a large number of important accessions. Millerism and Shakerism were also near relatives and neighbors. Yea, more—in Mormonism we have an obnoxious plant which sprang from Puritan seed, though it first took root in the Empire State. Joseph Smith, its founder, and Brigham Young, its greatest leader, were both born in Vermont. At least ninety per cent of the converts gathered during the first ten years (1830-40) were of New England descent. In 1860, out of a population in Utah of some 70,000, it is affirmed that 10,000 were born in New York and 20,000 in New England; while in the legislature, of thirty-six members, thirteen were born in New York, six in Massachusetts, and five in Vermont. And in an editorial written less than two years ago, the official Mormon Church paper states that “of twenty-eight men constituting the general authorities of the Church, twenty-four were born in the United States and eighteen were of New England birth or origin. Of twenty-seven ‘Stakes of Zion,’ twenty have presidents born under the Stars and Stripes, and a large majority are of New England parentage. The founders were mostly descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers; the leading minds are nearly all of Puritan blood.” It is, however, some comfort to know that, since polygamy was accepted and proclaimed, recruiting from among the sons of the Pilgrims has almost altogether ceased; and yet it is well for those of us who are so boastful of what Puritan thought and energy have accomplished for America to remember that this greatest abomination of our land is also a product of the thought and energy of the descendants of the Pilgrims—an institution, therefore, essentially American.

4. It is also commonly supposed at the present day that about nine tenths of the Mormons are foreign rather than American; but the last census gives Utah a foreign-born population of 43,933 and a native-born population of 99,974. Making allowance for the probable preponderance of the native element among the Gentile population, and allowing a large subtraction from the latter figure on account of the thousands of children born of foreign parentage in Utah, it would still be probable that the native is, at least, equal to the foreign fraction in the general aggregate. And this will be the more readily admitted when it is remembered that, while public attention has been more attracted toward the recent importations of converts from Europe, the earlier Mormons in Utah were almost exclusively American. So far as personal prominence goes, if not in numbers, the native element has always been, and is now, entirely predominant.

Since, then, there are so many common mistakes with reference to Mormonism, let us endeavor to look at the system fully in a fair and impartial manner, considering its marvellous history, in the first place; and, then, its threefold character as a religious, social, and political system, with which we have to deal not only as patriots, but also as Christians.

PART I.
HISTORY OF MORMONISM.

CHAPTER I.

It is acknowledged by all who have given careful thought to the subject, that Mormonism presents us with a very extraordinary civilization and the most peculiar religion under the sun; but its history is as unique and peculiar as the system itself, and is well worthy the attention of the philosopher as well as the student of human nature and human history.

Its alleged origin was miraculous, and calculated to inspire its followers with wonder, admiration, and awe. As Moses, the founder of Judaism, received the two tables of the moral law, which constituted the brief Bible of the Israelites, from the hand of God Himself, while the lightning blazed around his head and the earth quaked beneath his feet, so Joseph Smith (it is alleged) received his Golden Bible from the hand of an angel on the Hill Cummorah near Palmyra, N. Y., amid thunder and lightning. He is represented in an old picture as kneeling on the steep incline of that hill, the wind blowing his long hair out in all directions, and his eyes big with surprise. Above him in a cloud is the placid angel, gazing intently upon the future prophet, who is eagerly taking his credentials from a cemented stone chest which had been buried some 1400 years, while out of the overshadowing cloud have come forth zigzags of lightning which are playing around both Joseph and the angel.

The name of the angel was Moroni, and he informed Smith that the fate of the early inhabitants of America was written on golden tablets within that chest, and that these could be read only by the aid of some wonderful stone spectacles called “Urim and Thummim,” which were also in the chest. Smith said that on opening the precious box he found six golden tablets eighteen inches square held together by rings at the back, and also the stone spectacles to decipher the tablets; and besides these, the sword of Laban and a “breastplate” which had been brought from Jerusalem by the early inhabitants of our land were inclosed in the chest.

The hill on which these sacred things were found is at present known as Gold Bible Hill, and the true Mormon venerates it as a sacred spot, and travels from afar to see its quiet but not remarkable beauty. It is a conical elevation several hundred feet in height, and in its isolation and peculiar form bears a certain resemblance to an extinct volcano. It is smooth and green to the very top, from which there is a picturesque view of hills and dales in all directions. It is situated in Wayne County, N. Y., four miles from the village of Palmyra and three miles from the home of the false prophet who has given it its present fame.

Like all other prophets, whether true or false, Joseph Smith was of very humble origin. His father was a cooper by trade, and he dug wells and worked on the neighboring farms when he could. His mother washed by the day, but it is said that her employers were careful to have the clothes in before dark, as experience had taught them they would disappear if left on the lines over night. The whole family made baskets and maple sugar, and raised and sold garden vegetables.

The youthful Joseph assisted generally, and (it is alleged) was an adept in robbing hen-roosts and orchards. It seems that when quite young he could read, but not write. His two standard volumes were “The Life of Stephen Burroughs,” the clerical scoundrel, and the autobiography of Captain Kidd, the pirate. The latter work was eagerly and often perused. At an early age he committed the following lines to memory, which seemed to give him great pleasure:

“My name was Robert Kidd,
As I sailed, as I sailed;
And most