** conformed" it **to his own habits of ex- 
 pression," it is credible that a lot of unlearned and 
 uncritically-minded people, who had neither seen, 
 heard nor heard of the original for over twenty years 
 are to be allowed to persuade the public that they are 
 able, nevertheless, to ** recognize" the work of Spauld- 
 ing **from beginning to end." In forming a judg- 
 ment on this point we must not forget that the whole 
 theory of the Spaulding authorship of the **Book of 
 Mormon" is founded upon the alleged ** testimonies" 
 of such people, and that there is not a line of evidence, 
 apart from them, that is worth considering. Our anti- 
 Mormon friends are going **very far afield," merely to 
 enjoy the pleasure of calling Mr. Smith a plagiarist 
 and ** impostor." 
 
 The '* Deadly Parallel."— The decision of the mat- 
 ter does not rest, however, upon the ** testimonies" of 
 long-memoried ** neighbors," nor yet upon the dog- 
 matic deliverances of '* experts." Joseph Smith left 
 other writings, which, as previously stated, show 
 notable points of resemblance in style with the * * Book 
 of Mormon." The matter may be judged by giving 
 three extracts of similar occurrences, as found (1) in 
 the **Book of Mormon"; (2) in the *' Inspired Trans- 
 lation" of Genesis, or the Book of Moses, as the ** Mor- 
 mons" have it; (3) in the ** Manuscript Found," now 
 in Oberlin College Library. They are as follows: 
 
58 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 Then Jared said 
 unto his brother, Cry 
 again unto the Lord, 
 and it may be that 
 he will turn away 
 his anger from them 
 who are our friends, 
 that he confound not 
 their language. And 
 it came to pass that 
 the brother of Jared 
 did cry unto the 
 Lord, and the Lord 
 had compassion upon 
 their friends, and 
 their families also, 
 and they were not 
 confounded. . . . And 
 it came to pass that 
 the Lord did hear 
 the brother of Jared, 
 and had compassion 
 upon him, and said 
 unto him, Go to and 
 gather together thy 
 flocks, both male and 
 female, of every 
 kind; and also of the 
 seed of the earth of 
 every kind, and thy 
 families; and also 
 Jared thy brother 
 and his family; and 
 also thy friends, and 
 their families, and 
 the friends of Jared 
 and their families. 
 And when thou hast 
 done this, thou shalt 
 go at the head of 
 them down into the 
 valley, which is 
 northward. And there 
 will I meet thee, and 
 I will go before thee 
 into a land which ia 
 choice above all the 
 land of the earth. — 
 Ether i. 35, 40-42. 
 
 And from that 
 time forth Enoch be- 
 gan to prophesy, say- 
 ing unto the people 
 that: As I was jour- 
 neying, and stood 
 upon the place Ma- 
 hujah, and cried un- 
 to the Lord, there 
 came a voice out of 
 heaven, saying — 
 Turn ye, and get ye 
 upon the mount 
 Simeon. And it came 
 to pass that I turned 
 and went up on the 
 mount; and as I 
 stood upon the 
 mount, I beheld the 
 heavens open, and I 
 was clothed upon 
 with glory; . . . And 
 the Lord said unto 
 me : Prophesy ; and 
 I prophesied, saying: 
 Behold the people of 
 Canaan, which are 
 numerous, shall go 
 forth in battle array 
 against the people of 
 Shum, and they shall 
 slay them that they 
 shall utterly be de- 
 stroyed; and the peo- 
 ple of Canaan shall 
 divide themselves in 
 the land, and none 
 other people shall 
 dwell there but th© 
 people of Canaan. — 
 Moses vii. 2-3, 7. 
 {Gen. vii. 2-3, 7-9, 
 "Inspired Transla- 
 tion"), 
 
 The Citizens at- 
 tended. It was a 
 prodigious concourse 
 of all classes, of all 
 descriptions, both 
 wise and simple, both 
 male and female. — 
 They surrounded the 
 stage and were all 
 attention, all anxious 
 to learn the hidden 
 decrees of Heaven, 
 and the future des- 
 tinies of the empire. 
 Drafolick their chief 
 prophet extended his 
 arms and cast up his 
 eyes toward Heaven. 
 — Quoth he — Heaven 
 unfolds her massy 
 gates and opens to 
 my view a prospect, 
 wide and vast — The 
 seven sons of the 
 great Spirit seize 
 their glittering 
 swords and swear 
 they shall not be 
 sheathed till blood 
 in torrents run and 
 deluge the fair land 
 of Kentuck. I be- 
 hold enemies mar- 
 tialing on the celes- 
 tial plain — and hear 
 warriors and heroes 
 cry — avenge the 
 crime of Elseon — I 
 hear a thundering 
 voice proceeding 
 from the great 
 Throne of him who 
 rules the world — 
 proclaiming thus — 
 corn shall not grow 
 on Sciotan fields, nor 
 mamouth yield their 
 milk — nor fish be 
 taken in the snare 
 but pestilence shall 
 roam — unless Sciota 
 shall avenge the 
 crime of Elseon. — 
 Manuscript Found, 
 p. 75. 
 
 From the standpoint of literary criticism, it is 
 scarcely necessary to argue that the author of the mat- 
 ter in the third column would scarcely be credited 
 with writing that in the first ; whereas the resemblances 
 in style between the first and the second — the latter 
 the admitted work of Joseph Smith — are too marked 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 59 
 
 not to excite comment. In spite of the numerous ex- 
 amples of defective grammar and diction to be found 
 in the ^'Book of Mormon," it cannot be denied that 
 the author, transcriber or ** translator, ' ' possessed a 
 far higher degree of literary ability than Solomon 
 Spaulding shows in his only accredited effort. Nor is 
 it a presumption on facts to claim that, had an author 
 of such literary ability — be that ability largely ** unde- 
 veloped," if you will — ^worked over the writings of a 
 man writing such things as are found in the third 
 column, he must have disguised it so effectually as to 
 have made it, in fact, a new book; also, that practiced 
 literary critics might be deceived, let alone unlearned 
 ''deponents" of the variety summoned by Howe. 
 
 A DiflSdent Suggestion. — ^We might judge that our 
 learned author was fully alive to the conclusions 
 drawn in the last paragraph, in the fact that he modi- 
 fies the usual confident statement of Spauldingite 
 writers in the following words: 
 
 "It amounts, we judge, to a historical demonstration that 
 the manuscript story of Solomon Spaulding served as an ante- 
 cedent and groundwork of the *Book of Mormon.' Consider- 
 able liberty may have been used by Joseph Smith, or by his 
 accomplice, or both, in modifying details and introducing sup- 
 plementary materials, but that the general framework and 
 wide stretches of the subject-matter of the 'Book of Mormon* 
 were borrowed from Spaulding is not open to reasonable 
 doubt." 
 
 Reasonable Doubts. — ^We may judge of the ''rea- 
 sonableness" of the doubt from the examinations pre- 
 viously made of the Howe ** affidavits." We conclude 
 that the Doctor is not basing his conclusions on ** rea- 
 son," but rather on a ** childlike faith" in the impec- 
 cability of Howe and the accuracy of the ** recollec- 
 tions" of his several ''deponents." Of course, even 
 honest people may be made to say anything under 
 heaven, if only we have their written statements be- 
 fore us, and, also, the time to "edit them into shape." 
 However, our author proceeds, as follows : 
 
 ''This conclusion holds whether or not any reliable evidence 
 
60 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 is at hand as to the medium through which Joseph Smith was 
 brought into possession of the Spaulding manuscript, or 
 enabled to use its contents very largely in shaping the 'Book 
 of Mormon.' As other noted crimes have gone imdetected, so 
 might a carefully concealed theft in this connection. But, as 
 a matter of fact, there is evidence as to the medium in ques- 
 tion, which, if not demonstrative, affords a basis for a thor- 
 oughly probable inference. A sufficient list of data points to 
 Sidney Rigdon as the man who helped Joseph Smith, by sup- 
 plying him with the highly imaginative story of Spaulding, 
 to pass on from his empty bluff about a Golden Bible to an 
 appearance of a real discovery." 
 
 The Coming of Sidney Rigdon.— We then behold 
 the resurrection of the old yarn about the theft of the 
 manuscript from the printing olBce of one Patterson 
 in Pittsburgh, where Mr. Rigdon, intimate as alleged, 
 with one Lambdin, a partner, employee or friend of 
 the proprietor, had sufficiently free access to copy or 
 purloin the precious literary treasure. If any such 
 theft really occurred, it was most probably between 
 the years 1812 and 1816, when Rigdon, born in 1793, 
 was between 19 and 23 years of age. He was rather 
 young to conceive a plot to make this book the basis of 
 an alleged *^ revelation," and, as one might suppose — 
 and our author draws numerous 'inferences" — ^was 
 sufficiently honest to wait for the printing and pub- 
 lishing of the manuscript, in order to read it at his 
 leisure. He must be made to steal it, however, since, 
 under other conditions, the ** crime" would not seem 
 sufficiently aggravated. At any rate, another line of 
 ** affidavits" is presented by numerous inconspicuous 
 persons stating that Rigdon had had, or had shown 
 them some manuscript, or had stated that some book 
 was to appear about ancient America, which would 
 ''make a stir," etc. Some one must have been ex- 
 tremely industrious, or extremely fortunate in his 
 searches to unearth so many accusers of Mr. Rigdon. 
 Nor is there any reason for accepting these "affi- 
 davits," in view of the evident "editing" done to 
 those on the Spaulding authorship matter. Our au- 
 thor, however, quotes this: 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 61 
 
 ''Mrs. Amos Dunlap [every one knows who she was] in 
 1826-27, while visiting at the house of Rigdon, saw him read- 
 ing a manuscript which he was accustomed to keep locked up 
 in a trunk, and heard him say, in response to the impatient 
 remark of his wife that she would like to burn the thing up, 
 *It will be a great thing some day.* There is no reason for 
 supposing that this was other than the manuscript which 
 Dr. Winter saw in Rigdon's study several years before." 
 
 As may be remarked, also, there is no reason what- 
 ever for supposing it was the same, or for making any 
 supposition regarding it. Such ** affidavits'' as this 
 establish nothing. 
 
 The '* Mysterious Stranger."— The question of Rig- 
 don's possession of this, or some other, manuscript is, 
 however, a minor matter beside that referring to the 
 manner in which it came into the possession of Joseph 
 Smith, to be edited, ** translated, " transcribed, and 
 finally printed and published with his name on the 
 title-page as *' author and proprietor." This is, in- 
 deed, the weakest link in the entire chain of allegations 
 made in regard to the ** history" of this famous hypo- 
 thetical screed of Spaulding's. It is, however, a nec- 
 essary stage of the argument for anti-Mormon writers, 
 because it is supported by the same kind of absurd 
 and gossiping ** affidavits" as are alleged for all the 
 supposed doings of Smith, Rigdon, Spaulding, and 
 others. Thus, as specified by ** affidavits" presented 
 by Tucker, who knew all about Smith, a ** mysterious 
 stranger" begins calling on him about two years before 
 the appearance of the **Book of Mormon" in print; 
 and, as argued, this person could be no other than 
 Rigdon come to discuss the details of the great project. 
 Numerous **old neighbors" come forward, of course, 
 identifying Rigdon with this *' mysterious stranger," 
 and their ** testimony" is accepted, in spite of the fact 
 that we have only Tucker's word for it that any of 
 them ever existed. And none of them explains how 
 it was that Rigdon was recognized or identified, which 
 one would suppose was desirable, in view of the fact 
 that he resided at a place over 200 miles from Palmyra, 
 
62 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 and was not a man of international reputation, not 
 even a dispenser of patent medicines, who distributed 
 almanacs with his portrait in every copy. Never- 
 theless, neighbors of Eigdon also testify that, at about 
 this period, he was in the habit of leaving home for 
 weeks at a time, * Agoing no one knew where." Mr. 
 Smith entertains callers whose identity he decliQes to 
 divulge to his curious neighbors — forthwith, they be- 
 come ** mysterious strangers"; Mr. Rigdon is seized 
 with a Wanderlust every now and then, and his family 
 professes ignorance of his whereabouts. What more 
 perfectly evident than that Rigdon was the great un- 
 known who called at Smith's residence? 
 
 How Rigdon Found a Publisher. — And for what 
 purpose did Mr. Rigdon, on frequent occasions, visit 
 Mr. Smith, who resided several days' journey from his 
 own home ? The answer given is that he wished him 
 to '* undertake the publication" of the manuscript, 
 which, as he is represented as having stated, would be 
 **a great thing some day." In other words, having 
 no confidence in the ordinary publisher, and knowing 
 how easily precious manuscripts may be purloined 
 from printing offices, he seeks out a gentleman known 
 to his neighbors as possessing an * * indolent and vaga- 
 bondish character" and ''habits of exaggeration and 
 untruthfulness"; who was a member of a family of 
 ''shiftless and untrustworthy" people; who practiced 
 "peepstone impostures," and, as we may judge from 
 his neighbors' remarks, was ignorant to the verge of 
 imbecility. And Mr. Rigdon traveled 200 miles to 
 find a man like this ! As our author remarks in an- 
 other connection, "all these things fall into one con- 
 tinuous series." The foolish young man who, accord- 
 ing to a certain Ingersoll, gathers quarts of useless 
 
 sand, and who speaks of his parents as ' ' d d fools, ' ' 
 
 finds a firm friend and benefactor in an older and 
 even bigger fool than himself, a man to whom distance 
 is no obstacle, and who must have sought for printers 
 with a ' ' peepstone. ' ' Of course, in order to avoid this 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 63 
 
 preposterous conclusion, one must reject the *' affi- 
 davits" quoted to establish Rigdon's theft of the manu- 
 script, and those alleging that he had it in his pos- 
 session. But this involves suspicion on all the 
 *' affidavits'' given by Howe and Tucker, and the 
 dreadful admission that Smith may have told tiie 
 truth in some particulars. 
 
 The Penalty of 'Plagiarism/'— But Rigdon's 
 feverish anxiety to get his manuscript into print not 
 only sends him into the wilderness, and into the arms 
 of a man reputed to have ** practiced impostures," 
 but, quite unnecessarily, entails his own humiliation, 
 as alleged, and his subordination in dignity to the man 
 whose fortune he is represented as creating. A certain 
 recent anti-Mormon writer has supposed that Rig- 
 don's motives for recasting the Spaulding manuscript 
 into the *'Book of Mormon," and inciting Joseph 
 Smith to ** undertake its publication," was his desire 
 to *'get even" with the Campbell brothers, founders 
 of the Disciples' denomination, with whom he had had 
 a serious disagreement. [A dreadful revenge in- 
 deed!] Commenting on this line of argument, Prof. 
 N. L. Nelson says : 
 
 "But now come two difficulties. The first is that Rigdon, 
 whose motive for theft and forgery was to get even with 
 the CampbeUs for robbing him of glory, consents neverthe- 
 less to play second fiddle to Joseph Smith and to be 'snubbed 
 and ill-treated' by the very tool of his successful villainy. 
 Mr. Linn sees in the latter fact some deep mysterious power 
 which the yoimger man exercised over the older — quite in 
 the dime novel fashion. The other difficulty is the very con-^, 
 sistent, logical, imdeviating accoimt by Joseph Smith of each 
 successive event in the coming-forth of the *Book of Mormon.' 
 But this narrative, Mr. Linn points out, was not written till 
 1838, ten years after the translation of the *Book of Mormon,' 
 and seven years after Sidney Rigdon joined the Church — time 
 enough for the arch-plotter Rigdon to make the invention 
 smooth and plausible!" — The Mormon Point of View, pp. 
 161-162. 
 
 ** Prometheus Bound'' Again. — The reason why 
 Eigdon, as supposed, did not rebel at the ** ill-treat- 
 ment," and **give the whole thing away," is thus 
 
64 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 stated by Linn, and restated by the scholarly author 
 Tinder discussion : 
 
 "The former [Rigdon] was shown considerable deference and 
 in various relations was treated as only second to Smith. 
 But, on the other hand, he was subjected to such humiliations 
 as a high-spirited man could scarcely have endured who was 
 not rendered comparatively helpless by consciousness of com- 
 plicity in fraud. So Linn argues with a good show of reason. 
 'The iron hand,' he says, 'with which Smith repressed Rigdon 
 from the date of their arrival in Ohio affords strong proof 
 of Rigdon's complicity in the Bible plot, and of the fact that 
 he stood to his accomplice in the relation of a burglar to 
 his mate, where the burglar has both the boodle and the 
 secret in his possession/" 
 
 There can be little doubt of the fact that Rigdon, 
 in spite of his abilities as a preacher and writer, was 
 a constant source of trouble to Smith — though whether 
 this be due to his ** humiliation" or not is not so clear. 
 To adopt the line of argument, however, that is given 
 in the foregoing quotation, is very absurd. Linn's 
 simile is extremely far fetched. If the two men had 
 actually been engaged in house-breaking or other 
 crime before the law, it might be reasonable; but, 
 when Rigdon's apostasy and betrayal of the alleged 
 **plot" would have accomplished the injury of a man, 
 Joseph Smith, already detested by the religious com- 
 munity — ^who ** hated him yet the more because of his 
 dreams'' — the conclusion is unescapable that he, Rig- 
 don, would have been perfectly safe from all danger 
 of prosecution, — ^for he had done nothing of which the 
 law could take account — would be welcomed, even, as 
 a public benefactor. Rigdon was certainly clever 
 enough to have stated the '*case" in such a way as 
 to have thrown all the blame on his '* accomplice, " 
 while himself enjoying the reputation for simple 
 *' truth-telling" so long the quiet possession of the 
 Hurlburts, Howes, Tuckers, Stenhouses, and others, 
 who have written so much that would have ** corrobo- 
 rated" his assertions. The '* reasons" given for Rig- 
 don's '* silence" are exceeded in stupidity only by 
 those given for his original *' complicity." Both con- 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 65 
 
 stitute together a thoroughbred reductio ad absurdum 
 for the entire Howe-Tucker-Spaulding theory. 
 
 Rigdon in Rebuttal. — In spite of the ''strong 
 proofs'' and specious arguments ''with a good show 
 of reason," the fact remains that Rigdon did not 
 secede from the Mormon Church until a very late 
 date; and that he never made a "confession'' of any 
 description. Although, however, the people who 
 eagerly accept the silly slanders of the Ingersolls and 
 the absurd "affidavits" of the Spaulding coterie would 
 credit nothing said by Rigdon himself, in his own de- 
 fense, it may be in place to quote from a document 
 whose genuineness may be proved or disproved, even 
 at this day. As related by several writers, Rigdon 's 
 son, John W. Rigdon — a person no more evidently 
 "mythical" than Brother John Spaulding — visited 
 Utah in 1863. After spending about a year in the 
 Territory, he returned home, and had an interview 
 with his father, which he embodied in a biography of 
 him, now in the archives of the Church Historian's 
 office, in Salt Lake City. This interview is, in part, 
 as follows : 
 
 "I said to him [Sidney Rigdon] that what I had seen at 
 Salt Lake had not impressed me very favorably toward the 
 Mormon Church, and as to the origin of the *6ook of Mor- 
 mon' I had some doubts. You have been charged with writ- 
 ing that book and giving it to Joseph Smith to introduce to 
 the world. You have always told me one story; that you 
 never saw the book until it was presented to you by Parley 
 P. Pratt and Oliver Cowdery; 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 
 told you. Is this true? If so, all right; if it is not, you 
 owe it to me and to your family to tell it. You are an old 
 man and you will soon pass away, and I wish to know if 
 Joseph Smith, in your intimacy with him for fourteen years, 
 has not said something to you that led you to believe he 
 obtained that book in some other way than what he had told 
 you. Give me all you know about it, that I may know the 
 truth. My father, after I had finished saying what I have 
 repeated above, looked at me a moment, raised his hand 
 above his head and slowly said, with tears glistening in his 
 eyes: *My son, I can swear before high heaven that what 
 
66 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 I have told you about the origin of that book is true. Your 
 mother and sister, Mrs. Athalia Robinson, were present when 
 that book was handed to me in Mentor, Ohio, and all I ever 
 knew about the origin of that book was what Parley P. Pratt, 
 Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith and the witnesses who claimed 
 they saw the plates have told me, and in all my intimacy 
 with Joseph Smith he never told me but the one story, and 
 that was that he found it engraved upon gold plates in a 
 hill near Palmyra, New York, and that an angel had appeared 
 to him and directed him where to find it: and that I now 
 repeat to you.' I believed him, and now believe he told me 
 the truth. He also said to me after that that Mormonism 
 was true; that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, and this world 
 would find it out some dsij"— Quoted in Koherts* New Wit- 
 ness for God. 
 
 The ''Missing Link/'— In the development of the 
 theory of Rigdon's ''complicity in the Bible plot/' 
 which rational people are urged to accept, the ques- 
 tion naturally arises as to how Rigdon first became 
 acquainted with Smith, in order to assist him '*in 
 making good his empty boast." Some writers have 
 suggested that the two were brought together by 
 Parley P. Pratt, who, as represented, ''met Smith in 
 the course of his wanderings over New York State,'' 
 and recognized him as "good prophetical timber." 
 Mr. Pratt, according to this theory, is represented as 
 having been at one time a peddler, which fact should, 
 supposedly, render him still more odious in the eyes 
 of the democratic American public. [It may be that 
 he dealt in hazel rods for "water-witching," which, 
 as we hear, are still manufactured and sold in large 
 quantities by some tariff-protected concerns in our 
 country.] Attracted, perhaps, by Smith's "bad repu- 
 tation" among his neighbors — on the principle, "woe 
 unto you when all men speak well of you" — he intro- 
 duces him to Eigdon, who was also, as we are in- 
 formed, a "thorn, in the flesh" to his associates. It 
 is in place to ask, however, why it is that Pratt him- 
 self, an "accomplice" according to this theory, did 
 not essay the role of "prophet." By personality and 
 innate abilities he was eminently fitted to be a leader 
 of men — ^particularly a. religious leader — and his 
 
MORMON HISTORY ANALYZED 67 
 
 faithful advocacy of the teachings of '^Mormonism," 
 even to the date of his death, when he was murdered 
 out of revenge for a crime of which a jury had al- 
 ready acquitted him, shows that he would have car- 
 ried out the character to the end. [Remember that 
 he is accused of having been in the **plot'' all this 
 time.] But he, like Rigdon himself, was also sub- 
 ordinated to another man, and made an earnest con- 
 tributor to that other's reputation. 
 
 The Reasonable Verdict. — The unescapable con- 
 clusion is that the origin of the **Book of Mormon," 
 and its * * coming-f orth, " were with the man Joseph 
 Smith, and that we have no evidence worth consider- 
 ing that it came from any other person — in the world 
 of humanity, at least — or any other ** explanation" of 
 it than that which he himself has left us. His repre- 
 sentations may be untrue, but we have only theories 
 to oppose to them; and no ** demonstrations" that 
 amount even to presumption of truth. Various per- 
 sons have accused him of worthlessness of character, 
 and ignorance of the densest description; but he ap-o| 
 peared before the world as a real leader of men, an ^ 
 eminent executive, and a forceful thinker. Lame 
 theories have been invented and passionately advo- 
 cated to show that some inconspicuous scribbler, or 
 other ** wrote the *Book of Mormon,' " but Smith's 
 accredited writings quite equal anything in the Book 
 under discussion. Finally, his own knowledge of the 
 Bible, and his constant ability to point his teachings 
 from Scripture, show that he needed no assistance in 
 adding any ** religious matter" to some original hypo- 
 thetical groundwork of a story. It would be an act 
 decidedly worthy of ** gifted writers" of Methodist 
 and other connections to discover the fact that Joseph 
 Smith must be to the intelligent critic, in the words 
 of Mr. Quincy, **not a rogue to be criminated, but a 
 phenomenon to be explained," both personally and 
 historically. 
 
CHAPTER TWO 
 THE ''CRITICAL TEST'' CRITICIZED 
 
 Critical, Uncritical or Hypercritical? — Sheldon's 
 so-called ''critical test" is of the same character as 
 his "historical." It is hypercritical in its treatment 
 of the opinions and beliefs which he opposes, and ex- 
 ceedingly uncriticsil, in the discussion of matters on 
 the opposite side. 
 
 "A False and Arbitrary Setting."— The first "ar- 
 gument" against the character claimed for the "Book 
 of Mormon" is that "things pertaining to the scien- 
 tific and natural order are given a false and arbitrary 
 setting" (p. 49). He then proceeds to catalogue 
 such facts as a "mariner's compass" (liahona) 
 "brought into service six hundred years before 
 Christ, ' ' utterly ignoring the fact that the instrument 
 described in the text is not a compass at all, but some 
 kind of means for indicating the direction to be fol- 
 lowed by the Pilgrims, an instrument, as represented, 
 given to them by God Himself, and performing a 
 function no more incredible than that performed by 
 the "pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night" that 
 preceded the Israelites in the wilderness. (This latter 
 account was firmly believed by all Methodists, and 
 other professing Christians of a generation ago, but 
 has been largely criticized and ridiculed by later 
 "scholarship," along with Jonah's "whale" and 
 other "unscientific" beliefs.) Even if the account be 
 held to represent a true compass, the alleged ' ' anach- 
 ronism" is by no means established, since no one 
 knows when or by whom the instrument was invented, 
 or whether it was used by some people 2,500 years ago, 
 
 ^8 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 69 
 
 or not. In considering his '* objection" that the 
 * * Copernician theory is represented as being an estab- 
 lished truth," when everyone believed in a geocentric 
 universe, it seems hardly necessary to say more than 
 to remark that the Bible itself does not seem to be 
 pledged to the ** Ptolemaic" theory, except in the use 
 of popular language about the ^* rising of the sun," 
 etc., which still persists. We might add, however, 
 that if, as represented, the supposed ancient authors 
 of the Book under discussion were privileged with 
 direct divine communications of any variety, it is 
 reasonable to assume that they might thereby have 
 been enlightened on this, or any other matter of inter- 
 est to them. If ** Christian scholarship" holds that 
 all the prophets and apostles of old held blindly to 
 the geocentric view of the universe merely because 
 Galileo Galilei and John Kopemick were as yet un- 
 born, we may reasonably ask its prominent exponents 
 why they stop short of following the jibes of ** infidel 
 rationalists" in questioning the Ascension of Christ 
 Himself, on the ground that ** there was no place for 
 Him to ascend into, except empty space." No ac- 
 cepted revelation of God concerns itself very largely 
 with the imparting of correct views on scientific mat- 
 ters. But, when a professed revelation, which is of- 
 fered for our acceptance, is found to contain a state- 
 ment in some such branch of knowledge, which is 
 perfectly correct, that simple fact becomes an argu- 
 ment against its authenticity and authority. Logic 
 is a perplexing subject for an untrained mind. 
 
 De Post Facto Prophecies. — Having completed 
 this, his preliminary skirmish, the Doctor proceeds to 
 elaborate his ** critical test" in a manner highly un- 
 favorable to the claims made for the **Book of Mor- 
 mon," so far at least as appearances go. Thus, he 
 argues that its claims cannot possibly be true for the 
 ** excellent reason" that, as he says, **New Testament 
 events are represented as being anticipated by re- 
 ligious leaders in America with a definiteness and 
 
70 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 clarity which put to shame the prophetic foresight of 
 the most illumined of the Old Testament seers. No 
 competent biblical critic in the world could fail to 
 discover that we have here a transcript from the New 
 Testament audaciously set forth as matter of fore- 
 sight." He then specifies the predictions of the 
 father of Nephi on the ministry of John the Baptist 
 (I Nephi X, 7-11), and several statements upon the 
 mission of Christ, the name of His mother, the cir- 
 cumstances of His death, etc., mostly taken from 
 I Nephi, II Nephi and Mosiah. ^^Kespecting some of 
 these things," he says, **the apostles were still in 
 need of light after the day of Pentecost. The whole 
 list falls within an horizon in essential contrast with 
 that of Old Testament prediction. From beginning 
 to end it plainly is history set forth by a barefaced 
 fiction as matter of prophetical foresight." It is re- 
 markable how readily these matters may be ** discov- 
 ered," and how beautifully they '*fall within an 
 horizon in essential contrast," etc. Nevertheless, our 
 author is not arguing, but plainly dogmatizing. It 
 is not evident that these statements have any such 
 character as he alleges for them. Nor could any 
 logical Christian possibly support his contentions with 
 consistent argument. That this is true will be shown 
 at once. 
 
 Prophecies not Cryptic. — There are two perfectly 
 obvious facts to be considered before these charges 
 of 'imposture" — a favorite word with many unre- 
 flective and prejudiced persons — may be admitted. 
 In the first place, no matter what may have been the 
 state of mind of the apostles '* after the day of Pente- 
 cost," the claim is made repeatedly in the New Tes- 
 tament that the life and death of Christ are per- 
 spicuously set forth in the Old Testament. "Whether 
 the present accepted text of the Old Testament has 
 been abridged or mutilated, so as to conceal this, or 
 whether it is because we are spiritually blind and 
 cannot discern it, the fact remains that the claim is 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 71 
 
 made with absolute confidence and directness. Thus : 
 *'Then he [Christ] said unto them, fools and slow 
 of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken : 
 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and 
 to enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses 
 and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all 
 the Scriptures the things concerning himself." 
 (Luke xxiv, 25-27.) The same facts are expressly 
 referred to in the Book of Acts in no less than seven 
 passages (iii, 18; viii, 35; x, 43; xiii, 29; xviii, 28; 
 xxvi, 22-23; xxviii, 23), quite as if none but ^ 'fools 
 and slow of heart'' could fail to discern the clear pre- 
 dictions of the entire life and ministry of Christ **in 
 all the prophets.'' 
 
 Translation and Interpretation. — If, then, as 
 should be admitted by all professing Christians, whose 
 minds are not poisoned and warped by the specious 
 fallacies of the so-called ''higher criticism," the life 
 and works of Christ are so clearly predicted in the 
 Old Testament as to be understood by any one, who, 
 like the disciples who met Him on the way of Em- 
 maus, have had the Scriptures ** opened unto them" 
 (Luke xxiv, 32), it would seem reasonable that any 
 person so enlightened should so render the passages 
 of Scripture as to make the meaning clear. Thus, for 
 example, if any such meaning be held to attach to 
 Job's statement '*I know that my Redeemer liveth" 
 (Job xix, 25), an instructed soul might be tempted to 
 inject the phrase ''which Redeemer {i,e., Saviour or 
 Deliverer) is Christ." Nor, with adequate authority, 
 could he be justly accused of "corrupting the text." 
 He would be doing no more than the ancient scribes 
 did repeatedly, as may be seen in their explanatory 
 glosses on the meanings of names given to the various 
 patriarchs; some of which (c/. "Reuben," Genesis 
 xxix, 32) are of questionable etymology. 
 
 Is the "Book of Mormon" Modem?— Perfectly 
 similar lines of explanation serve to offset the third and 
 iourth heads of objection, as given by our champion 
 
72 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 of anti-^^Mormonism"; that the *^Book of Mormon'' 
 (as * * translated into English, " be it corrected) * ' is per- 
 meated with the phraseology of the King James Ver- 
 sion of the Bible/' and that it *' advertises its modern 
 origin by the use of dogmatic phrases and conceptions 
 essentially foreign to an antique Jewish people." It 
 seems indeed, quite probable that the 'translator" of 
 the ''Book of Mormon" was thoroughly "saturated" 
 with the forms of expression peculiar to the older 
 version of the Bible — more than that a constant reader 
 and student of the Bible — and it is more than natural 
 that he should constantly have clothed the ideas ex- 
 pressed in an unfamiliar, but sacred, text with these 
 or similar terms. If, indeed, the "Mormon" conten- 
 tion be true that the Gospel is an "everlasting Gos- 
 pel" — from eternity as well as to eternity — it is not 
 surprising that many ideas found in the Bible should 
 have occurred also in this other sacred book, and been 
 capable of expression in the words of a translation 
 already made into English. A man thinks, or rather 
 expresses his thoughts in the word-forms most familiar 
 to him. This rule applies as well in "translating," 
 or in explaining the ideas of others. Furthermore, 
 whatever theory of "inspiration" one may adopt, it 
 is perfectly clear that the truths thus imparted flow 
 forth to expression, in a very real sense, through the 
 channels of the writers' personalities. Thus we find 
 in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, such 
 great diversities of style and treatment, as several 
 men of such evidently diverse temperaments as Paul, 
 Peter and John show in expounding the Gospel in 
 their several epistles, emphasizing those elements that 
 appeal most strongly to them, as if chosen for that 
 very purpose, and using their own phraseology. If, 
 then, there is any truth in the doctrine of a " modern 
 revelation," we may readily see the same personal 
 equation exemplified, not only in the translator's use 
 of familiar Scriptural phrases, but even in the de- 
 fective grammar, with which he occasionally ex- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 73 
 
 presses himself. [^*But God hath chosen . . . the 
 weak things of the world to confound the things 
 which are mighty" — I Corinthians, i, 27.] 
 
 Shakespeare Quoted? — In view of the above, it 
 seems hardly necessary to pause to answer the allega- 
 tion that, as a certain John Hyde avers, 298 ** direct 
 quotations from the New Testament" had been 
 counted in the *'Book of Mormon," in addition to the 
 lengthy chapters and passages directly borrowed. 
 Our author cannot refrain, however, from the remark, 
 *'it is no cause for surprise to find such a reminiscence 
 of William Shakespeare as is contained in this ex- 
 pression: 'The cold and silent grave whence no 
 traveler can return.' " There has been an immense 
 amount of capital made out of this expression, but, 
 as any candid critic must admit, there is no possible 
 point of contact between it and the passage from 
 Shakespeare (**that undiscovered country from whose 
 bourne no traveler returns") beyond the use of the 
 word ** traveler." There may be a ** reminiscence" 
 here, supplying the translator with a word seemingly 
 appropriate for an English rendering, but the idea is 
 by no means peculiar to Shakespeare. Thus, in the 
 Book of Job, we find the phrase, ** before I go whence 
 I shall not return" (i, 21) ; also, **I shall go the way 
 whence I shall not return" (xvi, 22) ; again, *'man 
 giveth up the ghost (breath), and where is he?" 
 (xiv, 10) ; and in the Psalms, ** before I go hence and 
 be no more ' ' (xxxix, 13 ) . Any one of these passages is 
 as close to Shakespeare as the one found in the **Book 
 of Mormon," and except for the fact that several of 
 them stand in the first person, could as well be ren- 
 dered with the word, ** traveler," or any other of 
 similar import. To use such a word in these connec- 
 tions would be no more of a ** corruption of the text" 
 than the purely gratuitous introduction of the word, 
 ** worms," in the very difficult passage Job xix, 26. 
 It is very often necessary for a translator to thus add 
 and paraphrase, in order to convey the meaning of a 
 
74 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 passage from one language into another. Further- 
 more, all translators must draw upon their own stock 
 of words and phrases, whether these approximate 
 Shakespeare or any other writer. The presence of 
 apparent Scriptural and Shakespearean phrases in 
 the *^Book of Mormon," therefore, is positively no ar- 
 gument whatever against the claim that it is a transla- 
 tion from some other language, even from an ancient 
 one. Nor would any such argument be used by any 
 scholar determined to do justice to the claims made 
 for the ''Book of Mormon," and to convict, if at all, 
 on a full show of evidence. 
 
 Conditions of Translating. — To any one possessed 
 of even a rudimentary knowledge of languages it is 
 unnecessary to state that seldom, except in the sim- 
 plest constructions, is it possible to make a direct 
 transposition in translation. That is to say, lan- 
 guages differ among themselves far more in point of 
 the idioms, or special forms, used to express ideas, 
 than in the vocabularies. Thus, in reading French, 
 for example, one may far oftener translate by sub- 
 stituting English words in a sentence, the same forms 
 and order being very often found in the two lan- 
 guages, than in translating from German. In the 
 case of the latter language, the use of paraphrase, or 
 of ''equivalent expressions," embodying the same 
 original idea, but not the word forms, is the rule, 
 rather than the exception. This is true far more 
 frequently in translating from ancient and alien lan- 
 guages. Thus, in Genesis xvi, 13, Hagar is repre- 
 sented as saying "Thou God seest me." In the orig- 
 inal she seems to say literally, "Thou (art) God a 
 vision, ' ' and there is a real problem as to whether the 
 Hebrew text as it stands does not mean, "Thou art a 
 God (who is) seen." The context might justify the 
 latter rendering as well as the former. She also says : 
 "Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?" 
 but the original admits, quite as correctly, the ex- 
 pression, "Do I then here see [i.e. live] after the vis- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 75 
 
 ion [i.e. of God]?" [The latter rendering is sug- 
 gested by Gesenius.] We may understand, then, the 
 wide margin of uncertainty in rendering a passage 
 from an ancient language, as between possible transla- 
 tions, and the true original sense intended by the 
 writer. 
 
 ** Modem Dogmatic Phrases/' — ^We may hold also, 
 that the presence of ** dogmatic phrases and concep- 
 tions essentially foreign to an antique Jewish people, 
 but quite at home in evangelical communions of the 
 nineteenth century ' ' is positively no argument against 
 the contention that the *'Book of Mormon'' was really 
 translated from an ancient Hebraic document. As 
 to whether such conceptions are ** foreign'' to a Jew- 
 ish community, antique or otherwise, is beside the 
 point, since the Old Testament itself often upbraids 
 the Israelites from their departures from the laws of 
 God, which, as we are told, ** testify of me." If, 
 however, as some might suppose, *' phrases at home 
 in Evangelical communions" are unscriptural, the 
 objection may seem to be well taken. 
 
 Christ in the Old Testament. — ^Among the phrases 
 mentioned, we find: *Hhe atonement of Christ" and 
 **the atoning blood of Christ." Our author finds an 
 example of ** modem revivalistic fervor" in the words 
 of II Nephi xxxiii, 6, **I glory in my Jesus, for he hath 
 redeemed my soul from hell," which he mentions as a 
 ** flagrant disregard of historic conditions." [One 
 might almost fear that he had forgotten the passage 
 in Luke xxiv, 25-27, and the others cited.] It all 
 depends upon the critic's point of view, whether such 
 passages may be taken as examples of ** flagrant dis- 
 regard," etc., or not. An ** infidel" might enjoy 
 urging this very argument against the Old Testament 
 itself. Indeed, the *' higher critics" have done this 
 very thing. At any rate, ''infidel" or ''believer" to 
 the contrary, a translator thoroughly convinced of 
 the explicit prophecies of Christ and His work in the 
 Old Testament might find this passage in several con- 
 
76 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 nections. This may be explained as follows: The 
 name Jesus is the Anglicized form of the Greek New 
 Testament rendering (lesous) of a Hebrew name, 
 which is usually supposed to be Yeshua, a modifica- 
 tion of the name Yehoshua, or Joshua (meaning ^Hhe 
 Lord will save"). There is, however, another word, 
 Yeshuah, with the meaning '^rest," '^safety," '^sal- 
 vation," which, on the authority of Matthew i, 21 
 [*'Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save 
 His people from their sins"], might be taken as the 
 original. On any assumption, the two words might 
 readily be interchanged, or used as synonymous ex- 
 pressions, by the process of paranomasia, in which 
 ancient writers explained words by sound-similarities, 
 rather than on the basis of etymology, in the modern 
 sense. Examples of this are found in the explana- 
 tions given for several names in the Old Testament, 
 as already explained, and are so numerous in all 
 ancient languages as to be familiar to scholars. The 
 word Yeshuah is used repeatedly in the Psalms and 
 Prophets with the translated meaning, ''salvation." 
 In several connections the rendering "deliverer," or 
 "savior," has been proposed. Thus: "I will re- 
 joice in thy salvation" (Psalms ix, 14) ; "my heart 
 shall rejoice in thy salvation" (Psalms xiii, 5) ; "my 
 soul . . . shall rejoice in his salvation" (Psalms 
 XXXV, 9). In all these cases we have this word. In 
 some passages it might be taken as a name, giving 
 quite as clear an indication of the person and work of 
 Christ as is professedly indicated by many of the 
 chapter headings introduced in the Prophets by the 
 translators or editors of the King James Version [c/. 
 Zechariah, for example]. Among such passages we 
 may mention Isaiah xxv, 9, "Lo, this is our God; we 
 have waited for him, and he will save us : this is the 
 Lord; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation 
 (Yeshuah),'' Similarly, one might compare the 
 passage, "With joy shall ye draw water out of the 
 wells of salvation (Yeshuah) ^'^ with that in John iv, 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 77 
 
 14, **a weU of water springing up into everlasting 
 life," or with the direct application of a prophetic 
 passage in John vii, 37-39. But an even more strik- 
 ing use of this same word occurs in the parallel pas- 
 sages in Psalms xiv and liii. After bewailing the 
 growing wickedness of mankind, and relating that the 
 ** workers of iniquity . . . eat up my people as they 
 eat bread," the Psalmist exclaims, ''Oh, that the sal- 
 vation of Israel were come out of Zion ! When God 
 bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall 
 rejoice, and Israel shall be glad." The marginal 
 readings of these passages are also interesting — 
 **Who will give salvation to Israel." Better still, in 
 a Jewish translation of the passages, we read, *'0h 
 that some one might bring the salvation of Israel out 
 of Zion ! ' ' The idea of a Saviour is strongly suggested 
 by the construction of the Hebrew text, and we find 
 this idea associated with the name, or word, Yeshuah. 
 Is it possible that the translator of the **Book of Mor- 
 mon" had, as an important part of his mission, to call 
 attention to the fact that not only the work, but often 
 also the name of Christ, **God hath spoken by the 
 mouth of all his holy prophets since the world be- 
 gan" (Acts iii, 21). The fact that the name of 
 Jesus, or mention of any principles of the Gospel, is 
 to be found in the *'Book of Mormon" is absolutely no 
 condemnation of its professed character as an ancient 
 writing, as any Christian scholar, not blinded by 
 prejudice, must admit. Whatever may be the real 
 facts regarding it, such arguments must be ruled out 
 as irrelevant and incompetent, as against its claims. 
 
 Alternatives in Translation. — Enough has been 
 said already to enforce the fact that, whatever may 
 be held to be the original meaning of many given pas- 
 sages in the Scriptures, there is often an alternative 
 rendering that is quite as consistent with the lan- 
 guage and constructions used. Thus, in the latter 
 clause of the passage above quoted — ''he hath saved 
 my soul from hell" — an informed mind, willing to 
 
78 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 consider the claim that we have here a real transla- 
 tion from some ancient ton^e, could not fail to see 
 that there is another alternative than the supposition 
 that only ^'modern revivalistic fervor" is indicated. 
 Such a person knows perfectly well that, even in 
 many passages in which the word ^'heir' is given in 
 the translation, there is a real question as to whether 
 the meaning usually understood, or only physical 
 death, or the grave, is proper. This is evident, be- 
 cause of the fact that in the Hebrew the one word, 
 sheol, which connotes primarily ''pit," ''hollow 
 place," "cave," "grave," is used with both apparent 
 significations. Similarly, it is not always certain 
 whether salvation is viewed as a release from death, 
 or the danger of death, or from spiritual death in the 
 world to come. Very often, however, the former 
 meaning seems to be indicated. Thus, in the Psalms, 
 we find such passages as "Thou hast delivered my 
 soul from death" (cxvi, 8), and "The Lord hath 
 chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over 
 unto death" (cxviii, 18). The problematical signifi- 
 cance of perfectly similar passages has claimed the at- 
 tention of Hebrew commentators from early times. 
 Thus, in the Talmud, we read variant judgments 
 based on the possible double meaning of the word 
 sheol, as follows: 
 
 "Korah and his company have no share in the world to 
 come, and are not judged, as it is written (Numbers xvi, 33) : 
 *And the earth closed over them, and they disappeared from 
 the midst of the congregation/ Such is the decision of Kabbi 
 Eliezer. Rabbi Joshua, however, said: *They are included, 
 and the words, "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he 
 bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up" (I Samuel ii, 
 6), have reference to them, because here is mentioned the 
 grave, as it is written (Numbers xvi, 33) : "And they went 
 down, they and all they that appertained to them, alive into 
 the pit." Also where it is mentioned in both cases the 
 bringing-up from the grave is included. . . . We are to imder- 
 stand that they disappeared from the midst of the congre- 
 gation, but not from the world to come.' " — Tosephtha, Ahoth 
 of Rabbi Nathan — Chapter XXXVI. {"The Babylonian Tal- 
 mud" — Rodkinson's translation.) 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 79 
 
 A '* Tapering-down.'* — The destruction of Mormon 
 claims seems to be a hideously simple matter in the 
 minds of anti-'* Mormon" writers — so many people 
 whose *' integrity" is vouched for have **afifidavited" 
 against them. Still, lest there be any who can still 
 believe them true, the '* destructive arguments" must 
 be carried to their logical conclusion. Thus: **The 
 entire affluent history of a thousand years, we must 
 conclude, tapered down to nothing," in the destruc- 
 tion of the Nephite civilization. Although, as stated. 
 Smith would have us believe that the production and 
 preservation of the * * Book of Mormon" was a sufficient 
 end, it is concluded that, in view of the ** testimonies" 
 of the Ingersolls, Lewises, et al., that **his estimate 
 of . . . its wretched abortiveness " completes the pre- 
 sumption that it is a ''baseless fiction." This is an 
 argument, however, that ** works both ways." One 
 might reasonably claim that, in view of the large 
 promises made by God to Abraham, the history of the 
 Jews was also ''wretchedly abortive." The outcome 
 to date must be somewhat disappointing to a consist- 
 ent adherent of traditional Judaism. 
 
 A Valuable Side-light. — Apart from the considera- 
 tion of any such arguments, however, and without 
 dwelling upon the evident fact that any judgment 
 based upon professed evidences of divine and provi- 
 dential activity must be extremely ill taken, it may 
 reasonably be held that the "tapering-down" above 
 mentioned may not be so pronounced after all. There 
 is one very valuable side-light which the professed 
 character of the ' ' Book of Mormon" might throw upon 
 certain issues important at the present time, when a 
 certain irresponsible influence, variously dignified 
 under the name of "scholarship," is doing so much 
 to discredit the authority of Scripture even in the 
 minds of professed believers. The ' ' Book of Mormon, ' ' 
 published at a time long previous to the days of 
 "higher criticism," so called, announces itself as con- 
 sisting essentially of certain "abridgments" from 
 
80 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 older and fuller records of the events and histories 
 narrated. Thus, one part of it is stated to be *'an 
 abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and 
 also of the Lamanites . . . written and sealed up, 
 and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be 
 destroyed.'' Another part is stated to be **an abridg- 
 ment taken from the Book of Ether; which is the 
 record of the people of Jared ... to the convincing 
 of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, 
 the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all 
 nations." If the Nephites lived and died, as alleged, 
 for no other purpose than to preserve this Book for 
 posterity, they certainly lived not utterly in vain. 
 An ** abridgment"! What a valuable side-light that 
 one word throws upon the current contests on the na- 
 ture and authority of the Hebrew Scriptures. We 
 may see, that, perhaps, after all, the books of Moses 
 are not antique *^ scrap books," mere collections of 
 I items and '* clippings" from various and alien sources, 
 \ but, in a very real sense, condensations, abridgments 
 \ of far older and fuller works, as bulky, perhaps, as the 
 Vi *' Blessed Mahabharata, " that great ** Iliad and Odys- 
 sey of India." This thought, coupled with the proved 
 archaeological accuracy of very many of the narra- 
 tions in Genesis, accounts for the bulk of the *' differ- 
 ences in style" of which we hear so much. (Thus 
 we may see at one place a direct quotation, at another, 
 a summary, at another a restatement of the substance 
 of a longer passage in the original.) Taking the word 
 '^abridgment" as a clue to the whole mass of the lit- 
 erature, we find that it explains the numerous refer- 
 ences to the Books of the Chronicles of the Kings of 
 Judah, and of Israel, and other *'lost books"; and 
 may partially explain the parallel narratives found 
 in the books of Samuel and Kings, on the one hand, 
 and of Chronicles and the minor prophetic writings 
 following them, on the other. Both sets of books are, 
 in a sense, *' abridgments" of longer records, which 
 have been held in such nearly equal esteem that 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 81 
 
 neither the one set, nor the other, has ever been omitted 
 from the canon. There are also partial parallels be- 
 tween the *'law'' of Leviticus and that of Deuter- 
 onomy, which are not evidently ''consecutive devel- 
 opments,'' as the ''popes of scholarship" insist. 
 There is very much to be said on the contention that 
 these "two codes" are independent "abridgments" 
 of an older and fuller body of laws. It may be that 
 this "idea" alone will yet prove to be the means of 
 saving our faith in the Bible as the very Word of 
 God from the attacks of a masked and hypScritical 
 infidelity. Not such a great "tapering-down," after 
 aU! 
 
 Finding the Hidden Book. — In this connection, 
 also, we may refer to the claim that the Book under 
 discussion was not only an "abridgment," but also 
 that it was "sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord," 
 to be brought forth for the conviction of a world 
 apostate from Christ. Thus, as recorded, in another 
 age of doubt and apostasy, when the worship of 
 "strange gods" was mingled hideously with the serv- 
 ice of the Lord, in His own temple, the high priest 
 Hilkiah discovered the Book of the Law (II Kings 
 xxii, 8-14 and II Chronicles xxxiv, 14-22) in the 
 temple, and gave it to Shaphan the scribe to read to 
 the King Josiah. When Josiah had heard the read- 
 ing, he "rent his clothes," and exclaimed, "Great is 
 the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, be- 
 cause our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, 
 to do after all that is written in this book." Of 
 course, the "higher critics," whose knowledge is truly 
 amazing — it seems in some cases to have "deceived 
 the very elect" — ^find in this episode only a "proof" 
 that Hilkiah and his associates ' ' concocted ' ' the Book 
 of the Law, thus being the "real authors" of the 
 Mosaic code, etc., etc., just as Hurlburt and Howe, 
 and their successors, have argued that Smith, Rigdon, 
 and the long-suffering and much-wronged Spaulding 
 concocted the ' ' Book of Mormon" for the misleading of 
 
82 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 the world. If the one allegation is true, we have fair 
 reasons for accepting the other also; but, if we see 
 God's method in the one case, we need not feel com- 
 pelled to resurrect poor, dead Spaulding, in the other. 
 There are many situations of which we know nothing, 
 and, it may be, that we have one of them in both the 
 episodes mentioned. 
 
 ** Higher Criticism'' to the Rescue.— But, most 
 mentionable among ''subsidiary criticisms," we learn 
 that the ''Book of Mormon" is to be rejected because 
 certain portions of the Book of Isaiah quoted in it 
 belong among the last twenty-seven chapters, which 
 "recent scholarship" has assigned to a period pos- 
 terior to the Babylonish captivity. Hence, although 
 this view has not been "universally adopted in 
 learned circles," it may be true, and the "Book of 
 Mormon" must be held under suspicion, until "doc- 
 tors agree." We have heard of the "papacy of schol- 
 arship," by which sundry persons "speak ex cath- 
 edra^' on matters by no means clearly demonstrated. 
 Why should "scholars" conclude that this later date 
 belongs to the later chapters of Isaiah? Let us an- 
 swer briefly in the words of a prominent scholar, who 
 is perfectly familiar with the facts. Says Prof. Wil- 
 liam H. Green: 
 
 "The fallacy [of the canons of 'higher criticism' on the Tiis- 
 torical date' of a book of the Bible] comes in when it is 
 openly or covertly assumed that in determining the histor- 
 ical position of a writing every prediction must be regarded 
 as post eventum. Thus it is claimed that the promise to 
 Abraham (Genesis xvii, 6) and to Jacob (xxxv, 11) that 
 kings should descend from them could not have been put into 
 form until after the time of David, . . . and every antici- 
 pation of the Babylonish exile by Isaiah is held to be proof 
 that the passage containing it is of a later age." 
 
 Here we have it, "in a nutshell"; a dumb beast, as 
 we are told, can have a premonition of an earthquake, 
 or of the kind of winter, cold or "open," that is to 
 follow the days of autumn, but the Spirit of God — 
 which these "critics" profess to believe, "breathes," 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 83 
 
 somehow or other, in the pages of Scripture — cannot 
 possibly be credited with foresight in such matters as 
 are contained in the later chapters of Isaiah. So, we 
 are to reject the **Book of Mormon'' because it does 
 not represent the kind of ** Christianity " upheld by 
 ** scholarship"! 
 
 '* Incredible Narrations/' — Next, we find our 
 author enlarging upon the essential ** incredibility " 
 of many *'Book of Mormon" narrations. Thus, he 
 mentions specifically the ** voyage of the Jaredites 
 [from Asia] to America in very peculiarly con- 
 structed barges." This account may be untrue, of 
 course, and any one is at liberty to doubt it * * root and 
 branch." But one hates to see a passage like the fol- 
 lowing: ''Anyone who can believe this story ought 
 not to feel obliged to challenge the historicity of any 
 of the marvelous tales of 'Alice in Wonderland.' " 
 This is a fine example of "satire," and needs only to 
 be extended a little by including with "Alice," the 
 "Arabian Nights," "Baron Munchhausen, " "Gulli- 
 ver's Travels," and the Bible. Whatever may be 
 said about the "incredibility" of this narration — and 
 an ignoramus might find a diplodocus "incredible," 
 because "No one never sees them sort of things now" 
 — it certainly makes no greater appeal to credulity 
 than the passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites; 
 the episode of Jonah and the "great fish" (rejected 
 because contrary to the law of "evolution," yet impu- 
 dently "interpreted" by some as a clear prophecy of 
 the "Church," although a mere "parable"); nor 
 than the account of the Deluge, in which Noah was 
 saved in a "very-peculiarly constructed ark." If we 
 hold, as we certainly do, to the accuracy of Scripture, 
 we must be prepared to answer the objections of such 
 critics as Ingersoll that the ark had a window "all the 
 way round," because it was said about it merely, "in 
 a cubit shalt thou finish it above." If such "incredi- 
 ble" narrations are found in the Bible, and people 
 stiU believe that it is, "in some sense," the Word of 
 
84 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 God, or that it ''contains" the "Word of God, why 
 should we condemn another professed ''revelation," 
 on the ground that it contains similarly "incredible" 
 narrations? The question of credibility does not ap- 
 pear at all: we are concerned merely with believing 
 that "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 
 xix, 26), or else should consistently acknowledge our- 
 selves atheists and rejectors of all for which Jesus 
 stood, except his "moral precepts," which no one 
 obeys very much. In all narrations representing the 
 direct personal participation of God in human affairs, 
 the sole valid consideration is, "Did it really occur"; 
 never, "Is it credible." The rejection of this canon 
 renders "rationalism" so irrational. 
 
 A "Singular Notion." — After the grand display of 
 "scholarship" and "critical discrimination" already 
 discussed, we read a final indictment of the ' ' Book of 
 Mormon" on the following grounds: (1) that it is 
 "devoid of edifying content," which is not true — 
 there is considerable profound thinking in this book; 
 (2) that it contains a "continual iteration" of "dis- 
 obedience and chastisement," on the one hand, and of 
 "repentance and renewed opportunity," on the other 
 — things equally true of the Bible itself; (3) that it 
 is "terribly wearisome" ( I) in these particulars. To 
 this false estimate of the book, he adds the remark : 
 
 "In one particular there is a descent to the plane of the 
 most aberrant thinking of the time. We refer to the sin- 
 gular notion that the transgression of Adam was one of the 
 most necessary and salutary events that ever happened, since 
 otherwise the race would have continued in a perfectly static, 
 poverty-stricken, and joyless condition." 
 
 This teaching is a "singular notion" merely be- 
 cause neither Wesley, nor Calvin, nor any other his- 
 toric theorizer on the things of God ever propounded 
 it, preferring their own guesses, which are defective 
 in the sense that they positively do not reveal God^s 
 love in the matter, making the entire transaction a 
 mere prelude to the "eternal loss" of a large part of 
 the human family. Now, if this teaching is nothing 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 85 
 
 else whatever, it is an explanation of the condition 
 offered by an honest man and a deep thinker for one 
 of the most vexing problems of traditional theology. 
 Yet we hear it characterized as a ** singular notion.'' 
 We may judge of the absurdity of the teaching from 
 the following passage : 
 
 "If Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen; 
 but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all 
 things which were created must have remained in the same 
 state (in) which they were, after they were created; and 
 they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they 
 would have had no children; wherefore they would have 
 remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they 
 knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But 
 behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who 
 knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men 
 are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in 
 the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men 
 from the fall."—// Nephi, ii, 22-26. 
 
 All this has a somewhat familiar sound — *'And the 
 Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of 
 us, to know good and evil" — but the unfamiliar part 
 [a validly Christian part it is] **Men are that they 
 might have joy" harks back to the sayings of One 
 who ** spake as never a man spake," and whose teach- 
 ings, if any had followed them, would have forestalled 
 all the bitter sociological and moral difficulties of our 
 time: it sets forth the essential rights of mankind. 
 Why must it be left for **so ignorant a man as Joe" 
 — ^to use the contemptuous expression previously 
 quoted — to grapple and attempt a solution of this 
 condition, caused by historic deafness to the words of 
 Christ? 
 
 A ** Beggarly Set of Witnesses." — From a biassed 
 and uncritical discussion of the contents of the ^ * Book 
 of Mormon," of which he seems to know no more 
 than could be gleaned from quotations in a few anti- 
 ** Mormon" books, our author turns to the witnesses, 
 whose *' testimonies" are published after the title-page 
 of all editions of this Book. As may not be familiar 
 to all, there are two sets of witnesses : the * * Three Wit- 
 
86 THE CASE AGAIN&T MORMONISM 
 
 nesses/' Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David 
 Whitmer, who affirm that, while at prayer in a wood 
 with Joseph Smith, an angel appeared, showed them 
 the plates of Mormon, and that a voice, presumably, 
 as supposed, that of God Himself, announced that the 
 translation had been correctly made, and that its 
 record is true. The second set of witnesses, the 
 '* Eight Witnesses," testify merely that they had seen, 
 handled and *' hefted'' the plates, and that they 
 **knew of a surety" that Smith had them, as claimed. 
 Now, if Smith is to be proved an 'impostor," as is 
 held by his numerous ** neighbors, " the testimony of 
 these witnesses must be discounted, of course. Thus, 
 we find the accusation at the start that they were 
 Smith's confederates, with the implication that they 
 must have lied, because '* their testimony is not given 
 in the form of personal affidavits." [The ** personal 
 affidavit" seems to be a valuable asset in the opinion 
 of some people — ^but a few such have already been 
 discussed.] After a tedious discussion of whether 
 the vision of the angel was manifest to the ** physical 
 sight" of the witnesses or to the ^^ spiritual eye," a 
 problem inadmissible to anyone who has read the 
 account given by Joseph Smith, we hear that all the 
 three witnesses later withdrew from the Church, and 
 that they were severely condemned and characterized 
 by Smith and his associates. Hence, we read the cli- 
 max, ^^But the group as a whole reduces, on examina- 
 tion, to a rather beggarly set of witnesses." It is 
 ''thus far, and no further" that anti-'* Mormon" au- 
 thors ever carry the witnesses, who claim to have 
 heard the voice of God, and to have seen an angel. 
 It may be, as we read here, that Cowdery ''was doubt- 
 less a knave," and that Whitmer and Harris "were 
 weak and wrong-headed," but the sequel of the story, 
 which is all too new to the general public, is that, 
 after years of separation from the Church, two of the 
 witnesses, Cowdery and Harris, returned to it again. 
 
MOBMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 87 
 
 renewed their testimonies as to the reality of the event 
 described, and died in full membership. As for 
 Whitmer, he retired to a town in Missouri, whence in 
 1887, fifty-eight years after the alleged event, he pub- 
 lished a small book, entitled ** Address to All Be- 
 lievers in Christ," reaffirming his testimony in the 
 strongest terms. On his gravestone was inscribed, 
 at his own request, * * The Record of the Jews and the 
 Record of the Nephites are one. Truth is eternal." 
 This is the story of this *' rather beggarly set of wit- 
 nesses." They are to be discredited as liars and 
 ''confederates," while the galaxy who pretend to be 
 able to remember the insignificant details of Spauld- 
 ing's romance for over twenty years, are to be ac- 
 cepted as honest and simple tellers of the truth — 
 which is to say of the things that some people like to 
 hear. Small wonder that logic is so often the despair 
 of students! 
 
 Eyes Outer and Inner. — Proceeding upon the 
 theory that the vision of an angel, as reported by the 
 Three Witnesses, must have been ''subjective" — in 
 spite of the previous supposition that these men were 
 mere accomplices and confederates — ^the Doctor 
 writes : 
 
 "David Whitmer was doubtless at this stage, being ex- 
 ceedingly visionary, a good subject for hypnotic suggestion. 
 That his experience may have been of this order is sug- 
 gested by the fact that the vision, instead of being imposed 
 upon neutral subjects, was wrought out in the woods by 
 prayer and stress. On the score of natural eyesight there is 
 no apparent reason why he should have seen what the phys- 
 ical eyes of Harris could not discover." 
 
 The Story as Told.— It may be that all this can be 
 defended on psychological principles, but it has no 
 sort of bearing on the case in hand, if, indeed, we are 
 to consider the accounts given by Smith and the others 
 as the ones to be analyzed — or attacked — in the mat- 
 ter. Here we will find that there is no sort of claim 
 that Whitmer could see what was invisible to the eyes 
 
88 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 of Harris, be they physical or '^ inner." The follow- 
 ing account is from the journal of Joseph Smith him- 
 self: 
 
 "We four . . . agreed to retire into the woods, and try 
 to obtain, by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of 
 the promises. . . . According to previous arrangement, I com- 
 menced by vocal prayer to our Heavenly Father, and was fol- 
 lowed by each of the others in succession. We did not at the 
 first trial, however, obtain any answer or manifestation of di- 
 vine favor in our behalf. We again observed the same order in 
 prayer, each calling on and praying fervently to God in rota- 
 tion, but with the same result as before. 
 
 "Upon this, our second failure, Martin Harris proposed 
 that he should withdraw himself from us, believing, as he 
 expressed himself, that his presence was the cause of our not 
 obtaining what we wished for. He accordingly withdrew from 
 us, and we knelt down again, and had not been many minutes 
 engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld a light above 
 us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel 
 stood before us." 
 
 After recounting that the angel held the plates and, 
 addressing Whitmer stated that *^ blessed is he that 
 keeps His commandments"; also that a voice from 
 above announced that the translation had been cor- 
 rectly made by the power of God, the account pro- 
 ceeds thus: 
 
 "I now left David and Oliver, and went in pursuit of Martin 
 Harris, whom I found at a considerable distance, fervently 
 engaged in prayer. He soon told me, however, that he had 
 not yet prevailed with the Lord, and earnestly requested me 
 to join him in prayer, that he also might realize the same 
 blessings which we had just received. We accordingly joined 
 in prayer, and ultimately obtained our desires, for before we 
 had yet finished, the same vision was opened to our view, 
 at least it was again opened to me, and I once more beheld 
 and heard the same things; whilst at the same moment, 
 Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an ecstasy of joy, 
 * 'Tis enough ; 'tis enough ; mine eyes have beheld ; mine eyes 
 have beheld;' and jumping up, he shouted 'Hosanna,' blessing 
 God, and otherwise rejoiced exceedingly." — History of the 
 Church, Vol. I, pp. 54-55. 
 
 *'Two Families Only/' — Of course, the main testi- 
 mony upon which is based the claim that the '*Book 
 of Mormon" is true and correctly translated lies in 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 89 
 
 the statements of the three witnesses above discussed. 
 The function of the eight witnesses, who testify only 
 that they **know of a surety that the said Smith has 
 got the plates, ' ' would seem to have been merely sub- 
 sidiary. They were named Christian, Jacob, John, 
 and Peter Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Sen., 
 father of the prophet, and the prophet's brothers, 
 Hyrum, and Samuel H. Smith. An immense deal of 
 capital has been made out of the fact that these per- 
 sons were all members of the two families most closely 
 identified with the early days of **Mormonism'' — 
 since Page was a son-in-law of Peter Whitmer. There 
 is one notable consideration, in which the relevancy 
 of this testimony — if true — may be understood. Ac- 
 cording to the account left by Smith, the translation 
 of the plates of Mormon was done in two houses, that 
 of his parents, and that of the Whitmers. The testi- 
 mony of the eight witnesses may be, therefore, merely 
 the vouching for his veracity in this particular, speak- 
 ing of objects that had been in their respective houses 
 during periods more or less extended. This view may 
 be held, even though both Lucy Smith, mother of the 
 prophet, and David Whitmer suggest that the ** exhi- 
 bition" of the plates to the eight took place at some 
 date after the experience of the three witnesses. 
 
 The ** Doctrine and Covenants." — In beginning the 
 discussion of the ** revelations" to Joseph Smith con- 
 tained in the book known as ** Doctrine and Cove- 
 nants," our author expresses the opinion that they 
 **are not adapted to suggest a divine source"; that 
 there is no ** economical dealing with the real point 
 which the revelation was intended to enforce"; and 
 that the * * Lord who gave them must have been singu- 
 larly lacking in business capacity." Without at- 
 tempting to prejudice the reader's mind, one might 
 reasonably ask where one could find an accredited 
 *^ revelation" that embodies the opposites of the de- 
 fects indicated by our author. Such opposing virtues 
 positively do not belong to accepted revelations in any 
 
90 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 appreciable sense. Thus, even with full knowledge 
 of the Hebrew tongue, one is oftentimes at a loss to 
 discover the intended meaning of very many passages 
 in the Prophets — one need read only three or four 
 pages in any of them to realize something of this kind. 
 '* Economical dealing" and ^^ business capacity" are 
 not the leading characteristics, no matter what may 
 be the explanation. 
 
 ** Divine Source Not Suggested." — It seems almost 
 unnecessary to remark that very many things 
 are actually the reverse of what they might seem 
 ''adapted to suggest" to the minds of '^ critical test- 
 ers." Even the Lord of Life Himself did not escape 
 the '^critical tests" of His contemporaries, by which 
 it was conclusively demonstrated — as they supposed — 
 that he was a *' gluttonous man and a wine-bibber," 
 that he had '*a devil and was mad," and that he was 
 evidently a person of no consequence whatever, since 
 they did not know *'from whence He was." Evi- 
 dently, in His person and behaviour, He was ''not 
 adapted to suggest a divine source" to the "ration- 
 alists" of the time. In fact, the statement that a 
 teaching is not thus adapted, if it be made on any 
 other ground than that propounded by the apostle — 
 "every spirit that confesseth not . . . Jesus Christ 
 ... is not of God" — ^is not only unchristianly in- 
 tolerant, but ignorantly absurd. 
 
 Core of the Revelations. — In any study of the pro- 
 fessed revelations of Joseph Smith — be it appreciative 
 or not — one cannot be entirely just without consciously 
 recognizing the fact that the fundamental concept at 
 the basis of them all is that God is immediately and 
 intimately interested in the everyday life of each man. 
 Thus it happens that the "commandments" and di- 
 rections given in many of these documents are sus- 
 ceptible to criticism on the ground of seeming unduly 
 familiar," or even of seeming "to bring God down 
 to the level of mankind." Some have exerted them- 
 selves in criticizing both the language and the sub- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 91 
 
 jects treated; evidently considering that such ''de- 
 fects'' as they profess to have discovered must 
 effectually discredit all claims to divine origin. With- 
 out attempting to support any conclusion whatever 
 regarding their origin or character, one must insist 
 that, assuming as actual such intimate divine interest 
 in human affairs, it would be difficult to maintain a 
 criticism on either the language or contents of any of 
 them. This seems true for the reason that, if there 
 are to be any revelations at all, we evidently could 
 not suggest any more appropriate media for God's 
 communications to manlnnd, unless, indeed, we con- 
 tend that university English could be the only form 
 of our vernacular proper in the mouth of God, or that 
 generalities are the only concerns that could possibly 
 occupy His mind. At any rate, we find revelations 
 strongly suggestive of those repeated by Joseph Smith, 
 in point of familiarity of speech and rigorous in- 
 sistence on details in the directions for the building 
 of Noah's ark, of the tabernacle in the wilderness, for 
 the making of the clothes of the Jewish High Priest, 
 etc. Indeed, any infidel ** rationalist," wishing to 
 dispose of the provisions of these Biblical revelations, 
 and to demonstrate that they are **not adapted to 
 suggest a divine origin," might express himself in 
 precisely similar language to that used by our author 
 in raging against ** Mormon sacerdotalism": 
 
 "It pictures God as inconceivably narrow, technical, and 
 lacking in magnanimity. No one but a grand master of red 
 tape, a being a thousand times more concerned about method 
 than about the interests of those to whom the method ap- 
 plies (cf. Exodus xxviii), could be imagined to make the 
 destiny of the race depend on a few external performances of a 
 priesthood, in any such degree and manner as the Mormon 
 teaching assumes, (cf. Numbers xvi, 3 et seq.) It is al- 
 most a marvel that the Latter Day Saints themselves can 
 respect a God who rests the well-being of the rational and 
 moral creation (cf. Numbers iii, 5—13) on that ridiculously 
 contracted pedestal." {cf. Leviticus, iv— vii.) 
 
 "A Smile of Incredulity. "—However, in treating 
 of the revelations of Joseph Smith, our author con- 
 
92 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 eludes that many of them are adapted 'Ho provoke a 
 smile of incredulity," and remarks that 'Hhings of 
 trivial import, matters which ordinary common sense 
 and decent executive ability might be regarded as 
 competent to dispose of, are paraded with the solemn 
 sanction of divine mandates." This is evidently in- 
 tended to be what he calls a ** scathing criticism," but, 
 on the basis of belief in the divine origin in any part 
 of the Mosaic law, it would be difficult, if not impos- 
 sible, to say consistently that any given ** mandate" 
 could not be divine in origin because thus endorsed 
 by common sense, executive ability, etc. Several con- 
 spicuous ^* moral" and ceremonial precepts of the 
 Law of Moses are defended principally because they 
 are ** sanitary." 
 
 Faults in Revelations. — It is a question, however, 
 as to whether professed revelations, even when dic- 
 tating merely what should be evident to *^ ordinary 
 common sense and decent executive ability," are not, 
 in some ways, to be preferred to the devious meander- 
 ings of ^* unassisted reason." Thus, having made the 
 biting criticisms above quoted, he turns to the consid- 
 eration of a certain ** revelation " which, as he claims, 
 *' makes a mock of divine knowledge and foresight." 
 This is found in Section 10 of the *^ Doctrine and Cove- 
 nants," and refers to the occasion in which 116 pages 
 of the original manuscript of the ^'Book of Mormon" 
 in the handwriting of Martin Harris — ^he had tran- 
 scribed them at the dictation of Joseph Smith — were 
 taken by Harris to show to his family, and never re- 
 turned. According to the ** Mormon" version of this 
 incident, the consequence was that the divine dis- 
 pleasure was visited on Joseph Smith himself, who 
 was deprived of his power to translate the plates, and 
 was severely upbraided for allowing a *' wicked man" 
 to mislead him into disobeying the former command 
 to allow no one to take the translated sheets from 
 him. The revelation also states that the missing pages 
 had fallen into the hands of enemies of Smith, who 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 93 
 
 had formed a plan to so alter them that they would be 
 in contrast to the *'retranslation" made from the 
 same source. The revelation adds also that, instead 
 of retranslating from certain plates said to contain 
 only an abridgment of the story of the Nephites, the 
 new matter should be drawn from other plates con- 
 taining the full account. 
 
 Critical Acumen. — According to the view general 
 among the critics of Smith, the true version is that 
 the pages in question were destroyed, or otherwise 
 disposed of, by Mrs. Harris, who was opposed to her 
 husband's interest in the matter. This solution of 
 the situation our author, of course, believes to be **the 
 probable conclusion.'' He enlarges, also, on the 
 **(juandary" into which Smith was ** thrown,'' by his 
 inability to supply **an exact duplicate of the lost 
 pages" — even though he was merely using Spauld- 
 ing's alleged manuscript, as our friend believes, and 
 in the end produced a ^^ rendering' ' which all of 
 Spaulding's ''friends'' and ''relatives" recognized 
 as his writing "from beginning to end" — and the fact 
 that **he availed himself of a * revelation' which 
 warned him that designing men had planned to 
 change and pervert the contents of the missing pages," 
 etc., etc. He reaches the apogee in the following 
 display of ** rationalistic" acumen: 
 
 "How could these designing men tamper with the writing 
 on the specilied pages without leaving the marks of their 
 tampering? and how could they expect to accomplish anything 
 without producing the precise manuscript which Harris took 
 away and which was in his own handwriting? How could 
 they make an abusive use of a manuscript which all the known 
 facts indicate was beyond the use or abuse of any party out- 
 side the Harris domicile? Manifestly, the Lord who dictated 
 the given revelation had no knowledge of the actual condi- 
 tions." 
 
 The unfriendly reference to ''the Lord" is about 
 the only thing in this passage that has any bearing 
 at all on the matter in hand. It reveals the fact that, 
 so far as **Mormonism" is concerned, at least, our 
 
94 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 reverend critic *' would not believe though one rose 
 from the dead." 
 
 Text of the Document. — Of course, to the human 
 reasoner of the year 1915, the particular revelation in 
 discussion may not appear as the most evidently *' di- 
 vine utterance'' that he has ever read — if, indeed, he 
 considers himself able to discriminate a ' ' divine utter- 
 ance" from something otherwise. It may even occur 
 to him to ask why such a revelation was needed at all, 
 even under the conditions supposed by our author. 
 The same question, however, might be asked in a num- 
 ber of cases quite unrelated to the '^Mormon" discus- 
 sion. Suffice it to say, however, the document con- 
 tains no such implications as our author reads into it. 
 The following is the text of the portion in ques- 
 tion: 
 
 "Because you have delivered the writings into his [Martin 
 Harris'] hands, behold, wicked men have taken them from 
 you. . . . And, behold, Satan has put it into their hearts to 
 alter the words which you have caused to be written. . . . Be- 
 cause they have altered the words, they read contrary from 
 that which you translated and caused to be written; and, on 
 this wise, the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he 
 may destroy this work; for he has put it into their hearts to 
 do this, that by lying they may say that they have caught 
 you in the words which you have pretended to translate. 
 Verily, I say unto you, that I will not suffer that Satan shall 
 accomplish his evil design in this thing, for, behold, he has 
 put it into their hearts to get thee to tempt the Lord thy 
 God, in asking to translate it over again; and then, behold, 
 they say and think in their hearts, we will see if God has 
 given him power to translate, if so, he will also give him 
 power again; and if God giveth him power again, or if he 
 translates again, or in other words, if he bringeth forth the 
 same words, behold, we have the same with us, and we have 
 altered them: therefore they will not agree, and we will say 
 that he has lied in his words, and that he has no gift, and 
 that he has no power: therefore, we will destroy him, and 
 also the work." — Doc. d Gov, Sec. x., 8-19. 
 
 All That It States. — As may be seen, this passage 
 merely asserts that certain men had formed a plan of 
 thus manipulating the missing pages, in order to 
 *' catch" Smith in a '* quandary. " It might seem to 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 95 
 
 be a rather probable attempt in such circumstances — 
 almost as good a **joke," in fact, as the alleged prepa- 
 ration and burial of the Kinderhook plates by a cer- 
 tain Fulgate, whose long delay in acknowledging the 
 *'hoax'' is, we are told, a condition **far from dis- 
 posing of the sworn statement." There can be no 
 question, then, as to *'how" these people could alter 
 the writing ** without leaving the marks,'* or as to 
 **how'' they might ** expect to accomplish anything,*' 
 except by exhibiting the manuscript, which Harris, — 
 an expert chirographist for the nonce, — ^would detect. 
 Such considerations do not alter the fact that certain 
 men might have attempted to do the very thing speci- 
 fied. Certainly, the success of Howe and Hurlburt, 
 armed only with Spaulding's wretched manuscript, in 
 creating so ** strong" a case for their theory that even 
 a man of the acumen of our critic fails to discover its 
 essential rottenness, should embolden anyone to at- 
 tempt even the stupid job of altering a manuscript. 
 Nor need we be deterred by the ** probable conclu- 
 sion" that the pages in question were ** beyond the 
 use or abuse of any party outside the Harris domi- 
 cile." We find no statement that the ** parties" con- 
 cerned were outside that domicile. It is stated by 
 Joseph Smith that he gave Harris permission, '* after 
 much solicitation," to show the pages **only to his 
 brother. Preserved Harris, his own wife, bis father 
 and his mother, and a Mrs. Cobb, a sister to his wife" 
 {History of the Church, Vol. I, p. 21), although, as 
 stated, **he did show them to others." The pages 
 may never have gone outside his house. 
 
 Another Critical Test. — Turning from these *' how- 
 could" and ** might-have" questions propounded by 
 our critic, we may apply a critical test on the other 
 side of the controversy, and adduce ** internal evi- 
 dences" to assist our judgment on the possible credi- 
 bility of this particular ** revelation." Of course, if 
 Smith had prepared other 116 pages, exact duplicates 
 of the first, it would have been possible for our author 
 
96 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 and others to allege this fact as ''evidence'' that he 
 was all the time reading from the edited manuscript 
 of Solomon Spaulding, and that the achievement was 
 **only too simple." If, on the other hand, Harris' 
 original writing had been preserved, altered or not, it 
 is only fair to suppose that many old ''neighbors," 
 and other persons of avouched "integrity and reli- 
 ability, ' ' could have been found to support some pres- 
 entation of the affair that would have been discredit- 
 able to Smith. The document under consideration 
 continues the subject as follows : 
 
 "Behold, I say unto you, that you shaU not translate again 
 those words which have gone forth out of your hands; for, . . . 
 remember it was said in those writings that a more particular 
 account was given of those things upon the plates of Nephi. 
 . . . Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are 
 on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign 
 of King Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have 
 translated, which you have retained; and behold, you shall 
 publish it as the record of Nephi, and thus I will confound 
 those who have altered my words. . . . Behold, they have only 
 got a part, or an abridgment of the account of Nephi." — Sec. 
 X, 30-31, 39, 41-42, 44. 
 
 The "reign of King Benjamin" mentioned above is 
 not reached until the end of the 156th page of the 
 ordinary edition of the "Book of Mormon," where 
 it is stated, "I, Amaleki, was born in the days of 
 Mosiah ; and I have lived to see his death ; and Benja- 
 min, his .son, reigneth in his stead" (Omni, vs. 23). 
 The story does not begin, however, until the 158th 
 page, with the chapter entitled "The Words of Mor- 
 mon." With 157 pages, therefore, including, on the 
 average, 425 words to the page, we have a total of 
 nearly 67,000 words. If the passage above quoted 
 asserts, as seems to be the case, that the "reign of 
 King Benjamin" marked the limit of the matter 
 given to Harris, we find that there was a very de- 
 cided "abridgment" in this 116 pages. An ordinary 
 untrained writer can get about 200 words on a sheet 
 of "foolscap" paper. This would give us, for the 
 116 pages, a total of about 23,000 words, somewhat 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CEITICALLY 97 
 
 more than one-third the total for the matter preced- 
 ing this episode in the *'Book of Mormon," as we 
 have it. It should fill about 55 pages of a printed 
 book of the size of the edition of the '*Book of Mor- 
 mon" given above. So there was either an ** abridg- 
 ment" or an ** enlargement. " Let our friends tell us 
 which it must have been. 
 
 '* Empty Vaporings." — Our critic then proceeds to 
 discuss certain ''predictions which the course of events 
 has stamped as empty vaporings." Among these he 
 specifies the passage, ''Not many days hence the earth 
 shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man, 
 and the sun shall hide his face." [But, as he tells 
 us, nothing of the kind has yet occurred: therefore. 
 Smith vapored emptily.] He also finds "an equally 
 poor venture" in the apparent prediction of the im- 
 pending destruction of New York, Albany, and Bos- 
 ton made in Section Ixxxiv, 112-115. [Of course, 
 these cities are still standing: ergo, etc., etc.] The 
 unfairness of his "condemnations" will be apparent 
 on quoting the passages. Thus : 
 
 "Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; en- 
 tangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until 
 the Lord come; For not many days hence and the earth shall 
 tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man, and the sun 
 shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light, and the 
 moon shall be bathed in blood, and the stars shall become ex- 
 ceeding angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that 
 falleth from off a fig tree. And after your testimony cometh 
 wrath and indignation upon the people; for after your tes- 
 timony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause 
 groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the 
 ground, and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the 
 testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of light- 
 nings, and the voice of the waves of the sea, heaving them- 
 selves beyond their bounds." — Sec. Ixxxvii, 86-90. 
 
 There is no need to quote more to show that these 
 references are made clearly to the end of the world. 
 But, in spite of their positive eloquence and real 
 literary merit, one passage is torn from its context 
 and held up as an example of "fake prophesying." 
 
98 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 Why is it necessary to abuse facts and evidence, in 
 order to discredit a *' false prophet'^ ? 
 
 New York Still Standing. — A very similar line of 
 comment is evoked by the second example above 
 quoted. In this case also, a passage from the text 
 will show the real meaning. Thus: 
 
 "And the bishop, Newel K. Whitney, also, should travel 
 round about and among all the churches, searching after the 
 poor to administer to their wants by humbling the rich and 
 the proud; . . . Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city 
 of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city 
 of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound 
 of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter 
 abolishment which await them if they do reject these things; 
 for if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment 
 is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate. . . . 
 And verily I say unto you, the rest of my servants, go ye 
 forth as your circumstances shall permit, in your several 
 callings unto the great and notable cities and villages, re- 
 proving the world in righteousness of all their imrighteous 
 and imgodly deeds, setting forth clearly and understandingly 
 the desolation of abomination in the last days/' — Sec. Ixxxiv, 
 112, 114, 115, 117. 
 
 If the context of this passage can be made to imply 
 any other reference than to the end of the world, or 
 to an indefinite future, it will be in place for a rational 
 man to comment on it as a **poor venture in prophe- 
 sying." There was probably an excellently good use 
 of this very kind of * ' criticism, ' ' when, as we read of 
 a certain august event in human history, '^ false wit- 
 nesses" accused the Saviour of saying, **I am able to 
 destroy the temple of God, and build it in three days." 
 Such twistings and misrepresentations of the words of 
 another man are dreadful crimes, even against a 
 proved criminal, even against a ** false prophet." 
 
 **The Borders of the Burlesque." — A few more 
 books like the one under discussion, and the public 
 will have an opportunity to see how great and able 
 a man has, for so long a period, been hidden from 
 view beneath an overwhelming load of lying ** affi- 
 davits" and of false charges made by implacable ene- 
 mies. People will then understand that the wrath of 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CEITICALLY 99 
 
 a nation has not been leveled at a person of ''indolent 
 and vagabondish character, ' ' but at a giant, of whom, 
 be he good or evil, his enemies have always been sorely 
 afraid. Yet, some of them affect to laugh at his ut- 
 terances. Thus : 
 
 "The borders of the burlesque are sometimes approached, 
 not to say plainly crossed over, as, for instance, in the revela- 
 tion ordering the details of a stock company and the erection 
 of a boarding house at Nauvoo." 
 
 A Boarding House Built ! — Of course, with proper 
 handling of materials, almost any subject may be 
 presented in a ludicrous light. Indeed, as may be 
 said, some things to be ridiculed need only be de- 
 scribed: other things must be misrepresented or bur- 
 lesqued. At first sight, it may seem very absurd that 
 a revelation should be given ** ordering the erection of 
 a boarding house." It may seem fairly uproarious, 
 also, that sundry persons should be required to **take 
 stock" in the enterprise. Boarders might have 
 seemed more important than shareholders. Again, 
 however, must our risibilities be suppressed, and our 
 *'just disdain" be confounded by quotation from the 
 original text. Thus: 
 
 "Let my servant George, and my servant Lyman, and my 
 servant John Snyder, and others, build a house unto my name, 
 such an one as my servant Joseph shall show imto them; 
 upon the place which he shall show unto them also. And it 
 shall be for a house for boarding, a house that strangers may 
 come from afar to lodge therein; therefore let it be a good 
 house, worthy of all acceptation, that the weary traveler may 
 find health and safety while he shall contemplate the word 
 of the Lord; and the corner stone I have appointed for Zion. 
 . . . And let the name of that house be called Nauvoo house, 
 and let it be a delightful habitation for man, for a resting 
 place for the weary traveler, that he may contemplate the 
 glory of Zion, and the glory of this corner-stone thereof; that 
 he may receive also the counsel from those whom I have set 
 to be as plants of renown, and as watchmen upon her walls." 
 —Doc. d Gov. Sec. cxxiv, 22-23, 60-61. 
 
 The expression ''comer-stone of Zion" refers to 
 the city of Nauvoo, and not to the house in discussion. 
 The balance of the document between the passages 
 
100 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 quoted relates to the building of the temple. Later 
 certain persons, among them Joseph Smith himself, 
 are directed to contribute to the building of the 
 ** boarding house.'' So the ludicrous element con- 
 sists entirely in the use of a term, *^ boarding house," 
 which is a familiar and very commonplace combina- 
 tion. Its associations are sufficient to blind the eyes 
 of a man '*of great industry and broad learning" to 
 the fact that the objects in contemplation were the 
 reverse of trivial and commercial. The object was 
 quite as necessary and quite as laudable as that pre- 
 scribed, by divine command, relating to the ** cities 
 of refuge" among the Israelites (Numbers xxxv). 
 Furthermore, these same cities had, as a part of their 
 functions, precisely the same provision of a home for 
 strangers as our critic finds so ** ludicrous" in this 
 connection. (See Numbers xxxv, 15.) If ** everyone 
 that killeth any person unawares" is to be provided 
 with a refuge, why is it absurd that suitable quarters 
 should be prescribed for *Hhe weary traveler . . . 
 while he shall contemplate the word of the Lord"? 
 
 ''Truly Ridiculous." — Still, our author insists on 
 continuing his ridicule of the beliefs of some of his 
 fellow-men, perfectly well aware that there is nothing 
 ** funny" about his own beliefs. Thus: 
 
 "Truly ridiculous is that revelation made to appear which 
 appointed John Whitmer historian" (D. and C. xlvii) "when 
 it is joined with the subsequent dismissal of the appointee 
 with this contemptuous characterization of him by Smith and 
 Rigdon: 'We never supposed you capable of writing a his- 
 tory.*" [Reference to Millennial Star, xvi, p. 133; cited hy 
 Linn, p. 114.] 
 
 Why does our author, and his mentor, Mr. Linn, 
 also, consider this matter so *Hruly ridiculous"? If 
 the document were a divine revelation, how is the per- 
 sonal opinion of ** Smith and Rigdon" quotable 
 against its provisions? The obvious answer is that, 
 from the standpoint of ** reason," one would suppose 
 that a divine appointment to any office would involve 
 no miscarriages of judgment, such as would evoke the 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 101 
 
 kind of *' contemptuous characterization" just quoted. 
 In the study of the Scriptures, however, we find that 
 this is not the case — ^whatever may be the explanation. 
 Poor Mr. Whitmer's failure in the office of historian 
 — it seems, indeed, to have consisted in his apostasy, 
 following dissatisfaction on other grounds than his 
 inability **to write a history" — ^was a small matter 
 by the side of Judas Iscariot's failure in the office of 
 apostle. Nor did any say to Judas, *'We never sup- 
 posed you capable, ' ' etc., since, as we are told, he had 
 already gone **to his own place." Before we fling 
 sarcasm against such cases as that of Whitmer, let us 
 grapple with the problem of Judas, and the reason 
 for his call to the apostleship. Even with the recog- 
 nition of his predestined part in the tragedy of 
 Christ's betrayal and death — and he had the grace at 
 least to repent his act, even if he hanged himself — 
 ** reason" can unearth no clear explanation of the 
 necessity of including him among the apostles. Christ 
 Himself is believed to have made reference to him, 
 when He said, **and one of you is a devil" (i.e. an 
 ** adversary"). 
 
 Unfulfilled Prognostications. — As we have shown 
 before this, the attempt to deal with revelations or 
 with professed revelations, after the manner of ordi- 
 nary concerns of life — by the data of ** reason" — must 
 be a failure. If there is no revelation whatever, the 
 arguments used by our author are perfectly well 
 taken. If, however, there is any revelation, in the 
 Bible or elsewhere, it would be difficult, indeed, to see 
 how that any professed, or pretended, revelations 
 could be discredited, because of apparent failure to 
 meet conditions known to us. The true test is a very 
 different one. Still, we read passages like the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 "That a man much given to prophesying should occasion- 
 ally make an approach to picturing a future unfoldment is 
 no ground for surprise. We are therefore far from discover- 
 ing in Joseph Smith's alleged prediction respecting the Civil 
 
102 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 War (D. & C. Ixxxvii) any token of prophetical vocation. 
 Not to emphasize the fact that the prediction seems not 
 to have been published till long after its ostensible date 
 (December 25, 1832), it could easily have been suggested by 
 the slavery agitation going on at that time, and especially 
 by the nullification ordinance of South Carolina, which was 
 passed in that very year and was a matter for earnest dis- 
 cussion at the time the revelation purports to have been given. 
 Moreover, the forecast of the Civil War was conjoined with 
 prognostications that had no fulfillment. What really is 
 disclosed here is a pretender whose venture happened to be 
 partially successful." 
 
 The text of the document under discussion is as 
 follows : 
 
 "Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will 
 shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South 
 Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and 
 misery of many souls. . . . For behold, the Southern States 
 shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern 
 States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great 
 Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other 
 nations, in order to defend themselves against other 
 nations; and thus war shall be poured out upon all nations. 
 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise 
 up against their masters, who shall be marshalled and dis- 
 ciplined for war: and it shall come to pass also, that the 
 remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, 
 and shall become exceeding angry, and shall vex the Gentiles 
 with a sore vexation; . . . Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, 
 and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold 
 it Cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen." — Sec. Ixxxviii, I, 
 3-5, 8. 
 
 Of course, the reader is at liberty to see here a refer- 
 ence to the Civil "War, which began with the secession 
 of South Carolina, or merely a lot of possibilities 
 based on the *' nullification" of 1832. We cannot fail 
 to remember, however, that there were serious com- 
 plications with foreign powers following the close of 
 the conflict; some of which, like the Alabama claims 
 controversy, might have led to bloodshed. The re- 
 mainder of the document seems to refer to the **last 
 times,'' and its relevance to the preceding portion is 
 not completely obvious. [In some connections such a 
 fact would be held to argue that portions of the docu- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 103 
 
 ment had been lost.] Before seeing here, neverthe- 
 less, a ''pretender*' and a ''partially successful" ven- 
 ture at prophesying, it would be well to remark that 
 very many prophecies concerning the troubles that, as 
 stated, will "shortly come'' upon the earth, are by no 
 means completely fulfilled. We read in Matthew 
 xxiv, 3-44, a lengthy prophecy of the last times, ac- 
 companied with predictions of stars darkened and 
 severe upheavals, probably earthquakes, and the clear 
 statement that the Son of Man should then appear. 
 Furthermore, it is distinctly stated that "this gener- 
 ation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." 
 Now, it is not perfectly obvious that these predictions 
 have been realized, even on the supposition, made by 
 some expositors, that they refer to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem by Titus. An "infidel" critic might add in 
 the very words of our author, that this "forecast . . . 
 was conjoined with prognostications that had no ful- 
 fillment." 
 
 Polygamy Reached. — One notable thing about the 
 book under discussion is that the author says nothing 
 about "polygamy" until the 78th page — there are 
 only 151 in all — and then introduces it as an "evi- 
 dence" of inconsistency, as showing a flat contradic- 
 tion to the principles stated in the "Book of Mormon" 
 (Jacob ii, 27-28) and of the "Doctrine and Cove- 
 nants" (Sec. xlii, 22). It may be that, as between 
 these utterances and those of the revelation of July 12, 
 1843 ("D. & C." cxxxii), there really is such a con- 
 flict that, as our author remarks, "no wit of man can 
 reconcile them." As already seen, the "wit of man" 
 is by no means the highest judge in the matter of reve- 
 lations. It will be unnecessary, therefore, to attempt 
 a "reconciliation." If, however, we are desirous of 
 being really critical, and not merely captious, the 
 following passage from Joseph Smith's journal may 
 be of assistance in obtaining his point of view on this 
 particular point. He writes: 
 
 **Gave instructions to try those persons who are preaching, 
 
104 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 teaching, or practicing the doctrine of plurality of wives ; for, 
 according to the law, *I hold the keys of this power in the 
 last days; for there is never but one on earth at a time on 
 whom the power and its keys are conferred; and I have con- 
 stantly said no man shall have hut one wife at a time, unless 
 the Lord directs otherwise.'^ — History of the Church, Vol. vi, 
 p. 46. (Oct. 5, 1843.) 
 
 The statements in this passage seem to be in accord 
 with the '* revelation" permitting plural marriage 
 C^Doc. and Gov." cxxxii, 39), dated July 12, 1843, 
 in which it is distinctly stated that David took his 
 many wives under the authorization of '* Nathan, my 
 servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys 
 of this power" {i.e. of permitting a man to marry 
 more wives than one at a time) . This point illustrates 
 an important difference, in the ** Mormon" view, be- 
 tween authorized plural marriage and *' spiritual 
 wifery," and other irregular unions with more than 
 one woman at a time. This subject will be more fully 
 explained at a later place. 
 
 Content of the Revelations. — In reading such a 
 book as we have been discussing, the general unin- 
 formed reader might reasonably conclude that the 
 book of ** Doctrine and Covenants" is merely a col- 
 lection of doubtful attempts at prediction, coupled 
 with a number of trivial matters, commercial concerns, 
 etc., made impressive by the alleged sanction of di- 
 vine authority. The truth of the matter is that the 
 few passages chosen for ** criticism" by our author 
 are far from being typical of the book or of its con- 
 tents, just as predictions and business matters, even 
 of the most essential variety, are by far the smallest 
 part of any valid system of religion. The test of the 
 real religious leader is not to be found in his per- 
 suasive powers, his influence with people, his ability 
 as an executive, nor even in his assumed power of 
 foretelling the future. It should be sought in his 
 actual contributions to the life of righteousness and 
 in helpful lights on God's will and governance. Any 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 105 
 
 really critical test should include a full consideration 
 of these matters. 
 
 Peculiar Merits. — In order, therefore, to supple- 
 ment the deficiencies shown by our author as a quali- 
 fied critic, we will proceed to show that the con- 
 clusions, which he professes to draw from a few 
 (apparently) carefully-selected passages, are neither 
 accurate, critical nor fair. "Whatever may have been 
 the character and motives of Joseph Smith, or of 
 any of his associates, whatever may be said for or 
 against the Church founded by him, or against the 
 people composing it, or against any of the beliefs that 
 they may hold, the fact remains that a really critical 
 test must involve a distinct recognition that the col- 
 lection of documents included in the book of ** Doc- 
 trine and Covenants'* possess a singular merit of their 
 own, when considered as means of teaching doctrine, 
 imparting counsel, or promulgating standards of con- 
 duct. In many places, also, superior literary merit 
 may be discerned, in spite of sundry errors of diction, 
 etc., which seem to have crept into the copy. The 
 conclusion to be drawn from these facts, after a critical 
 test that is really and intelligently critical, is that 
 these documents were prepared and published by an 
 intelligent, even a singularly intelligent, man, who is 
 honestly interested in advocating a high standard of 
 sentiment and conduct, and who, whatever may have 
 been his personal defects in any particular, positively 
 does not appear as a vulgar and corrupt charlatan, 
 nor even as a man who exercised his gifts of leader- 
 ship for any but the worthiest ends. 
 
 Economic Solutions. — In this connection it is in 
 place to call attention to the fact that, in the founda- 
 tion of the so-called United Order, or Order of Enoch, 
 in 1832, Joseph Smith actually encompassed the end 
 of solving the persistent problem of poverty in the 
 principle of ** consecrated property," administered by 
 each man for the benefit of the community, himself 
 
106 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 included. This lofty ideal, which was partially 
 brought to actual realization through considerations 
 of a peculiarly religious character, proclaims at once 
 the earnest and able thinker and reformer, even if not 
 the prophet, as is claimed. These principles, highly 
 suggestive and consistently Christian, may be read 
 and understood from Sections 78, 82, and 104 of the 
 '* Doctrine and Covenants." They deserve better 
 from candid minds than to be left concealed behind 
 the obscuring raillery of religious and economic im- 
 potence. Even when this principle of ** consecrated 
 property '^ was found to be too *' radical'' a measure 
 for the world of the present day, a substitute was 
 promulgated in the doctrine of tithing, an institution 
 which has been consistently maintained even to the 
 present, voluntarily and entirely without compulsion, 
 by all consistent adherents of the system founded on 
 the teachings of Joseph Smith. Of course the ene- 
 mies of ^^Mormonism" have enlarged upon the '^op- 
 pression'' of the people, which, as they allege without 
 competent proof has been practised in the carrying 
 out of this custom, but the fact remains, curiously 
 enough, that certain other bodies, notably the Meth- 
 odist, have seriously considered adopting the institu- 
 tion of tithing for the support of their own activities. 
 Several books on the subject have been published, and 
 may be purchased from Methodist book-sellers. Why 
 the principle should be *' righteous, " when advocated 
 by Methodist writers and discussed by Methodist 
 ecclesiastics, but an *' evidence of oppression," etc., 
 etc., when practiced consistently and successfully by 
 Latter-day Saints, is a question that demands an an- 
 swer from some intelligent critic of religious doctrines 
 and institutions. It is to be remembered, however, 
 that the ** Mormons" have always held that the insti- 
 tution is of divine establishment solely upon the au- 
 thority of this same book of ** Doctrine and Cove- 
 nants" (Sec. 109), in which numerous fault-finders, 
 miscalled '^ critics," have found the *' patent evi- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 107 
 
 dences" of sham and fraud, which we have discussed 
 above. 
 
 The '*Word of Wisdom.*'— But the actual value of 
 the doctrine that, in the perfectly-restored Church of 
 Christ, which the Mormon Church claims to be, there 
 must be a restoration also of authoritative revelations 
 and the other *' gifts of the spirit,*' so often discussed 
 by St. Paul, but so persistently discredited by certain 
 religious sects among us, is to be seen in the per- 
 sistent and effective imperative inhering in revela- 
 tions touching conduct. Thus, while the mass of the 
 so-called ** Christian" world — as if there could be a 
 *' Christian world" that was not ** conformed" to 
 Christ — is struggling with ** social," ** economic," and 
 ** moral" problems that should never have, emerged 
 in communities of rational, let alone ** sanctified," 
 human beings, we find that a large and representative 
 portion of the Mormon Church membership maintain 
 a consistent adherence to the principles of temperance, 
 as relates to the harmful use of alcohol, tobacco, tea, 
 coffee, and even meat foods. That this is true is 
 eminently well attested by such candid writers as 
 Phil Robinson, Gunnison, Stansbury, Charles Ellis, 
 and Dyer D. Lum, all non-Mormons. Even the writer 
 under discussion, as the result, we may assume, of 
 some study of the subject, admits (p. 147): **A 
 rather favorable report may indeed be made respect- 
 ing their temperance habits and business honesty," 
 offset, however, as he asserts, by alleged **easy di- 
 vorces" and occasional ** forced marriages" — neither 
 of which are peculiar to **Mormonism." We may 
 seek, therefore, for the real source of this enthusiasm 
 for ** external morality" as expressed in abstinence 
 from harmful and unhealthful drugs and stimulants. 
 We find it in the so-called ''Word of Wisdom," the 
 holiest and most highly esteemed of all of Joseph 
 Smith's utterances, which appears as Section 89 of 
 this same book of ** Doctrine and Covenants." In 
 this document we read partly, as follows : 
 
108 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 '^Not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and 
 the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of 
 God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days. 
 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of 
 the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be 
 called saints. Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, 
 in consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in 
 the hearts of conspiring men in the last days. . . . Strong 
 drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your 
 bodies. And, again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for 
 the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises 
 and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. And, 
 again, hot drinks [tea and coffee] are not for the body or 
 belly. And, again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs 
 God hath ordained for the constitution, nature and use of 
 man. . . . Yea, flesh also of beasts and of fowls of the air, I, 
 the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiv- 
 ing; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; and it is 
 pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times 
 of winter, or of cold or of famine." 
 
 Although, as some writers have claimed, these prin- 
 ciples, sane, scientific and righteous as they must be 
 understood to be, were promulgated before the medi- 
 cal profession had fully awakened to the harmfulness 
 of drugs and the essential error of over-eating in flesh 
 foods, it must be recognized that the imperative behind 
 this document lies in the consistent belief that it em- 
 bodies a *^thus saith the Lord.'' 
 
 A Rational Theology. — ^We need only mention in 
 passing the lofty spiritual and intellectual flights 
 found in various parts of this book, embodying an 
 evident intention to formulate a *' rational theology" 
 — embodying a '* revelation" that really *^ reveals" in 
 the terms of human comprehension — and a sane 
 eschatology, in complete harmony with the teachings, 
 or at least the wording of Scripture. Conspicuous 
 among these may be mentioned Sections 76 and 121, 
 also numerous shorter passages in the various docu- 
 ments found throughout the book. 
 
 A Pioneer Reformer. — In order to demonstrate the 
 order of authority to be argued from the actions of 
 Joseph Smith himself, acting in apparent accord with 
 the avowed principles of his professed revelations, we 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 109 
 
 may remark that he appears there as a conspicuous 
 and efficient reformer along several lines. He was at 
 least seventy-five years ahead of his time as a prac- 
 tical reformer of social and moral conditions. Thus, 
 among his first acts, after* the chartering of the city 
 of Nauvoo, Illinois, he proposed an ordinance touch- 
 ing the sale of liquors that is worthy mention as an 
 example of real statesmanship. With no thought of 
 prohibiting the traffic in the sense of a ^ * prohibition 
 that does not prohibit," and might be regarded by 
 some as ** oppressive," he recommended that the sale 
 of spirituous liquors be permitted, with the remark- 
 able proviso that no one should be allowed to sell such 
 in quantities of less than one gallon. While, as may 
 be understood, few people would care to purchase so 
 much as a gallon of whiskey, it is very evident that 
 this ordinance strikes at the very root of the liquor 
 evil by making all tippling impossible. It might be 
 well to consider whether this suggestion, even from 
 *'so ignorant a man as Joe," may not contain a clue 
 to some really statesmanlike reform in the matter of 
 intemperance. His outspoken opposition to slavery 
 was expressed in equally intelligent suggestions, as 
 is attested by Josiah Quincy. While opposing the 
 hysterical excesses of the narrow-minded abolitionist 
 element, whose brainless agitation advertised their 
 own self-righteousness at the expense of a civil war 
 and thousands of valuable lives, this ** ignorant man" 
 Joseph Smith advocated openly that the government 
 pass laws abolishing slavery, but arranging to reim- 
 burse the slave-holders for the *' property" purchased 
 by them in good faith. This same suggestion was 
 made, as Mr. Quincy tells us, by Ralph Waldo Emer- 
 son, eleven years later. So the compiler of the ** Doc- 
 trine and Covenants," which as certain writers as- 
 sert, contains nothing that is of value, was eleven 
 years in advance of Emerson! Smith also promul- 
 gated an ordinance of toleration in his city of Nauvoo, 
 while all the other sects were fomenting disorders 
 
110 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 against him. Why is it necessary that this man 
 should be so persistently slandered and misrepre- 
 sented by '* enemies/' who will not even take the trou- 
 ble to investigate his history and doings, except 
 through the medium of writers who would not credit 
 him with a decent trait, if. it were at all possible to 
 abuse or ridicule him? There may have been some 
 meaning after all in the words of Christ: **Woe unto 
 you when all men speak well of you ; for so did their 
 fathers to the false prophets." 
 
 The Church Organization. — The book of ''Doctrine 
 and Covenants" contains also the fundamental prin- 
 ciples of the wonderful organization of the Mormon 
 Church, which has excited comment from all classes of 
 writers. There is no need of paying attention to the 
 exponents of ''just disdain," who pretend to find in 
 this organization only the instrument of a "minute 
 official oversight," since competent examination of its 
 principles reveals the fact that it is nothing of the 
 kind. Without going further into the details, how- 
 ever, we may assert positively that the principle of 
 constant association and cooperation involved in this 
 organization — ^whatever else may appear — lends the 
 impetus for a very real and vital order of personal 
 righteousness, a very practical and effective sympathy 
 in suffering and trouble, a very evident discourage- 
 ment to all that savors of misdoing and hypocrisy, 
 and an unparalleled impetus to the faithful perform- 
 ance of duties having the sanction of religion. If, 
 as we may suspect, Christ intended his precepts on 
 the duty to one's neighbor to have as wide and lively 
 acceptation as those that refer to the service of God 
 in religious ordinances, it is reasonable to assert that 
 he contemplated some institution that should enable 
 them to come into vital and necessary activity. In 
 default of information to the contrary, also, we may 
 assert that a well-organized community, founded on a 
 religious sanction, furnishes the best imaginable means 
 for accomplishing the end mentioned. If this Mor- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED CRITICALLY 111 
 
 mon organization lacks the sanction of divine author- 
 ity, which it claims, it must be contended that its pro- 
 mulgator certainly seized upon the best available 
 medium for securing the ends of practical righteous- 
 ness, and elaborated its details with a skill and effi- 
 ciency that are nothing short of marvelous. 
 
 Evidential Value. — In considering this organiza- 
 tion in a truly critical light, however, we are com- 
 pelled to recognize that it also makes a wonderfully 
 vivid appeal to the informed mind for its title to 
 being precisely what it claims to be — the very organi- 
 zation, completely restored, that was promulgated by 
 Christ Himself and continued by His apostles. His- 
 torically speaking, this claim is dignified into the 
 proportions of a real ^'difficulty/' Like the Catholic 
 Church, this organization has a central visible head- 
 ship, which is recognized as the channel of divine au- 
 thority in all matters ** pertaining to faith and 
 morals" — nor is there any doubt in the mind of the 
 critical historian that the Papacy is as old as the sec- 
 ond century, Protestant claims to the contrary, not- 
 withstanding. It contains its subordinate organiza- 
 tions, the Twelve Apostles and the order of the 
 Seventy, which are those founded by Christ Himself, 
 and, as argued by Eusebius and others, were intended 
 to be permanent. It has been claimed that the Cath- 
 olic Church perpetuates the Seventy in the College of 
 Cardinals, although not clearly perpetuating the apos- 
 tolic body. It recognizes, also, the proper, or normal, 
 priesthood of all believers — ^that is to say, it assumes 
 that all believing men shall accept ordination to some 
 order of the priesthood. Many things in the history 
 of the Apostolic Church might lead the candid critic 
 to the conclusion that then also was this same rule in 
 force. Indeed, it may be argued directly from the 
 organization of the Roman Catholic Church, which, 
 whatever may be alleged to be its failures in other 
 particulars, may logically be held to embody the '* rem- 
 nants,'' at least, of the organization of the primitive 
 
112 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 Church. Thus, from the inculcation of ascetic and 
 celibate ideas, which some historians profess to trace 
 from: definite causes in the early Church, it may be 
 possible for us to see how that a Church having this 
 theory was actually ** withdrawn from the world," 
 making its membership proper to include the celibate 
 priesthood and the religious orders, both male and 
 female, who alone seek for the fulness of the *^holy 
 life as demanded by the Gospel," and leaving those 
 who do not follow this *4ife" simply ''men of good 
 will," to whom the benefits of salvation are to be 
 given, under certain conditions, through ** obedience 
 to the law." Were it not for this ''law of celibacy," 
 and were the demands of the Catholic Church to be 
 so modified as to be possible in the world of humanity 
 — instead of holding to an ideal of "transcending the 
 world" — ^there can be no doubt that the organizations 
 of the two Churches, the Catholic and the "Mormon," 
 would be so far assimilated that the identity of origin 
 and, purpose might reasonably be suspected. 
 
 A Surprising Parallel. — It is unnecessary here to 
 inaugurate a controversy as to whether the Catholic 
 Church has, or has not, departed from the original 
 teachings of Christ. It is quite certain, however, that 
 the "mangled Romanism" of all Protestant bodies 
 furnishes no clue to the character of the original 
 Church, while their total neglect of anything like 
 efficient organization of the rank and file of their 
 "membership," and the limiting of the "ministry" 
 of religion to a professional class are direct impedi- 
 ments to vital religion — and of the lack of this very 
 thing the exponents of all of them complain. It is 
 curious that so strong a parallel as this may be drawn 
 between the organization of Catholicism and that of 
 "Mormonism"; also, that "so ignorant a man as 
 Joe" should have created it. It may be that, after 
 all, he "builded better than he knew." But this is 
 very close to what he claimed in his own behalf. 
 
CHAPTER THREE 
 THE ''RATIONAL TEST'' REASONED OUT 
 
 Reason and ''Rationalism/' — The "rational test," 
 so-called, is rather an argumentative test, which is a 
 very different thing. Its first claim is that the system 
 under discussion is discredited '*by the superstitious 
 and intemperate appeal of the founder to the instru- 
 mentality of magic." This "magical" element is 
 supplied, of course, by Smith's claim that the Vrim 
 and Thummim, which he mentions among the other 
 articles given to him with the plates of the "Book of 
 Mormon," were effective, in some manner not speci- 
 fied, to the work of translating the ancient record 
 through the "gift and power of God." This claim 
 strikes our friend as intolerable, and encourages him 
 to remark: 
 
 "To suppose that an antique language can be translated 
 into any kind of English by means of bits of mineral substance 
 is to canonize the queer"; also, as a subsidiary argimient, 
 "How instrimients that act mechanically can enter into part- 
 nership with the free movements of a human mind they have 
 not explained." 
 
 Urim and Thummim. — ^Because of the considera- 
 tions above mentioned, and a few others of the same 
 description, our author seems to think that the "irra- 
 tionality," hence also the untruthfulness of the ac- 
 count is fully demonstrated. It might be well, how- 
 ever, to examine the matter somewhat, in order to 
 discover as far as possible precisely what is, or could 
 be, the truth of the claim under any circumstances. 
 As is familiar, the Vrim and Thummim, as mentioned 
 in the Bible, were objects of uncertain use attached 
 
 113 
 
114 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 to the breastplate of the high priest. They are men- 
 tioned in five passages (Exodus xxviii, 30; Leviticus 
 viii, 8 ; Deuteronomy xxxiii, 8 ; Ezra ii, 63 ; Nehemiah 
 vii, 65). In two other passages (Numbers xxvii, 21; 
 I Samuel xxviii, 6) the word Urim occurs alone. That 
 these words connote some objects of sacred significance 
 is undoubted. Thus, in the first passage, we read: 
 '*And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment 
 the Urim and Thummim; and they shall be upon 
 Aaron's breast, when he goeth in before the Lord." 
 Similarly, in the two latest passages, we read that the 
 ''children of the priests" were commanded that 
 ''they should not eat of the most holy things till there 
 stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim" 
 (Ezra ii, 63; Nehemiah vii, 65). These instruments 
 had also a function for the purpose of "inquiring of 
 the Lord," although where mention is made of this 
 the word Urim alone is used. Thus, "and he 
 [Joshua] shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who 
 shall ask (counsel) for him after the judgment of 
 Urim before the Lord" (Numbers xxvii, 21) ; also, 
 "And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord an- 
 swered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor 
 by prophets" (I Samuel xxviii, 7). 
 
 What We Know of Them. — ^Apart from these pas- 
 sages our knowledge of these sacred instruments is 
 limited entirely to surmise and the occasional analogies 
 to instruments of apparently similar significance 
 among other peoples than Hebrews. By literal trans- 
 lation the words seem to mean "lights" and "perfec- 
 tions," or, as some have suggested, "light" and 
 "right." But these apparent meanings seem to help 
 us very little in forming a judgment as to the use or 
 construction of the objects so designated. There can 
 be no doubt, however, that they were important ele- 
 ments in the priestly dress, also that, as seems to be 
 involved in the passages quoted, they were used in 
 some way as means for learning the divine will, or 
 for obtaining counsel or direction. In the attempt 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY 'TREASON" 115 
 
 to establish the essential absurdity of Joseph Smith's 
 professed use of some instruments called by these 
 names, our author makes the following indefensible 
 statements : 
 
 "Smith's pretense that he was supplied with the venerable 
 Israelite instrument, the urim and thummim, in no way 
 alleviates the incredible magic involved in the alleged trans- 
 action. For the scholarly verdict is that the use of urim and 
 thummim among the Israelites was only a solemn form of 
 casting lots, a means of deciding between the simple alterna- 
 tives of yes and no. Moreover, the fact is to be emphasized 
 that in the great prophetical era of Israel no recourse seems 
 to have been had to urim and thunmiim. The lofty-minded 
 men who had a well-grounded confidence that the Spirit of 
 God wrought in them had no use for such insensate tools as 
 are claimed to have been employed in the origination of the 
 'Book of Mormon.'" [Foot note reference to the article 
 *'Urim and Thummim," in Easting's Dictionary of the Bible.'\ 
 
 Merely Lots? — ^We may notice here that, while sev- 
 eral commentators have advanced the opinion that 
 the instruments in question were in some sense a 
 means of ** casting lots,'' such opinion is by no means 
 the ** scholarly verdict'' in the premises, nor even the 
 most probable conclusion. Apart from the passages 
 of Scripture already cited, we have no clue to the 
 significance or use of the instruments beside the opin- 
 ions of Josephus and one or two rabbinical writers, 
 who seem to be guessing and surmising quite as en- 
 tirely as any critic of the present day. In the two 
 passages above quoted, at least, we find no warrant for 
 the **yes and no" alternatives. Is it possible that 
 we are to suppose that Eleazar's inquiry of the Lord 
 for Joshua was merely some kind of fortune-telling 
 performance, to be determined by a means comparable 
 to turning a card or spinning a coin? In the latter 
 connection, however, it seems impossible that any such 
 meaning should be given to the ** asking after the 
 judgment of Urim." Saul, as we read, received no 
 answer from the Lord, either by dreams, by Urim, or 
 by prophets. Yet, failing with these '* insensate 
 tools," as our author irreverently terms the instru- 
 
116 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 ments, we learn from the immediate context that he 
 consulted a certain woman who had a **familiar 
 spirit/' and that she was able to bring up an appari- 
 tion of the dead Samuel. Of him Saul inquired as 
 follows: *^God is departed from me, and answereth 
 me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: 
 therefore I have called thee that thou mayest make 
 known unto me what I shall do." It is very evident 
 that a man in Saul's quandary could be satisfied with 
 no mere *' alternatives yes or no." Nor can we see 
 why it could be that mere * insensate tools" should 
 fail to give some kind of an answer, any more than 
 how a spun coin could fail to show ** heads" or 'Hails" 
 when brought to rest. 
 
 Sacred Instruments. — The truth of the matter is 
 that the instruments were of sufficient significance and 
 sanctity to warrant their authoritative inclusion in 
 the breastplate of the high priest, and to be men- 
 tioned as divine media of intelligence in other pas- 
 sages. If, then, God saw fit for some reason as in- 
 scrutable to our critic as to the rest of us, to endow 
 them with such value, it is quite evident that the 
 captious arguments above quoted have no relevance 
 to the discussion. Nor is the statement that the 
 prophetical writers of the Old Testament seem never 
 to have used such *' insensate tools" of the slightest 
 significance. If God chose in old times, or in the 
 nineteenth century, or at any other period, to decree 
 a special sanctity and use to instruments known as 
 Urim and Thummim, to the Ark of the Covenant, to 
 the ceremonial robes of the priests, or to burnt offer- 
 ings or altars, it is very certain that His reasons for 
 so doing are not of such a character as to be plain to 
 every amateur logician who chooses to assert his puny 
 judgments of door-yard facts, as against the total un- 
 known content and significance of the universe. 
 Naaman the Syrian is to be healed of his leprosy only 
 by dipping himself '* seven times" in the Eiver Jor- 
 dan (II Kings V, 10), nor, as the context suggests, is 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY ^ TREASON" 117 
 
 the apparent ''absurdity'' of the procedure to be con- 
 sidered an argument against it, although, as no one 
 would pretend, need we suppose that the water of this 
 river was ever a ''panacea'' for the ills of the flesh. 
 God chose to use this means to accomplish His end in 
 this case. He also chose to use the Urim, the Ark, 
 and other sacred objects for special purposes in other 
 connections. That is all there is to be said. If, in 
 similar fashion. He chose to endow with a knowledge 
 of an ancient and alien tongue a man possessed of 
 certain material "tools,*' His action may seem to have 
 been "irrational," but that is evidently His concern. 
 
 What Smith Said. — Whether or not, the "trans- 
 lator" of the "Book of Mormon" either had or used 
 such instruments, his claim in this particular is not 
 to be discounted by its "irrationality," but solely on 
 the basis of relevant fact. How he used, or professed 
 to use, these instruments, we have no clear statements 
 in any of his writings. Nor need we accord an au- 
 thority greater than the surmise of uninformed associ- 
 ates to the assertions of Whitmer, and others, that 
 they were used after the manner of the "peep-stones" 
 or magic crystals, so familiar in the magical and di- 
 vining procedures of all ages. The element of the 
 bizarre and irrational is not imported by the state- 
 ments of Joseph Smith. His references are mostly as 
 follows : 
 
 "He [the angel Moroni] said there was a book deposited, 
 written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former in- 
 habitants of this continent, and the sources from whence 
 they sprang. He also said that the fullness of the everlasting 
 Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the 
 ancient inhabitants; also that there were two stones in silver 
 bows — and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted 
 what is called the Urim and Thummim — deposited with the 
 plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what 
 constituted 'Seers' in ancient or former times; and that God 
 had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book." 
 — History of the Church, Vol. I. p. 12. 
 
 After receiving these instruments, as he relates, his 
 use of them is frequently mentioned, both in the work 
 
118 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 of 'translating" the record on the golden plates, and 
 in *' inquiring of the Lord." If we admit the possi- 
 bility of revelation at all, or of the authenticity and 
 authority of the passages of Scripture mentioning the 
 TJrim and Thurmnim, it would be difficult to see how 
 the question of ^* rationality" could enter. We are 
 concerned simply with a judgment on facts in the 
 case of Joseph Smith — as to whether his claims to a 
 revelation are authentic. If, on the other hand, we 
 deny revelations, consequently also, the authority of 
 Scripture, it seems needless to waste time in discussing 
 the further *' absurdity" of ^'insensate tools" or ''gi- 
 gantic spectacles." 
 
 ''Scathing Criticisms." — In continuing his argu- 
 mentative ''test," our author vents the following para- 
 graph: 
 
 "A criticism scarcely less scathing holds against the pro- 
 cedure attributed to the Lord in relation to the plates of the 
 *Book of Mormon.' Why should he have been so wonderfully 
 concerned to keep them hidden away from human sight? 
 Apart from the message which they contained, what were the 
 plates but old metal? and, when once the message had been 
 transcribed, of what possible use could they be except as an 
 accessible test of the fidelity with which the transcription, or 
 translation, had been made? To charge the Lord with keeping 
 them out of sight on the score of their sacredness is to charge 
 him with patronizing an arrant fetichism. Things are sacred 
 in proportion to their fulfillment of useful offices. Old metal 
 hidden away from sight is fruitful of no worthful result what- 
 ever. God could not possibly have any motive for the hiding. 
 The motive was altogether with Joseph Smith. The rational 
 inference is that he represented the plates as forbidden to the 
 sight of men just because he had no plates, at least none that 
 could endure critical inspection for the briefest interval." 
 
 Any reader who may be unable to discern the fact 
 that this paragraph contains nothing that is either 
 ''criticism" or "scathing," need only read it a second 
 time. Of course, when one is willing to consider that 
 the account given by Joseph Smith might, under con- 
 ceivable circumstances, be true, he must discern the 
 fact that there is no answer to the question as to why 
 the Lord should be "so wonderfully concerned" to 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY '^EEASON^' 119 
 
 keep the plates hidden, any more than he can con- 
 ceive an answer as to why, as it is recorded in I Sam- 
 uel vi, 19, the contents of the Ark of the Covenant 
 should be held to be so secret that the * * men of Beth- 
 shemesh" were smitten * Vith a great slaughter,'^ be- 
 cause they had looked into it. Again, as our critic 
 evidently intends to say, we may think, possibly, of 
 no other value to the alleged plates of the Mormon 
 record, after translation, than to serve as a **test of 
 fidelity," etc. We might even consider him correct, 
 so far at least as any human judgment can discern, 
 in asking *'of what possible use could they be," after 
 **the message had been transcribed." We should be 
 obliged to ask, however, **of what possible use" could 
 the tables of stone, inscribed by Moses at Horeb, be 
 ** after the message was transcribed." Yet the tables 
 of stone — of no value, as our critic might assert, than 
 **old stone" — ^were the sole contents of the Ark at 
 one period (see I Kings viii, 9), and were an essential 
 part of the contents, for the seeing of which sundry 
 men were smitten, as just stated. If our friend re- 
 tains any belief whatever in the truth of the Old Tes- 
 tament record, it seems diflBcult to see how he can 
 escape accusing the Lord of ** patronizing an arrant 
 fetichism." Why cannot a man arraign the ** im- 
 postures" of Joseph Smith without also casting dis- 
 credit on the plain statements of the Hebrew Scrip- 
 tures? 
 
 God's Motives! — There are very many things in 
 this world, quite apart from the sphere of religion or 
 religious discussion, which we cannot understand or 
 explain. There is also a wide margin, within which 
 one may be entitled to his opinion on the truth or 
 untruth of allegations, even in matters authoritative. 
 When, however, a man deliberately makes such a state- 
 ment as this — '*God could not possibly have any mo- 
 tive for the hiding" — it is well to maintain a discreet 
 silence, lest, forsooth, we *'cast a stone" at one of the 
 Almighty's chosen confidants. Who is this that dares 
 
120 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 to set limits — '* rational" limits, also — to the *' mo- 
 tives'' that may lie in the mind of God? Could 
 Joseph Smith, or any other person, be he *^ impostor'' 
 or ^* scholar" only, presume more utterly on the long- 
 suffering of God than one who could vent such a 
 solecism ? If this critic wishes to discredit the claims 
 of Mr. Smith, and of the Church founded by him, let 
 him do so by a ''rational test" that is sanely rational, 
 but, when he injects such items as this of ''news from 
 the front," it is merely dismal. One "false prophet" 
 is enough in a single century. 
 
 Evolution Disregarded ! — At the point in his criti- 
 cism at which we left him, the Doctor is ready to at- 
 tack "Mormon sacerdotalism." He finds this "irra- 
 tional" in the "artificial basis of authority which it 
 imports by its intemperate stress upon isolated divine 
 workings, upon baldly supernatural or quasi-super- 
 natural interventions." He also states, utterly with- 
 out attempt at conclusive demonstration, that the 
 system under criticism "virtually ignores the great 
 truth that the Holy Spirit may be operative in and 
 through the historic process, and thereby bring forth 
 most precious and substantial results." He also 
 states that this system is ' ' disinclined to see any token 
 of divine revelation" in the "advancing and deepen- 
 ing convictions which lift civilizations up," etc. He 
 bewails the teaching that, as he interprets it, "God 
 must break into the world by a formal manifestation 
 and give a formal message through a specific mouth- 
 piece, or he must stay out of the world and keep 
 silence." Why will a professed "scholar" and 
 "theologian" write such things as these in criticism 
 of some system which he wishes to oppose? Pre- 
 cisely as if he were deliberately writing for ignorant 
 and prejudiced people, and expecting that no one 
 would read him who should attempt to analyze his 
 arguments, we find that he uses against "Mormon- 
 ism" precisely, the arguments that "infidels" used 
 to urge against the various systems of Christian 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY ''REASON^' 121 
 
 theology. What are the particular examples of this 
 **breaking-in'' of which ** infidels'' complained so feel- 
 ingly? They are, notably — as specified in the for- 
 mularies believed to be authoritative, before our 
 ** spiritual pastors and masters" entered upon the 
 mad career of fatuity, in which they have ** heaped 
 to themselves teachers, having itching ears," and 
 have been ** turned unto fables" — such events as the 
 delivery of the divine commission and the law of 
 righteousness to Moses, the calling and sending of the 
 several prophets to deliver special messages at various 
 stages in the history of Israel, and, as the culmination, 
 the coming of Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the 
 world. Certain Protestant writers have argued that 
 the great upheaval of the sixteenth century, com- 
 monly called the ** reformation," was another point 
 at which God ** interposed providentially": similarly, 
 the ** Mormons" hold that the professed authority 
 and mission of Joseph Smith was another example 
 of the **way in which God works." In spite of the 
 half-baked philosophies of a few modem ** thinkers," 
 who seem to be inspired with the desire to appear 
 ** liberal" and ** scientific," there is no particularly 
 strong argument for the contention that the ** historic 
 process" brings forth **most precious and substantial 
 results," apart from the spreading influence of an 
 agency already introduced by a direct *4nterposi- 
 tion" of divine activity. Thus, we have been accus- 
 tomed, until within a very few years, to read that the 
 ** progress of civilization," including even the mate- 
 rial things, have resulted from the *' leaven of Chris- 
 tianity" in the world. Nor is the real teaching of the 
 *' Mormon" theology in any sense different from this. 
 It holds to the necessity of divine revelation, intro- 
 duced in the form of intelligible messages — such as 
 emanate from and come to all intelligent beings — at 
 certain definite times. It holds also to the doctrine 
 of **dispensational providences," which has been 
 urged by others, and according to which the social, 
 
122 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 moral and other orders of development at certain 
 periods are characteristic of the order of institution 
 inaugurated at its start. If, as our author complains, 
 the *^ Mormon" teaching is that '^God works out noth- 
 ing through the historic evolution," it must be con- 
 fessed that it is in a far safer position, in all Christian 
 consistency, than is a teaching emphasizing *^ historic 
 evolution." In admitting this *^ chemicalizing" in- 
 fluence of ''providence" in the ''historic evolution," 
 we are treading upon the ground preempted by the 
 advocates of a mechanical theory of the universe, in- 
 cluding religion, rather than standing consistently on 
 the Christian assumption that the relations between 
 God and man are the relations proper to beings mutu- 
 ally possessed of intelligence and the ability of self- 
 expression. However, the system to which our author 
 objects insists most strenuously and fundamentally on 
 the teaching that the "visible church," as it receives 
 it, is the divinely-appointed medium for conferring 
 the "gift of the Holy Ghost" [this is mentioned in 
 the New Testament] and the other "gifts of the 
 Spirit," which shall fit each recipient to become a 
 centre of the" leavening influence" that shall be able 
 to effect the purification and perfection of human 
 society. Virtually the same claim is made by the 
 advocates of Catholicism, in behalf of their own 
 Church, but Protestants have generally erred most 
 conspicuously in the assertion that "spiritual gifts" 
 were the exclusive feature of the early Church, and 
 have been done away in the centuries succeeding. 
 
 Revelation Narrow! — In order to support his in- 
 defensible statements in these matters, the Doctor 
 quotes a lengthy passage from Orson Spencer to the 
 effect that "if no man can know a minister of God 
 without revelation, then no large body of men can 
 know him," and that opponents of Joseph Smith are 
 not "credible witnesses" on the ground that "they 
 have not the gift of revelation." Now, no matter 
 whether this position is consistent or not, it is quite 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY ^^REASON" 123 
 
 evident that our author's use of the quoted passage 
 is perverse. It does not aj'gue to the ^conclusion 
 which he is attempting to establish with regard to the 
 teachings of the Latter-day Saints. As to the mean- 
 ing probably attached to the word ** revelation" in 
 Spencer's letter, we may refer to the previously- 
 quoted utterance of Joseph Smith himself, in setting 
 forth his understanding of the nature and authority 
 of a prophet in the words, **the testimony of Jesus 
 is the spirit of prophecy." Now, just where the ele- 
 ment of ** intemperate stress upon isolated divine 
 workings" appears, in such a passage as this, it would 
 be difficult indeed to see. As a matter of fact, the 
 charge, so far as it involves anything not entirely in- 
 telligent and Christian, is no more to be urged 
 against the system called **Mormonism" than against 
 any authoritative formula of belief published in the 
 days of faith. 
 
 *Tolygamy" Narrow. — Of course, the arguments 
 advanced by our author lead naturally and easily to 
 a vociferous condemnation of the professed revela- 
 tion legitimating '* polygamy," and afford oppor- 
 tunity for a new effluvium of erroneous and inde- 
 fensible statements. Thus he finds fresh examples of 
 the *' narrowness" of the alleged ** Mormon" point 
 of view, and its complete disharmony, as he asserts, 
 with all that could consistently be called '* Chris- 
 tian." He says: 
 
 "By virtue of the monogamic ideal which shines forth from 
 the biblical revelation (in spite of its record of polygamous 
 practice in certain instances), by respect for the great prin- 
 ciple of equality of male and female in Christ, by an ir- 
 repressible sense of the injustice of condemning a devoted 
 wife to take up with the mere fraction of a husband, by a 
 recognition of the natural conditions of true heart devotion 
 and real conjugal imity, Christians came universally to con- 
 demn polygamy and to cast it out as incompatible with a 
 decent civilization. All that, from the Mormon standpoint, 
 counts for nothing. Joseph Smith said that he had a revela- 
 tion legitimatizing polygamy, and his word ends the matter. 
 God demonstrated his will in this so-called revelation. In 
 
124 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 the working out and deep implantation in a Christian civiliza- 
 tion of the family ideal his will in no wise came to expres- 
 sion." 
 
 Our author evidently believes that this paragraph, 
 like some of the others in his book, contains a * ^ scath- 
 ing .critcism." With no intention, however, of 
 arguing upon the merits of the doctrine or practice of 
 ^'polygamy," we must insist that, supposing it to be 
 the very apogee of abomination, it is unfair to expect 
 a candid and informed reader to derive this view from 
 any such orgy of generalized inaccuracies as is seen 
 at this place. Not only must we insist that an ex- 
 clusively ^'monogamic ideal' ' is very dimly, if at all, 
 perceptible in Scripture, being embodied in no plain 
 and unmistakable condemnation of a plurality of 
 wives, but also we cannot refrain from commenting 
 unfavorably on the quality of '^exegesis" that holds 
 up ** ideals" on the alleged authority of obscure or 
 ambiguous texts, while ignoring the plainly expressed 
 teachings and commands of Christ, which, if followed, 
 could have forestalled all the difficulties of human 
 life on earth. According to Christ, the Church 
 should have other and broader functions than 
 are proper to a mere *^ purity society," always con- 
 demning '^sins of the flesh," while condoning or ig- 
 noring evils quite as great and quite as heinous in 
 other directions. As for the remainder of his de- 
 nunciation, it is necessary only to remark that the 
 considerations mentioned by him positively were not 
 the ones that determined the lawmakers of Christen- 
 dom, to discourage polygamy, and this any student of 
 history may verify for himself. As to the injustice, 
 as he expresses it, of ^* condemning" a woman to **a 
 mere fraction of a husband," it seems proper to say 
 that the ^'Mormon" wives are entitled to no particu- 
 larly strong sympathy from the rest of the world, on 
 account of their sufferings, real or hypothetical, be- 
 cause of *' polygamy." Not only did they support it 
 by the vote, given to them in 1872, in the hope that 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY '^REASON" 125 
 
 they would legislate the institution into non-existence, 
 but they are, and always have been, the most out- 
 spoken advocates of its practice, testifying to the 
 ** peace" and ** happiness'' to be derived from what, 
 as they state, they accepted as a divine institution. 
 They have repeatedly, and with indignation, repelled 
 the well-intentioned efforts of their fellow-countrymen 
 and countrywomen to teach them the ** higher truth." 
 Our author's brief irruption into the sentimental and 
 romantic would scarcely awaken the appreciation of 
 the women of * * Mormondom. " 
 
 Sad Consequences. — As if unsatisfied, however, 
 with all the other ** scathing" things already said, 
 our author writes at another place a few pages fur- 
 ther along: 
 
 "It cannot be overlooked that the scheme of plurality of 
 wives is branded with selfishness and injustice. The number 
 belonging to the male and to the female sex respectively is 
 too nearly equal to make it possible for men to multiply wives 
 without diminishing the chances of their fellows to enter at 
 all into marital relations. A selfish plutocratic hierarchy 
 might conceivably be pleased with the license of the harem 
 system; but men who recognize the demands of equality and 
 justice can discover no apology for such a system." 
 
 In spite of the alleged approximate parity in 
 the numbers of males and females in the average 
 human community, we find no particular justification 
 for any such conclusions as are contained in the above 
 quotation. Thus, in America in particular, the num- 
 .ber of unmarried women is constantly increasing. 
 Indeed, in many aspects of the matter, we seem to be 
 begetting a race of women devoid, as a rule, of all 
 desire for marriage, even for the hallowed joys of 
 motherhood. That very many such women are not 
 normal is scarcely surprising, and their influence upon 
 growing girls, in the distorted views of life that are 
 growing among us, is regrettable. Whatever they 
 may think of the matter, or whether the present order 
 of things involves ''injustice" for them, or not, it is 
 evident that it would be to the distinct advantage of 
 
126 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 society as a whole could it be arranged that the num- 
 ber of **old maids'' could be reduced by recruits to 
 the ranks of wedlock and maternity. Among '* Mor- 
 mons," whatever may be the explanation, there are 
 found no such unnatural sex-antagonisms as are so 
 sadly rampant in other parts of the world. It may 
 be said that these people are, in fact, and quite apart 
 from *' polygamy," the real pioneers in the cause of 
 equality for the sexes. Of course, as need not be 
 said, the real objection to ** polygamy" rests upon no 
 such grounds as our author gives in the two previous 
 quotations. Methodist and Presbyterian agitators 
 had no design of stopping injustice of any such orders. 
 Indeed, their persecutions of the *' Mormons" date 
 from a time many years before even Joseph Smith 
 dreamed of polygamy. This fact must not be for- 
 gotten. 
 
 Marriage for Eternity. — In order, however, that 
 others may escape the misapprehensions under which 
 our author evidently labors, it will be desirable to 
 explain, as briefly as possible, the precise teachings 
 and evident considerations contemplated in the docu- 
 ment known as the revelation ^*0n the Eternity of 
 the Marriage Covenant," dated July 12, 1843. This 
 document states that a very superior degree of 
 blessedness in the world to come shall be inherited by 
 those who accept the solemnization of eternal marriage 
 at the hands of God's accredited representatives; that, 
 in fact, such shall inherit the ** divine nature," and 
 be called **gods." It specifies distinctly that a mar- 
 riage covenant not so solemnized, specifically '*for 
 time and for all eternity," cannot persist beyond the 
 confines of life, ** until death do us part"; for **all 
 contracts that are not made unto this end, have an 
 end when men are dead." The statement is also 
 made that such ** covenants, contracts, bonds, obliga- 
 tions," etc., must be **made, and entered into, and 
 sealed, by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is 
 anointed." [This refers probably, also, to the sev- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY 'TREASON'' 127 
 
 eral other ''sealing ordinances'' performed in ''Mor- 
 mon'' temples.]* Now, a marriage so solemnized and 
 considered must appear to be an "indissoluble con- 
 tract" par excellence, a veritable apotheosis of a 
 sacramental union. As a corollary, however, it is 
 stated that this same power and authority is qualified 
 to seal for eternity more wives than one in the cov- 
 enant, precisely as "Abraham received concubines, 
 and they bare unto him children, and it was accounted 
 unto him for righteousness. ' ' 
 
 Marriage a Sacred Order. — Two things are to be 
 stated in explanation of this apparently incompre- 
 hensible glorification of eternal marriage: (1) that 
 marriage, as the condition of procreation, under the 
 authorization of divine institutions and authority, is 
 in a very real and tangible sense a religious function, 
 a form of priesthood, in fact, involving high and lofty 
 responsibilities, as we shall presently explain: (2) 
 that the contracting of a marriage for eternity, under 
 conditions authorized by God, involves presumptive 
 exercise of a very superior form of faith in the reality 
 of the life to come. 
 
 As a "Sacrament." — ^Under the first head, as we 
 may understand, it is not accurate to class the doc- 
 trine as "phallicism," or the deification of the pro- 
 creative function in nature — a term, by the way, that 
 involves a suggestion of the highest opprobrium in 
 the mind of a sectarian writer of the ordinary calibre 
 — for the very evident reason that it is not the act 
 or function of procreation that is extolled, but the 
 high and lofty use, as believed, to which it is put, or 
 consecrated. It is made, in fact, according to the 
 representations of Latter-day apologists, an iastru- 
 ment of salvation in a very real sense. This may be 
 understood, as follows: The Latter-day Saints hold 
 to the doctrine of "baptism for the dead," claiming 
 as Scriptural authority, in part, St. Paul's famous 
 passage (I Corinthians xv, 29), which they interpret 
 
 * See Jamee E. Talmage's "The HouBe of the Lord," pp. 108-109. 
 
128 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 as authority for the doctrine that the proxy baptism 
 of a believer in this world can avail in behalf of any 
 spirit in the world of the dead who shall accept the 
 Gospel *' preached also to them that are dead'' (I 
 Peter iv. 6).* On the other hand, they hold that the 
 spirits of mankind have existed from eternity with 
 God, since '* intelligence, or the light of truth, was not 
 created or made, neither indeed can be." (Doc. & 
 Gov. xciii, 29.) Hence, as the true believer has a 
 duty to his dead, to perform, in their behalf, the 
 necessary ordiaances of salvation, so, also, he has as 
 his duty to the unborn to provide for them the oppor- 
 tunity of birth into the fulness of Gospel conditions. 
 Such a belief as this readily takes such a corollary as 
 '^plural marriage," or *^ polygamy." We can under- 
 stand, at least, the feelings of those who claim to have 
 entered into this '^holy order" from a sense of duty, 
 or '*for conscience' sake." That this ideal involves 
 the highest and sanest order of continence should be 
 expected, and this very thing is urged upon all young 
 men in Latter-day Saint organizations, not merely as 
 a condition desirable to health and general well- 
 being, but also as a high religious duty. This state- 
 ment cannot be denied, and is fully attested by all 
 candid observers of the *' Mormon" system and polity. t 
 As a Pledge of Faith. — Under the second head, we 
 need only apply to the convictions and beliefs of 
 Latter-day Saints the very kind of explanation that 
 would be used in explaining the doings and beliefs 
 of any persons or sects, with whom we are in full 
 sympathy. Also, as we may say, the explanation 
 will be quite as accurate and representative. The 
 emphasis laid upon the sanctity of a marriage con- 
 tracted for eternity, and the belief that it is a very 
 real introduction to the dignities of ''godhood," or 
 
 * The claim is made, however, that this doctrine has been reaffirmed 
 by modern revelation. (See Doc. & Gov. cxxiv, 28-41; also "The 
 House of the Lord," pp. 82, 86.) 
 
 t See Richard F. Burton's "City of the Saints," pp. 427-429. 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY * TREASON'' 129 
 
 supreme blessedness in the life to come, lies less in 
 the mere act of marrying than in the implied obedi- 
 ence to the law of the priesthood — ^this word is under- 
 stood to imply '* power and authority given to men to 
 act in the name of God'' — and this law should move 
 a man to behave as though he were already the pos- 
 sessor of eternal life and an inhabitant of the celestial 
 kingdom. His action in this regard differentiates 
 him from one who, in marrying or any other act of 
 life, has regard only to this world — ** until death do 
 us part.'' If, then, the act of contracting a marriage 
 for eternity be not a mere conventional acquiescence 
 in accepted custom in the premises — even then, con- 
 ceivably — it certainly both evidences and augments a 
 firm and vivid faith in the reality of life beyond death, 
 and in the sufficient authority of God's appointed 
 priesthood, of which every man should properly be 
 the possessor. The claim to a godlike heritage in the 
 world to come is justified, then, in view of the fact 
 that a man so conforming to the law asserts his claim 
 as an inhabitant of the heavenly life, thus, literally, 
 in one of the most vital acts of his career, actually 
 laying hold on the promises of God. (c/. I Timothy 
 vi, 12; Hebrews vi, 18-19.) But, on the other hand, 
 where other noble and excellent people, either from 
 lack of faith, or from ignorance, have not thus con- 
 formed to the demands of the law, it is said of them 
 that, in Scripture phrase, **they are as the angels of 
 God." These considerations explain in part the ap- 
 parent confusion of high virtues of other orders with 
 the discussion of marriage in the document above 
 quoted. It also reveals in an eminent sense the real 
 genius of **Mormonism," that sanctity does not con- 
 sist in vain ascetical attempts to ** transcend" the^ 
 world of human life, but, actually and with magnifi-y 
 cent courage, in the godlike effort to raise the world' 
 itself to the heights and glories of the divine ideal. 
 
 The Marriage Ideal. — The recognition of some such 
 thought as this of the marriage relation and its sig- 
 
130 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 nificance must have been in the mind of Susa Young 
 Gates, when she wrote on ** Mormon'' family life, as 
 follows : 
 
 "Nowhere on the face of this wide earth is the love of 
 husbands for their wives and wives for their husbands so in- 
 tense, so thrilling, and so divine as it is here in Utah. Men 
 go by the hundreds into prisons, by thousands into willing 
 exile, rather than sacrifice the hearts of their beloved com- 
 panions. Women cheer them in this determination, separat- 
 ing for this life in the glad hope of an eternal reunion, which 
 no law, no court of public opinion, can ever deny to them. 
 To be true in this life through trial and separation is pre- 
 ferred by these faithful people to the breaking of solemn 
 covenants." — North American Review, March, 1890. 
 
 The Apostasy of Christendom.— Our author, how- 
 ever, has thought of a new word that sounds very- 
 well to him, and he proceeds to ring changes on it 
 through the next few pages of his book. This word 
 is * ^ narrowness, ' ' and, as he supposes, it applies again 
 to the ** utter disparagement which exponents of 
 Mormonism have been, wont to visit upon the Chris- 
 tian world at large and in the crying up of their own 
 system as possessed of sole legitimacy," etc., etc. To 
 be sure, as we may acknowledge, the fundamental 
 principle of *^ Mormonism" is that Christendom has 
 become apostate from Christ, and that, in the founda- 
 tion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints, the lost perfection of the Gospel was restored. 
 Apart from this belief, * ' Mormonism ' ' becomes merely 
 one of the numerous sects of Christian name with 
 peculiar tenets. Nevertheless, all that it says about 
 traditional Christianity is no more and no worse than 
 the Catholic Church says, or, at least, believes, about 
 other bodies ; nor any more violent and uncompromis- 
 ing than the things said by Protestants about the 
 Catholic Church. Thus, as expressed in the book of 
 Homilies of the Church of England, the Protestant 
 contention is that * * Laity and clergy, learned and un- 
 learned, all ages and sexes and degrees have been 
 drowned in abominable idolatry, most detested by 
 God, and damnable to man, for 800 years and more." 
 
MOBMONISM TESTED BY '^EEASON" 131 
 
 Quite ''narrow'' that, also! And written at least 
 three centuries before **Mormonism" appeared to dis- 
 turb the complacent ''righteousness" of the clergy! 
 It is far less than 300 years, also, since Protestant 
 sects were speaking very similarly about one another. 
 Why, if Protestants may use such abusive language 
 about the Catholic Church, is it reprehensible in 
 "Mormons" to hold or express similar opinions about 
 the Protestants themselves? If, again, "Mormons" 
 are blinded to the "sterling worth" of other sects, 
 why is their attitude materially worse than the "just 
 disdain" of the wiseacres who can see no good what- 
 ever in "Mormonism"? If reprehensible and unre- 
 flecting "narrowness" were the sole possession of 
 "Mormons," it is altogether certain that such books 
 as the average anti-Mormon diatribe would not be 
 written. 
 
 "Subservient to His Scheme." — Our author, how- 
 ever, still pursuing the subject of "Mormon narrow- 
 ness," proceeds to remark: that "the founder [of 
 Mormonism] set the standard of self -appreciation at 
 the highest notch by representing God Almighty as 
 entirely subservient to his scheme, and bound to bless 
 whomsoever he might bless, and to curse whomsoever 
 he might curse." [Reference to Doc. and Cov., Sec. 
 cxxxii, 47.] This is, of course, the very kind of sen- 
 tence that one would not expect to hear from a deter- 
 mined opponent of "narrowness," let alone a man of 
 broad learning. If delivered by an "infidel," who 
 stands outside of all sects and creeds whatever, one 
 could excuse it as a "sharp thrust at superstition," 
 but in the mouth of a man who has his own sect to 
 defend, and who is a "scholarly" defender of it, at 
 that, it comes with very poor grace after all the verbi- 
 age just read on the subject of "narrowness." The 
 remark is characteristically anti-" Mormon, " how- 
 ever, also characteristically Protestant. But it is 
 Christianly indefensible. Whatever our author, or 
 other Protestants, may have to say upon the proposi- 
 
132 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 tion that what he calls '' sacerdotalism *' is to be con- 
 sidered the ** ceaseless foe of Christianity," the fact 
 remains that Christ Himself established this very 
 institution to the extent, at least, of imparting the 
 power of *^ binding and loosing" (Matthew xvi, 19; 
 xviii, 18) and of ^'forgiving or retaining sins" (John 
 XX, 23). The latter seems to be somewhat in the line 
 of ** blessing and cursing" with the authority of God. 
 Nor would it be consistent to state that, in adhering 
 to these rights, the Apostles could be accused of 
 ** representing God Almighty as entirely subservient 
 to [their] scheme." To be brief, it represents the 
 very element of sufficient authority in matters doc- 
 trinal and religious that is the principal source of 
 strength in both the Roman and the ^'Mormon" 
 churches, but, neglecting which. Protestantism has 
 fallen a ready victim to modem *' revised theologies" 
 and general spiritual impotence. It may be that the 
 founder of Mormonism was '* presumptuous " in re- 
 cording that God had endowed him as above speci- 
 fied, but it cannot be denied for one moment that he 
 hit the very central point of Scriptural Christianity, 
 which so many others have both neglected and re- 
 viled. 
 
 Korah's ** Scheme." — Speaking of ''schemes," 
 however, we have seen very many of them in the sys- 
 tems of such ''reformers" who have arisen to offer 
 the "penny dips" of their own opinions to enlighten 
 the world upon the things of God. All of them have 
 resented the teaching that there must be a visible and 
 permanent seat of authority in religion, and in so 
 doing have only reenacted the sad error of Korah and 
 his company, who said to Moses and Aaron: "Ye 
 take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation 
 are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among 
 them." (Numbers xvi, 3.) As it transpired, how- 
 ever, accordmg to the Scripture narrative, the Lord's 
 view was to the contrary of their contention. Indeed, 
 it may not be too much to say that the difference be- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY 'TREASON" 133 
 
 tween a man maJking the claims to divine authority 
 on the basis of this professed revelation of Joseph 
 Smith, and one denying his right to make it, is that 
 the former holds to what should be the function of a 
 Church organized, in this particular, in harmony with 
 the requirements of Scripture, and the latter trusts 
 in his reason, which tells him that this is **not God's 
 way of doing things." Others than Joseph Smith 
 have made themselves chargeable with ** representing 
 God Almighty as entirely subservient to [their] 
 scheme." 
 
 Piety and Literature. — However, in spite of all 
 this, our author animadverts as follows: **A Church 
 that has been so nearly powerless to emulate the 
 wealth of the Christian world in a deeply spiritual 
 literature and in shining examples of piety simply 
 makes itself ridiculous when it puts a ban upon 
 Christendom and claims a monopoly of the kingdom 
 of God on earth." This is a well-worded and forcible 
 sentence, but slightly wide of the mark, as the saying 
 has it. Not even ** Mormons" disregard the ** deeply 
 spiritual literature" mentioned. Indeed, many of 
 them enjoy it, so far as they have read it. As for 
 the ** shining examples of piety," no one could wish 
 to discredit them — although, like Noah, Daniel and 
 Job, *Hhey should deliver but their own souls by 
 their righteousness, saith the Lord God" — but one can 
 only regret that the brilliancy of their ** shining" is 
 in ** inverse ratio" to their frequency. [Why, if^ 
 literature and piety are the tests, do Protestants *'put^ 
 a ban" on the Roman Church, which excels in both?] ^ 
 "Why does our author *'play up" the ** piety" and the 
 ^* literature," and neglect to mention how that tradi- 
 tional Christianity has promoted cooperation and 
 brotherhood among men; has abolished vice, misery, 
 poverty and war ; has made most of the people under 
 its influence fit to stand among the '* sheep" at the 
 right hand of the Judge (Matthew xxv, 31-46) ? 
 Because our author is an intelligent man, and he 
 
134 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 knows full well that there is nothing to be said in 
 support of such claims. For this reason do the critics 
 of the average sect have an unanswerable argument. 
 The ** Mormon" ground of *' disparagement" lies 
 solely in the words quoted by Joseph Smith from the 
 mouth of God Himself, as he states — '^They draw 
 near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far 
 from me ; they teach for doctrines the commandments 
 of men : having a form of godliness, but they deny the 
 power thereof." If the Doctor can prove that God 
 must have been misquoted in this saying, he has done 
 much to discredit the man who claimed to have 
 quoted Him, also of the people who have followed 
 this man's leadership. 
 
 Mormon ** Priesthood." — Of course, our author 
 makes the mistake in his criticisms of assuming that 
 modern * 4iberalistic " Protestantism is so evidently 
 the *Hrue Christianity" that anything contrary to its 
 claims and assumptions is, ipso facto, to be regarded 
 as *' false" and reprehensible. Thus, he enlarges 
 greatly upon ** sacerdotalism," as manifested, sup- 
 posedly by the Mormon ^ ' priesthood. ' ' He is even in- 
 clined to find in this * ^ priesthood " the highest reach 
 of his bitterly detested * * ecclesiasticism. " All his 
 arguments on this score, however, are, like the argu- 
 ments to the same effect uttered by other anti-^* Mor- 
 mon" writers, to be discounted from the fact that they 
 are used as applicable to the understanding of the 
 word, *' priesthood," as a set of men claiming and 
 exercising priestly authority, instead of the state of 
 being a priest, or the office and dignity of a priest. 
 The latter sense is the one in which the word is often- 
 est used by Mormons, and the former sense is almost 
 never to be understood in their books and discourses. 
 Thus, while we may agree with our author in the con- 
 tention that a priestly class or caste, as in ancient 
 Egypt or India, for example, may operate to the op- 
 pression of the non-priestly portion of the population, 
 it is evident that no such objections could be urged 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY ^'REASON'' 135 
 
 against such a system as Mormonism, in which every 
 man in good standing should, properly speaking, hold 
 the priesthood in some degree, in either of the two 
 orders, the ' ' Melchizedek ' ' * and the * ' Aaronic. ' ' The 
 authority for these two orders is drawn, supposedly, 
 from Hebrews vii, where Aaron is taken as the type 
 of the *' lower priesthood" and Melchizedek as the 
 type of the *' higher,'' which is also known as the 
 *' Order of the Son of God." Although, as a matter 
 of fact, about 90 per cent, of the male membership of 
 the Church hdld some grade of ordination in either 
 the one or the other of these two ** priesthoods" — the 
 organization of the Church is such that the central 
 source of authority is lodged in the First Presidency 
 and the Twelve Apostles, who are the governing 
 bodies in matters both spiritual and temporal. As to 
 whether these bodies always govern justly, or not, or 
 as to whether the order of government, which all 
 Mormons claim is based upon the expressed will of the 
 entire Church membership, voting four times each 
 year, is really ** democratic," it is unnecessary to 
 argue. Suffice it to say that the allegations of ** op- 
 pression," etc., have never come from members of the 
 Church, but always from busy-bodying outsiders, or 
 else from bitter ** apostates," who have, as a rule, 
 sought to avenge some personal grievance— often they 
 are not the ** injured parties" — at the cost of making 
 representations about this organization, which they 
 know to be untrue. The advantages of the Mormon 
 organization, miscalled the ** hierarchy," are so nu- 
 merous that a candid study of the subject could not 
 fail to discount the stock charges in the mind of any 
 intelligent student. 
 
 Mormon ** Materialism." — From this matter, our 
 author lapses readily to the old charge that the the- 
 ology of Mormonism is to be detested as teaching that 
 
 * This name is spelled in this manner in the authoritative literature 
 of the Mormon Church, which follows the rendering given in the Old 
 Testament. 
 
136 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 God possesses a material body. Thus, he quotes with 
 disapproval the teachings of Joseph Smith upon the 
 subject : 
 
 "Not only did he [Smith] proclaim the doctrine, so con- 
 stantly repeated by his followers down to this day, that *the 
 Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's,' 
 but he ruled out spirit as distinct from matter. These are 
 his words: 'All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, 
 and can only be discerned by purer eyes. We cannot see it; 
 but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all 
 matter.'" {Doctrine and Covenants, cxxxi, 7, 8.) 
 
 He also finds it surprising that '*as recent a writer 
 as James E. Talmage" has found it possible to write: 
 **I submit that to deny the materiality of God's per- 
 son is to deny God, for a thing without parts has no 
 whole, and an immaterial body cannot exist." ('* Ar- 
 ticles of Faith," p. 48.) He comments on the fact 
 that the ** Mormons have felt a degree of hesitation to 
 apply the like description to the Holy Spirit," but 
 remarks that 'Hhey have been under practical com- 
 pulsion to ascribe a body to the Holy Spirit, only one 
 of a vague sort, like a widely extended vapor, gas, 
 ether, or peculiar species of fluid." Continuing to 
 enlarge upon a subject on which he has evidently ex- 
 pended no pains to arrive at the meanings involved, 
 he asserts that **the materialistic phase of Mormon- 
 ism makes a congenial basis for the polytheistic phase. 
 A god who is nothing more than a parcel of matter 
 ... is neither so high in nature nor so inclusive but 
 that he may very well have many associates." He 
 also finds * ' such a multiplicity of gods as threatens to 
 be wearisome to contemplate." 
 
 Mormon * ' Polytheism. ' ' — Dreadful indeed are 
 the things which he finds here ! He also uncovers yet 
 lower depths in quoted passages from the specula- 
 tive writings of Orson Pratt, and one or two stray 
 sentences from the sermons of Brigham Young, as if 
 these were authoritative in every sense. In opposi- 
 tion, however, to all his allegations, which are evi- 
 dently quite the reverse of what should be made by a 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY '^REASON^' 137 
 
 careful and candid student, it is sufficient to say that 
 he has utterly failed to grasp the fundamental idea 
 at the basis of this so-called ** materialism/' It is 
 evident that in ascribing a ** material body" to God 
 the Father, the formulators of Mormon theology had 
 three ends in view: (1) to escape from the inevitable 
 conclusion that ** spirit as distinct from matter '^ will 
 be conceived by the average mind as negation or 
 ** nothingness''; (2) to represent God as in some in- 
 telligible sense **real"; (3) to conform to the Scrip- 
 tural statement that Christ is the ** express image of 
 His person." What is the philosophical description 
 of matter? That it is the ** constant possibility, or 
 basis, of perception." If, then, as stated in Scrip- 
 ture, the saved souls of humanity ** shall see him as 
 he is" (I John iii, 2), it is inevitable that we con- 
 ceive him as visible, audible, and probably, also, tan- 
 gible ; hence, in so far, representable in terms of mate- 
 rial properties and sensations. It is the *' spirit" of 
 which the ** bodies" of God, angels, human spirits, 
 etc., consist [not the ** breath" or energy of God's 
 power and presence] that is thus stated in terms pos- 
 sible to the comprehension of human minds. For the 
 same reason, it is that the Holy Spirit is not said to 
 possess a ** material body." He is defined as the 
 *' fullness of mind, glory and power," possessed in 
 common by the Father and the Son, and constituting 
 their unity, which shall be shared also by all true 
 believers (John xvii, 21), who shall thus become ** par- 
 takers of the divine nature" (II Peter i, 4) ; for **Is 
 it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods" (John 
 X, 34). It is all in the Scriptures, which also contain 
 nothing about a God, who is definable as a ** being 
 without body, parts or passions," a mere philosophical 
 whimsey with no intelligible meaning. Dreadful, 
 however, would our author have us suppose is the 
 conception of a God, who, as he chooses to say, '*is 
 nothing more than a parcel of matter, subject to the 
 limitations of body, and having occasion to move from 
 
138 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 place to place." Remember that long enough to de- 
 rive the notion of Mormon '^crudity/' then you may 
 take up any of the great confessions of Christendom 
 and read what they have to say. Here, for example : 
 "Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his 
 body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the per- 
 fection of Man's nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, 
 and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last 
 day. ... so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to 
 say, the Godhead and the Manhood, were joined together in 
 one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very 
 God, and very Man." — Articles of the Church of England, iv 
 and ii. 
 
 We may understand, therefore, the essential 
 '* crudity'' of the conception of God, which our author 
 has been attempting to criticize, and has included in 
 his general denunciation of *' narrowness" and **rank 
 sacerdotalism. ' ' Are we to understand that Christ is 
 still believed to be **Yery God," or has that teaching 
 also been * improved away" by ** scholarship " ? 
 
 Christian * * Polytheism. ' ' — The assertion that 
 Mormonism teaches not only ** materialism," but also 
 ''polytheism," or the plurality of gods, verbally, at 
 least, has some justification in the standard books of 
 the Mormon Church. Actually, the accusation, in the 
 sense in which it is intended, shows both narrowness 
 and spite and also ignorance of the real teachings of 
 Scripture. As a matter of fact, the use of the term 
 *'gods" in Mormon literature evidences two things: 
 (1) that, with the belief in the eternity of the human 
 spirit or ''intelligence" — this is to be argued from 
 several of the passages of Scripture believed to teach 
 "fore-ordination," since "God is not the God of the 
 dead [or unexistent], but of the living" — ^which 
 might seem to justify the belief that this spirit is 
 essentially divine; (2) to accord with the words of 
 Scripture as quoted above. Such a teaching as this is 
 not "polytheism" any more than the doctrine of 
 "eternal marriage" and its corollaries is "phalli- 
 cism." A careful study of the words of Christ and 
 
' \ 
 
 MORMONISM TESTED BY ^'REASON'' 139 
 
 His apostles will reveal the fact that, in a very real 
 sense, the supreme salvation consists in becoming 
 *' partakers in the divine nature/' That the use of 
 the word '* gods'' is eminently Christian in this con- 
 nection may be illustrated from the following quota- ^ 
 tion from the writings of the late William T. Stead, *^ f 
 himself an admirer of Mormon teachings : 
 
 *'I had been trying," he says, "to write a letter to a poor 
 girl who had been rescued. She was finding the new life very 
 dull and was in danger of falling back, and it was suggested 
 that if I were to write to her it might have some influence 
 over her for good. I left the letter imfinished to attend 
 morning service [he was then in jail for some political of- 
 fense], and was looking down from the organ-loft on my six /* 
 hundred fellow-prisoners when I heard a voice : *Why are , J : f*-fi 
 you telling that girl to be a Christian ? Never tell anyone * / t^^ 
 any more to be a Christian. Always tell them to be a Christ.' //. 
 My mind revolted, and I said : *What blasphemy.' But the ^ 
 voice went on : ^The word Christian has become a mere! , 
 label covering much of self, little of Christ.* ... I pondered 
 the matter deeply. I wrote to all those on whose judgment 
 and spiritual insight I felt I could rely — to Cardinal Man- 
 ning, to Hugh Price Hughes, to Josephine Butler, to Benjamin 
 Waugh, and others. What would these spiritually-minded 
 men and women think of it? With one exception all said: 
 *These words contain the essence of the Christian religion.*" 
 —Quoted in "My Father"* by Estelle W. Stead. 
 
 As we may readily understand, when the Mormon 
 — and Christian — doctrine of ** polytheism" is thus 
 explained, as the equivalent of both the Christian life 
 and of supreme salvation, our author's expressed fear 
 that there will be **such a multiplicity of gods as 
 threatens to be wearisome to contemplate" involves 
 no very serious danger to our peace of mind. There 
 will not be an improperly large multitude of **gods." 
 
 ** Blood Atonement." — Our author then turns from 
 ** materialism" to the other bogie, ** blood atonement," 
 which he also criticizes vigorously. He makes a pro- 
 fessed quotation from a pamphlet by President C. W. 
 Penrose on this subject, in which, as he says, the doc- 
 trine is supposedly based on Hebrews ix, 22 — ** without 
 the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" — 
 
140 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 and states, truly enough, that this passage involves no 
 such teaching. He neglects to state, however, that 
 Penrose's unread lecture claims other and better au- 
 thorities for the doctrine that, under specified cir- 
 cumstances (Hebrews vi, 4-6), ''it is impossible to 
 obtain forgiveness,'' also that (Hebrews x, 26-29) ''he 
 that despised Moses' law died without mercy under 
 two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punish- 
 ment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who 
 hath trodden under foot the Son of God?" On the 
 basis of these and other passages, particularly I John 
 v, 16-17 and I Corinthians v, 3, 5, the teaching is that 
 the "Sin against the Holy Spirit," which is identified 
 with apostasy and murder, puts the offender out of 
 the domain of grace and under the Law of Moses, 
 which distinctly specifies that a crime of such gravity 
 shall be expiated only by the destruction of the of- 
 fender, the shedding of his blood. With true Chris- 
 tian consistency, however, this method of punishment 
 is not regarded as simple "vengeance," nor yet as 
 mere "public policy" in the premises, but, curiously 
 enough, as a new possible avenue of approach to the 
 Mercy Seat — in being thus punished with death, the 
 man has made his divinely-appointed ' ' expiation ' ' for 
 the sin, which, as evidently expressed in the above- 
 cited passages from Hebrews, cannot be included in 
 the Atonement of Christ. Some such idea is strongly 
 suggested in the passage from I Corinthians v, which 
 is as follows: 
 
 "For I verily, . . . have judged already, as though I were 
 present, concerning him that hath done this deed, to deliver 
 such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that 
 the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 
 
 "Rational Warrants." — Of course, the significance 
 of this passage hinges upon the meaning of the ex- 
 pression "destruction of the flesh," which may be, as, 
 indeed, it has been, variously interpreted. How, 
 nevertheless, it may be understood in any sense other 
 than public execution, when coupled with the idea of 
 
MORMONISM TESTED BY ^'EEASON'' 141 
 
 being ''saved in the day of the Lord Jesus," it would 
 be difficult to understand. Of what use, then, is it 
 for a professing Christian to argue, as does the 
 author under discussion, in such words as these : 
 
 "As for the rational warrant for the merciless tenet, it is 
 scarcely possible to imagine how any one can suppose that a 
 wise, holy, and righteous God can refuse to be satisfied by the 
 deepest contrition which the human spirit can render, and 
 consent to be appeased only by blood smoking from the 
 ground." 
 
 Scriptural Consistency. — Of course, if we are to 
 seek for ** rational warrants" for religious doctrines, 
 we shall speedily take leave of all for which Chris- 
 tianity stands, when the Scriptures are accepted as 
 authority. This very thing has been done by hosts of 
 ''Protestant" theologists in the frantic effort to be 
 "scientific." The sort of "rational test" as is used 
 in the above passage would not even permit us to 
 believe that God could have "spared not his own Son, 
 but delivered Him up for us" (Romans viii, 32). 
 Evidently the "God of the New Testament" — to use 
 a current phrase — *^can refuse to be satisfied by the 
 deepest contrition which the human spirit can render, 
 and consent to be appeased only by blood" — the 
 "blood of His cross" — "smoking from the ground"; 
 for, as represented, only in this way has He "made 
 peace "(Colossians i, 20). Indeed, the most accept- 
 able teaching is that Christ "should taste death for 
 every man" (Hebrews ii, 9), and that, apart from 
 Him, every man must fulfil the requirements of the 
 Law by "tasting death" for himself. In this teach- 
 ing of "blood atonement," it is evident that, as in 
 other "Mormon" teachings, a distinct effort has been 
 made by some one to derive a definite idea from ob- 
 scure passages of Scripture. The doctrine is consist- 
 ent with the wording of numerous passages. It is 
 strange that Protestants, professing to accept the Bible 
 as the "sole rule of faith," have failed to discern this 
 fact. 
 
CHAPTER FOUR 
 
 THE 'PRACTICAL TEST" OF 
 MORMONISM? 
 
 Why ''Practicar'?— In our work of examining, 
 for the benefit of the public, the actual allegations 
 upon which the American people are constantly asked 
 to violate our national guarantees of liberty of con- 
 science and religious toleration, we have discussed al- 
 ready an *' historical test," a ** critical test" and a 
 ''rational test." "We come now to a section called the 
 ''practical test," probably because no other title was 
 suggested to the mind of the writer. He begins with 
 the following words : 
 
 "In taking up the data which make for the practical refuta- 
 tion of Mormonism it is not necessary to bring any sweeping 
 charge against the character and conduct of the Mormons as 
 a body. That a large proportion of them have been better 
 than the system in which they have been ensnared may readily 
 be admitted. Still further, it can be granted that a scheme of 
 minute official oversight, such as is imposed upon the Mormon 
 people, might be — so long as it should find subjects content 
 to remain in a relatively passive state — favorable to the cul- 
 tivation of a species of external morality. Concessions like 
 these ought to be made by the critic without reluctance. He 
 has no occasion to picture the Mormons as exceptionally bad. 
 He achieves the purpose of refutation in showing that their 
 record is far from being in accord with their enormous 
 claims, that it has been, in fact, no whit better than might 
 be expected of any erring sect inflamed with a special zeal." 
 
 On completing all that he has to say of the moral 
 "failures" of the "Mormons," our author repeats the 
 last sentence, and adds: 
 
 "The result stands out clearly from the review that the 
 moral record of the Latter Day Saints puts to shame their 
 pretense to be in a preeminent sense the people of the Lord." 
 
 142 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN '* PRACTICE" 143 
 
 Who Are *' God's People''? — ^We may conclude, 
 therefore, that the standards for *' refuting'' Mormon- 
 ism involve that the believers in this system are not to 
 be considered as ** sinners above all men," but that, 
 on the whole, because of this or that specified error, 
 their title to be ** God's chosen people" is seriously 
 vitiated. Lest every reader should not be able to see 
 the essential fallacy of this line of reasoning, we may 
 remark (1) that the shortcomings catalogued by our 
 author are equally chargeable against every body of 
 people whatsoever, and (2) that we may reasonably 
 conclude, on his showing, that the claim to being **in 
 a preeminent sense the people of the Lord" has never 
 been warranted in the case of any set of people that 
 live, or ever have lived on earth. Indeed, as a stand- 
 ard of judgment, this matter of formal conduct must 
 be an exceedingly unsatisfactory one. Human nature 
 is very refractory material at best, even in prophets, 
 apostles and saints, very many of whom are remem- 
 bered far better for their self-accusings and passion- 
 ate repentings than for virtues of the commoner vari- 
 eties. Nor is it always fair to condemn a man, or a 
 set of men, for even practical failures, while utterly 
 ignoring, from the lofty standpoint of graduated 
 ** scholarship" all that such have tried to do, even un- 
 successfully. 
 
 Early Christian Lapses.— However, as it seems, it 
 is vain to attempt injecting a sense of justice into 
 the over-learned, or further, to inquire as to what par- 
 ticular ** erring sect," inflamed, or not, with a ** spe- 
 cial zeal," has exhibited such exceptionally good a 
 record in conduct. The Israelites, as specified in 
 Scripture, from the days of Abraham, were to be 
 known as God's ** chosen people," who, in the words 
 of Exodus xix, 6, were, on condition of obedience, to 
 be a ** kingdom of priests and an holy nation." Yet, 
 as one might gather from the reading of the history 
 indited by their own writers, their ** moral record 
 . . . puts to shame" any such claim. Nor need we 
 
144 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 condemn them too severely — ^they had the failings 
 common to human nature, the very evils against which 
 high standards of righteousness are established. 
 Even the earliest Christians were not devoid of these. 
 "Without mentioning the charges of their enemies — 
 many of whom made * bests'' in this matter — we may 
 quote the two great apostles, St. Paul and St. Peter. 
 Not only does Paul warn his disciples against ** anger, 
 evil communications, filthiness, fornication, foolish 
 talking," etc., (Ephesians iv, 26-v, 6), to *4ie not" 
 (Colossians iii, 8-9), not to *^bite and devour one an- 
 other" (Galatians v, 15), but he fears *4est I have 
 bestowed labor upon you in vain" (Galatians iv, 11) ; 
 bewails their departure from the truth, as taught to 
 them (Galatians i, 6 and iii, 1), and their contentions 
 on this account (I Corinthians i, 10-12), and states 
 (II Corinthians xiii, 10), **I write these things being 
 absent, lest being present I should use sharpness." 
 Evidently, at that time even, human weakness often 
 led to failure. He even specifies an aggravated case 
 of * ^fornication" in I Corinthians v, 1-5, and fears 
 lest he find among his disciples *' debates, envyings, 
 wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, 
 tumults," and that some of them may have *' sinned 
 already, and have not repented of the uncleanness 
 and fornication and lasciviousness which they have 
 committed" (II Corinthians xii, 20-21). St. Peter 
 also warns against ''false prophets" and ''damnable 
 heresies" in the second chapter of his second epistle. 
 Evidently, as we must conclude neither the sins of 
 the "old man," nor yet the danger of them, were 
 absent, even in apostolic days. Evidently, of some of 
 the earliest Christians it could have been said, "the 
 moral record . . . puts to shame their pretense to be 
 in a preeminent sense the people of the Lord." 
 How, then, can we consistently condemn Mormons, 
 Methodists, Mennonites, or other people, on any such 
 grounds as these ? 
 Gossip, Apostasy and Filth. — But, what are the 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN ^TEACTICE'' 145 
 
 dreadful lapses which, as we are told, so seriously dis- 
 credit the ** enormous claims" of the Latter-day- 
 Saints ? Are they guilty, as a rule, of the errors men- 
 tioned and condemned by St. Paul? Are they prone 
 to *'backbitings, whisperings," etc.? Not any of 
 these, although they seem to have been considerably 
 *' backbitten." As the first *' practical test," accord- 
 ingly, we hear, on the presumed authority of Dame 
 Gossip, that, in his last days. Smith *'was given up 
 to an unbridled libertinism." It would not suit the 
 necessities of an unfavorable *'test" to say merely 
 that he had, in assumed obedience to the revelation 
 on plural marriage, taken several wives, since, on the 
 authority of the apostate Stenhouse, **no man know- 
 eth" the number of the ** wives of Joseph." It must 
 be said, however, that whether some of these numer- 
 ous ladies were given to *'vain boasting," or, whether 
 all of them were ** wives in name only," the fact is 
 indisputable that Joseph Smith left no children — ^not 
 even any claiming to Be his children — except by his 
 ** first wife," Emma Hale Smith. This is a nearly 
 unparalleled record for any man ** given up to an 
 unbridled libertinism." Whatever he may have done, 
 it is certainly just to point with indignation to such 
 a sentence as this : 
 
 "The same candid writer [Stenhouse] avers also that one 
 woman in Utah informed him that the said Joseph taught 
 her that it was the privilege of wives to entertain 'proxy 
 husbands' during the absence of their liege lords on mission.*' 
 
 A Trustworthy Witness? — There is no need to 
 pause for the remark that this unnamed female friend 
 of Mr. Stenhouse is alone authority for the vile in- 
 sinuation attributed to her. Had this filthy notion 
 actually been a teaching of Joseph Smith, no one 
 would have been in a better position to state it, on the 
 authority also of far higher and better known persons 
 than **one woman in Utah," than this same Sten- 
 house himself, who, previous to the Godbeite defec- 
 tion, was a member of the Mormon Church in good 
 
146 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 standing, also, according to Burton [see **City of the 
 Saints, '' p. 223], on terms of easy intimacy with 
 President Young. On the assumption that Stenhouse 
 and his wife, both of whom wrote more or less ill of 
 their former Church, are to be credited with the de- 
 cency that they claim, it is strange that they could 
 for so long a time countenance all the ** evils'' nar- 
 rated in their books. A very similar remark applies 
 to the ** damaging charges'' made by other apostates. 
 
 The Shame of Gossip. — ^But, as it seems, it is 
 superfluous to warn some people of the essential 
 turpitude of gratuitous gossip, and the essential mean- 
 ness of adding to its currency. Thus, as we find here, 
 further '^ refutations" of ** enormous claims" lie in 
 the words of that gossip-monger, *'Rev. Henry Cas- 
 wall," previously quoted. He, as stated, *' records 
 four instances as reported to him, with specifications 
 of place and circumstances, in which the Mormon 
 leader [Smith] was plainly intoxicated." Not satis- 
 fied with this, Caswall also quotes his ^'host," as com- 
 plaining that, ** during the three years . . . since the 
 settlement of the Mormons at Montrose and Nauvoo 
 fourteen robberies, to the amount of two thousand 
 dollars, have been committed on his property." This 
 same loquacious ^^host" had formerly resided among 
 ** heathen Indians," and had ''never been robbed," 
 quite like the frontier merchant who left his store un- 
 locked at night, since ''there was not a Christian 
 within twenty miles of him." It is a dreadful thing 
 that such a man as Caswall, who visits a place, not to 
 observe its life, good or evil, and make candid and in- 
 telligent reports, but to retail idle gossip, should be 
 an accredited minister of religion. As previously in- 
 dicated, other writers, quite as reliable as this person, 
 have left an entirely different picture of Mr. Smith 
 and his doings. 
 
 They Saw Him Drunk. — ^Nevertheless, as we read 
 William Law ' ' testifies that he saw him drunk on one 
 occasion." Also, in a note, Levi Lewis "testifies that 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN 'TRACTICE'' 147 
 
 he saw Smith drunk three times while he was prepar- 
 ing the ^Book of Mormon.' '' [Reference to Howe, 
 ^'Mormonism Unveiled," p. 268.] Further, the 
 ** thieving propensities" of the Mormons are evi- 
 denced, according to Linn and Sheldon, *^in the neces- 
 sity which the church authorities recognized for pub- 
 lic declarations that they did not sanction the prac- 
 tice." It also ** seems to be well supported," by the 
 statements of Stenhouse and others, that the Mormons 
 practiced counterfeiting. Also, the vigorous and pic- 
 turesque denunciations of dishonesty, profanity, 
 swindling, etc., by Brigham Young and Jedediah M. 
 Grant, are cited as *' evidences" that such things 
 were common and aggravated among these people. 
 Ergo, their ** record is far from being in accord with 
 their enormous claims," on the principle, presumably, 
 that *Hhey who most condemn a fault are pronest to 
 it." All such ill-digested and glibly-argued allega- 
 tions are merely absurd. They argue less unfavor- 
 ably against the evil character of the people criticized 
 than against the logicality and fairness of the people 
 who use them as essential elements of an arraignment. 
 Mormonism is here ** weighed and found wanting," 
 because some people in Mormon neighborhoods drank 
 whiskey, stole or counterfeited, or because some peo- 
 ple said that they did; quite as though Methodism, 
 Presbyterianism, and other sects, had been singularly 
 successful in reducing the average of lapses in such 
 directions. 
 
 Sinners Above All Men? — ^We may remark at this 
 place that the stock charges against the character and 
 behavior of both Joseph Smith and of his associates 
 have been thoroughly epitomized in the book under 
 discussion. As we have seen, however, the offenses 
 with which Smith's youth is charged by no means ex- 
 plain or illuminate his doings or motives in after-life. 
 They are, in fact, ** misfit sins." Similarly, when we 
 come to the section of our author's booklet, in which he 
 attempts to ** refute" the ** enormous claims" of Mor- 
 
148 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 monism, we are faced with a precisely similar situation. 
 We hear the mean charges of a few loose-tongued gos- 
 sips and slanderers, and the self-righteous allegations 
 of men who repeat the accusations of third parties, on 
 the probable authority of still others, fourth and fifth 
 parties, to the effect that this man was seen drunk, or 
 that he taught filthy immoralities, of which no one had 
 ever heard before the publication of the ^ testimony" 
 of some ^^lady" or ** gentleman." Of course, it will 
 be useless to quote such sayings of Smith as the follow- 
 ing, which in the mouths of any other persons, would 
 be taken at '^face value." Speaking of temperance, 
 he once said : 
 
 "I was informed to-day [Feb. 12, 1836] that a man by the 
 name of Clark, who was under the influence of ardent spirits, 
 froze to death last night near this place. How long, Lord, 
 will this monster intemperance find its victims on the earth! 
 I fear until the earth is swept with the wrath and indignation 
 of God, and Christ's kingdom becomes universal. O, come Lord 
 Jesus, and cut short Thy work in righteousness." — History 
 of the Church, Vol. ii, p, 406. 
 
 It is also useless?, probably, to quote this : 
 
 ''If a man commit adultery, he cannot receive the celestial 
 kingdom of God. Even if he is saved in any kingdom, it 
 cannot be the celestial kingdom." — Ihid.y Vol. vi, p. 81. 
 
 It must be said in all truth, however, that these two 
 passages are only examples of the opinions expressed 
 by Joseph Smith throughout his entire career, and that 
 they are as competent to establish the purity of his 
 character and motives as would similar expressions to 
 clarify the reputations of other teachers and preachers, 
 against the wanton allegations of venomous gossips 
 and slanderers. 
 
 No One Exempt. — The author of the book under 
 discussion makes his record of the stock slanders 
 against Joseph Smith with a sense of complete secur- 
 ity, apparently, from similar attacks upon his own 
 friends and coreligionists. Although we have con- 
 tended that such charges as he has repeated establish 
 nothing, and are to be considered with contempt, when 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN ^^PEACTICE^' 149 
 
 urged against any man professing to be a teacher of 
 righteousness and an exemplar of decency — as being, 
 evidently, merely the effluvium of idle and vicious 
 minds — we cannot refrain from reminding him and 
 the reading public that perfectly similar charges were 
 vehemently urged against the character of John Wes- 
 ley by certain of his enemies in Georgia. These ene- 
 mies, among other things, charged him with wantonly 
 trifling with the affections of a young woman of the 
 colony, breaking his promise to marry her, and, after 
 she had wedded another man, declining to administer 
 the Christian sacrament to her, on the ground that she 
 was **not worthy." Of course, we shall hear that 
 these charges have been perfectly refuted and ex- 
 plained — and we believe that this is the case — but we 
 cannot refrain from the remark that, refuted or not, 
 they are eminently illuminating on the motives of the 
 persons so wantonly attacking Joseph Smith. The 
 greater the refutation in Wesley 's case, the greater the 
 suspicioA to be attached to such charges in the case of 
 Smith, or of any one else. Nor need we hesitate to 
 mention that many Presbyterian writers have argued 
 that John Calvin was not a ** common murderer" in 
 consenting to, or procuring, the destruction of his 
 friend Servetus. But if the all-powerful Calvin can 
 be ** whitewashed" from this crime, why condemn so 
 harshly the alleged tipplings of Mr. Smith? If it is 
 proper to insist that Smith must have been a drunkard, 
 also an idle, vicious and dishonest character, because 
 certain of his **old neighbors" and sundry *' ladies" 
 and ** gentlemen" have said so, what are we to say 
 about Wesley, and numerous other professedly right- 
 eous men, who have been variously and mercilessly ac- 
 cused ? The * * testimonies ' ' and * * accusations ' ' in such 
 cases emanate generally from depraved and gossiping 
 minds, and are as ** conclusive" in one case as in an- 
 other. 
 
 Unprejudiced Testimony. — Turning from the stray 
 allegations of yarious apostates and enemies of Joseph 
 
150 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 Smith and Mormonism, with their accusations of 
 tippling and other common forms of misconduct, 
 which do not seem to require Mormon influence for 
 their commission under ordinary circumstances, we 
 may refer to some scraps of testimony from tion-Mor- 
 mon sources, upon the character of the *^ species of 
 external morality" mentioned by our critic. Its 
 value is all the greater because given in 1881, before 
 ** Gentile" influences had become so pronounced and 
 so active in the territory. Thus, in the words of a 
 noted traveler and journalist : 
 
 "In Utah the proportion of Mormons to aU others is as 83 
 to 17. In the Utah Penitentiary at the date of the census 
 there were 51 prisoners, only 5 of whom were Mormons, and 2 
 of the 5 were in prison for polygamy, so that the 17 per 
 cent, 'outsiders' has 46 convicts in the penitentiary, while the 
 83 per cent. Mormons had but 5! 
 
 "Out of the 200 saloon, billiard, bowling alley and pool-table 
 keepers not over a dozen even profess to be Mormons. All of 
 the bagnios and other disreputable concerns in the territory 
 are rim and sustained by non-Mormons. Ninety-eight per 
 cent, of the gamblers in Utah are of the same element. 
 Ninety-five per cent, of the Utah la^vyers are Gentiles, and 
 98 per cent, of all the litigation there is of outside growth 
 and promotion. Of the 250 towns and villages in Utah, over 
 200 have no 'gaudy sepulchre of departed virtue,' and those 
 two hundred and odd towns are almost exclusively Mormon 
 in population. Of the suicides committed in Utah ninety 
 odd per cent, are non-Mormon, and of the Utah homicides and 
 infanticides over 80 per cent, are perpetrated by the 17 per 
 cent, of 'outsiders.' " — Phil Rolinson, "Sinners and Saints/' p. 
 72. 
 
 At another place, this same author makes the fol- 
 lowing summary of his observations : 
 
 "I can assure my readers that the standard of public mo- 
 rality among the Mormons of Utah is such as the Gentiles 
 among them are either imable or unwilling to live up to." — 
 Ibid. p. 186. 
 
 A very similar verdict in this matter would follow 
 upon a candid and careful examination of the moral 
 conditions existing to the present time. In default of 
 such, however, it is in place to quote public records. 
 According to the reports of the State Penitentiary 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN 'PRACTICE'' 151 
 
 for the first 16 years of statehood (1896-1911), there 
 were 1958 commitments for felonies, out of which only 
 377 were residents of the State, without reference to 
 religious affiliation. Furthermore, out of this total, 
 there were 1210 commitments from Salt Lake, Weber 
 and Utah counties, where the largest number of * ^ Gen- 
 tiles" are settled, and where ** outside influences" are 
 strongest. How great is the ''moral menace" of Mor- 
 monism ! 
 
 *'The Darkest Crime." — Turning now from the 
 ''dreadful record" of alcoholic and predatory of- 
 fenses, which, as it seems, Mormonism is to be dis- 
 credited for not eliminating, our author introduces us 
 to "the darkest crime which has stained Mormon an- 
 nals in Utah," referring to the massacre at Mountain 
 Meadows of a party of one hundred and twenty per- 
 sons, who were on their way through Utah to Cali- 
 fornia. Although disclaiming any intention of charg- 
 ing the commission of this atrocity to the whole body 
 of the Mormon people, or to their Church, he con- 
 cludes, in true judicial style, that : 
 
 "It is chargeable, however, against Mormonism in so far as 
 this pretentious system furnished in its characteristic teach- 
 ings such a hotbed for fanaticism as might easily be produc- 
 tive of outrage in the absence of powerful restraints." 
 
 Mormons in the Lead. — As the result of his inves- 
 tigations of the matter — ^presumably in the writings 
 of a few anti-Mormon agitators — our author claims 
 that "two facts are well established": (1) "that 
 Mormons shared directly in its perpetration"; (2) 
 "that the Mormons were the principals in the trag- 
 edy," the Indians being only "auxiliaries." Taking 
 the alleged "confession" of John D. Lee as his lead- 
 ing authority in the premises, our author mentions, 
 among his other significant considerations, "the ad- 
 mitted fact that a messenger was sent to Brigham 
 Young to get his decision on the fate of the emi- 
 grants," and concludes that this act implied "an as- 
 sumption . . . that it lay within the province of Mor- 
 
152 THE CASE AGAINST MOEMONISM 
 
 mon power and influence to destroy or to spare the 
 contemplated victims." In view, however, of Presi- 
 dent Young ^s reported reply that the emigrants should 
 be allowed to proceed unmolested — it came too late, 
 as it seems — we read : 
 
 "Thus the central authority [of the Church] seems not to 
 have been directly implicated in the deed. That it can be 
 excused from condoning and hushing up all reference to it 
 after its commission is far from evident." 
 
 Accessory After the Fact. — In other words, if not 
 ** accessory before the fact,'' it must still be consid- 
 ered ** accessory after the fact." Nevertheless, in any 
 study of this affair, we must not overlook the following 
 considerations: (1) that the failure of the U. S. 
 courts to indict Brigham Young and other Mormon 
 leaders for this crime was due to no lack of diligence 
 on the part of the federal authorities to achieve this 
 very end; (2) that, although, undoubtedly, John D. 
 Lee, *^who fulfilled the role of scapegoat and was 
 executed in 1877 for his part in the massacre," could 
 have bought pardon and release for an accusation 
 against Young and others that could have led to con- 
 viction, he never made such an accusation. Immedi- 
 ately after the massacre, an investigation was begun 
 by Federal Judge John Cradlebaugh, who, according 
 to reports and appearances of his own actions, was 
 determined to reach the *^men at the top." Thus: 
 
 "Judge Cradlebaugh, however, was determined to make the 
 Mormon Church responsible for the crime; . . . and in fact 
 for every other deed of blood or lesser depredation committed 
 in his district. His zeal and that of his coadjutors in this 
 direction caused Superintendent Forney to remark, in his 
 report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in August, 1859 : 
 *I fear, and I regret to say it, that with certain parties here 
 there is a greater anxiety to connect Brigham Young and 
 other church dignitaries with every criminal offense, than 
 diligent endeavor to punish the actual perpetrators of crime.' " 
 —0. F. Whitney, History of Utah, Vol. I, pp. 709-710. 
 
 That Letter to Young. — If persons so intently de- 
 termined on accomplishing the conviction of the 
 church authorities failed, in spite of all their dili- 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN ^^ PRACTICE" 153 
 
 gence, it is certainly fair to suppose that they found 
 nothing upon which they could base a valid charge. 
 In regard to the messenger sent to President Young, 
 it is desirable to call attention to the fact that he was 
 dispatched, not because of an ** assumption . . . that 
 it lay within the province of Mormon power and in- 
 fluence to destroy or to spare the contemplated vic- 
 tims," but, briefly, iecause Brigham Young was at 
 this time governor of Utah Territory, [Here, again, 
 anti-Mormonism has smothered facts, for the sake of 
 a rhetorical effect.] The messenger sent out was 
 named James H. Haslam, and he, in 1884, uttered a 
 sworn statement embodying the following passages : 
 
 "Word came up to Mr. Haight from John D. Lee, stating 
 that the Indians had got the emigrants corralled on the 
 Mountain Meadows, and wanted to know what he should do. 
 . . . He [Haight] sent for me. He had a message written to 
 send up to Brigham Yoimg, and he wished to get a man to 
 take it up. ... He asked me if I would take it. I told him 
 I would if it was possible to take it. . . . He gave me the 
 message to read. . . . that the Indians had got the emigrants 
 corralled at the Mountain Meadows, and Lee wanted to know 
 what should be done. Lee at that time was major of what 
 was called the Post, and was the Indian agent."— 0. W. Pen- 
 rose, Mountain Meadows Massacre, Supplement, pp. 79-80. 
 
 The ''Other Side." — Of course, in such an affair, 
 it is well to hear both sides before forming an opin- 
 ion. The allegations made by persons resident in 
 Utah are to the efifect that these emigrants had in- 
 dulged in various words and acts of contempt and 
 hostility toward the white inhabitants of the territory 
 — having formed unfavorable opinions of Mormons 
 from the preachments of other leaders of ''fanati- 
 cism,*' probably — and had incurred the enmity of the 
 Indians by poisoning springs and the carcasses of 
 cattle left in their wake. Such acts, if really com- 
 mitted, show that these people were by no means the 
 most careful and courteous travelers that ever crossed 
 the Territory, and furnish a fair explanation for the 
 fact that, out of all the numerous trains that passed 
 through the country at this period, they alone were 
 
154 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 singled out for *' severe treatment." One version of 
 the story has it that the whites who participated in the 
 affair, to whatever extent, were drawn into the fight 
 by the fact that the emigrants persistently fired at 
 them, as well as at the Indians. There seems, how- 
 ever, to have been a criminal participation on their 
 part, which was their personal concern, and unre- 
 lated to any influences '^from above." How their act 
 evidences ''fanaticism" and *'the absence of powerful 
 restraints" is not clear. 
 
 Non-Mormon Massacres. — There have been other 
 massacres in the history of our country, quite as bad 
 as this one, notably the Wyoming massacre, in which 
 the British soldiers brought up bands of armed Indi- 
 ans against white settlements in Pennsylvania, accom- 
 plishing the death of many women and children in 
 true aboriginal fashion. Another example, accom- 
 plishing fewer murders, but quite as ferocious, was the 
 massacre of Mormon men, women and children at 
 Haun's Mill, Missouri, in October, 1838, in alleged 
 obedience to Governor Boggs' ''exterminating order." 
 Here the victims were set upon by one of the numerous 
 Missouri mobs — several of these bodies of ' ' citizenry ' ' 
 were accompanied, or led, by ordained Protestant 
 preachers — and, in spite of the fact that they were 
 mostly unarmed, were fired upon. Also, numerous 
 families who had taken refuge in an abandoned black- 
 smith shop were shot at through the crevices of the 
 walls, several women and little boys being deliberately 
 killed. It is very evident that there are, in our coun- 
 try, other examples of "hotbed for fanaticism," also 
 some not of Mormon planting. However, since only 
 nineteen people were murdered at Haun's Mill, as 
 against 120, more or less, at Mountain Meadows, we 
 may conclude that "fanaticism" fomented by the 
 tirades of Evangelical preachers is only about one- 
 sixth as bloodthirsty as that cultivated by Mormons 
 and Utah Indians. Such a reflection as this should 
 be valuable to a person of our author's opinions. 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN '^^ PRACTICE'' 155 
 
 Nevertheless, he remarks, in discussing the alleged 
 hostility of the Mormon authorities to the National 
 Government : 
 
 "The doings of border communities, provoked, though not 
 in their actual form justified, by the intemperate claims of the 
 strange religionists, afforded no valid groimd for reviling and 
 resisting the national government." 
 
 Reviling the Government. — There are few really 
 reasonably proven accusations of such ** reviling,'' etc., 
 as a candid examination of the history of Utah should 
 demonstrate. The oftenest quoted instance of this 
 sort of thing lies in the so-called '* rebellion" of 1857, 
 which, on the representations of certain persons that 
 an uprising in the territory had resulteyj in the defi- 
 ance of the Federal Courts, was the occasion for dis- 
 patching a military expedition to Utah. This expe- 
 dition found that no such state as had been reported 
 could be found in the Territory, and Mormonism 
 missed destruction at the hands of the military. 
 
 A ''Purely Spiritual Dominion." — Still, as a part- 
 ing thrust, our author remarks that ''disloyalty" 
 would seem to be the logical consequence of the "lord- 
 ship in which the Mormon hierarchy has declared its 
 right and expectation to figure." He also complains 
 that "a purely spiritual dominion has never been its 
 ideal." Such criticisms come with very poor grace 
 from a representative of Protestantism, which, in the 
 history of our country, has always vigorously at- 
 tempted to control conduct by the passing of laws in- 
 tended to enforce obedience to moral standards, other- 
 wise to be neglected, even by Protestants. Positively 
 no sect of them all has held to the "ideal" of "a 
 purely spiritual dominion." Actually, the expression 
 is almost meaningless. 
 
 The Glory of God. — That much-hated man, Joseph 
 Smith, once uttered the sentence, "the glory of God 
 is intelligence," and in the foundation of his Church 
 organization he seems to have adhered closely to this 
 idea of "glory." Whatever may be the defects of 
 
156 THE CASE AGAINST MORMONISM 
 
 himself, or of his Church, neither of them has based 
 religion upon legal compulsion, nor yet upon *'re- 
 vivalistic" excitement — the sole hopes of '* Evangeli- 
 calism." In this day of ** problems," sociological, 
 moral and economic, this organization alone offers a 
 proven method for unifying society and reducing the 
 evils of civilization to a minimum. Smith deliber- 
 ately set himself the noble ideals of abolishing poverty 
 and, even more intrepid, providing for the personal, 
 moral and intellectual betterment of the membership 
 of his Church. Such ideals are unintelligible to 
 others, who vent their spleen by abusing him, and his 
 message, as though either were reasonably an object 
 of **just disdain." In the meantime, many of their 
 fellows are floundering with the atheistical sophistries 
 of Marxism, as though the Gospel had no significance 
 in solving '^sociological problems." 
 
 What Mormonism Really Is. — ^Whether or not Mor- 
 monism may be held to be, as it claims, the true Chris- 
 tianity perfectly restored on earth, or whether or not 
 some, or all, of its adherents have fallen short of con- 
 sistent living up to their ' * enormous claims, ' ' the fact 
 remains that the Church and system in question is most 
 ably calculated to fulfil all the objects and functions of 
 the ideally Christian organization. It contrives, not 
 only to maintain the interests peculiarly concerned 
 with the service of God, in the form of ordinances and 
 the conduct of worship, but it provides also the only 
 efficient mechanism known to history for making the 
 performance of the duties of one man to another — ^the 
 duty to the neighbor — as actual and thorough as any 
 concerned with the conduct of life. Through the op- 
 eration of its wonderfully-conceived organization, it 
 promotes association and cooperation in all concerns, 
 and undoubtedly fosters a strong feeling and sense of 
 fellowship among its members. Among practical 
 achievements approximated by this organization are: 
 (1) a widespread interest in religion, its doctrines and 
 ordinances; (2) an ingrafted tendency to cooperation 
 
MORMONISM TESTED IN '' ' PRACTICE ' ' 157 
 
 and common activities; (3) a certain sense of respon- 
 sibility to one's associates, promoting real fraternal 
 feelings and sympathies, also an unusually high aver- 
 age of personal morality and probity. By such means, 
 while attempting in no sense to alter or modify the 
 organization of society or the institutions of govern- 
 ment — as do the usual orders of so-called ** social re- 
 form" movements and theories — it furnishes a hopeful 
 and practical means of dealing with social and eco- 
 nomic problems, without violence, without agitation, 
 and without revolution. If this is not the *' divinely- 
 ordained method" of achieving ''temporal salvation," 
 it is certain (1) that it works, and (2) that there is 
 no other efl5cient contrivance known to man for ac- 
 complishing the same results. Because the latter 
 proposition is true, we find ourselves distraught by our 
 ** problems," social, moral and economic, and no ''an- 
 swers" are proposed for our acceptance that promise 
 any sure and reasonable relief. It is not entirely im- 
 possible, when the fallacy and fatuity of our systems 
 of "scientific sociology" have been demonstrated, that, 
 in spite of the numerous misapprehensions, misrepre- 
 sentations and "scholarly tests," there may be a wide- 
 spread acceptance of the claim that the solutions of 
 present difficulties of civilization are represented by 
 the system popularly called "Mormonism." 
 
 THE END 
 
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