MORMONS,* or, as they call themselves, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS, are a religious sect founded by a native of the United States named Joseph Smith. Smith was 1111 son of a farmer, and was born iu the town of Sharon, Windsor co., Vt., Dec. 23, 1803. When he had reached the age of 10, his parents removed to Palmyra, in the state of New York, and four years later, to the town of Manchester. about 6 m. off. The reputation of the family is said to have been of the worst kind; we are told that they avoided honest labor, were intemperate, untruthful, and suspected of sheep-stealing and other offenses. These accusations are generally denied by 31ormons but Smith himself partly admitted them, affirming that he had never done anything sc had as was reported of king David. the man according to God's own heart." Neverthe less, a rude sensual religiosity appears to have been mixed up with his,more carnal con duct. There is the most satisfactory evidence—that of his enemies—to show that from an early period he was regarded as a visionary and a fanatic. This fact is of the utmost importance as affording a clew to his real character, and an explanation of that other wise unaccountable tenacity of purpose 'and moral heroism displayed in the midst of fierce persecution. A mere impostor—i.e., a person who did not, in some sense or other, partly believe in his own mission, but who, on the contrary, felt that he was simply the liar and cheat that people called him—would have broken down under such a tempest of opposition and hate as Smith's preaching excited.
" When about fohrteen years of age," Smith says, "I began to reflect upon the importance of being prepared for a future state." fie then describes how he went from one religious denomination to another, but could find nothing satisfactory—nothing but "a great clash in religious sentiment." Then he began to withdraw into secret places, to spend hours in prayer and meditation, and to receive angelic visits. The second of these happened on the evening of Sept. 21, 1823, when it seemed as though the house was filled with "consuming fire." In a moment a "personage" stood before hint, " with it countenance like lightning„" and "visible to the extremities of the body," who "pro claimed himself to be an angel of God." He informed Smith of various important particulars. as, "that his sins were forgiven, and his prayers heard; that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled; that the preparatory work for the second coining of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time eras at hand for the Gospel to be preached in its power and fullness to all the nations; and that Smith was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of his purposes in this glorious dispensation." Besides all this, the angel gave him, by way of appendix, "a brief sketch of the origin, progress, civilization, laws, and governments" of the aboriginal inhabitants of America—" of their righteousness and iniquity; and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them." He was also informed where some plates were deposited, containing an abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on the American continent. The angel appeared to Smith thrice that night, and afterwards paid him many visits. He told him where the records were deposited, on the west side of a hill, not far from the top, about. four miles from Palmyra. in the county of Ontario, and near the mail-road, which leads thence to the little town of Manchester." He advised him to go and view them, which Smith did; but the prophet Was not yet hbly etiongh to obtain possession of them.
At length, after due disciplinary probation, the angel of the Lord, on Sept. 22, 1827, placed in Smith's hands the wonderful records. They were engraven on plates nearly 8 in. long by 7 wide, a little thinner than ordinary tin, and bound together by three
rings running through the whole. The volume was altogether about 6 in. in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters, letters, or hieroglyphics upon the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. They represented an unknown language called the "Reformed Egyptian. Along with the records was found a curious instill meat, called by Smith "urine and thummim," consisting of two transparent stones, set in the rim on a bow fastened to a breastplate. By means of these stone spectacles, God enabled him to understand and translate the ancient records into such humble English as the "prophet" (who had received almost no school-education, and could read with difficulty) was master of. The records contain the primitive history of America, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages, to the beginning of the bth c. of the Christian era. These primitive colonists were called Jaredites; they were a wicked and bloody race, and finally, like the Kil kenny cats;mutually destroyed each other, millions being slaughtered in the final Con flicts. Silence again settled down upon America. I;ut a new race came directly from Jerusalem about 000 K.C. These consisted of Lehi and his wl:e; his four sons, Leman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi, together with their four wives; two "sons of Ishmael," and their two wives: Zoram, a servant, and his wife; in all, 16 nn n and women. They are supposed to have landed on the coast of Chili. After the death of Lehi, quarrels broke out among the brothers. The Lord had appoint( d Nephi to be the ruler of the new race of colonists but his elder brothers would not hear of it; as a punishment for which, they and all their posterity were condemned to have dark skins, and "to become fit idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, which did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey." They are the ancestors of the American Indians, who are thus, aceordiner to Smith's records, simply bad Hebrews. The descendants both of Nephi end of his rebel lions brothers, increased and multiplied, but were almost continually at war with each other. In the time of Nephi the second an awful earthquake announced the Crucifixion. Three days afterward Christ himself appeared out of heaven; shiewed the IN•ephites his wounded side and the print of the nails; instructed them for forty days in the truths of • Christianity; healed the sick, blessed children, administered the nacrainent, and planted churches, with apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists—the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings as were enjoyed on the eastern continent. Hostilities, however, between the Nephites and their dark skinned brethren continued to rage as fiercely as ever; gradually the purity of their faith declined; and finally, jn 3S4 A.D., a decisive conflict took place at the hill Cumorah, in western New York, where the Christian Nephites were nearly annihilated; miracles now ceased, and unbelief gradually became supreme. Shortly before this, however, a prophet called MonmoN had been commissioned by God to write an abridgment of all their prophecies, histories, etc., and to hide it iu the earth, till God should see tit to bring it forth, and "unite it with the Bible for the accomplishment of his purposes in the last days." This is the famous BOOK or Monmoti, believed by the followers of Smith (hence called Monmoxs and MonmoNms) to be of equal authority with the Jewish and Chris thin Scriptures, and to form an indispensable supplement to them, containing God's revelations to the new, as the others to the old 1.‘ orld. In 420 A.D. they were finally sealed up where Smith found them, by Moroni, one of the few survivors of the battle of Cumorah.