r
0tttOtt
'-as,
;05
V " - ? - f
1 s
Hichard Nugent, Editor The whole art ov Government, consists in the art or being honest. Jefferson. and Publisher
VOL. I. STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY, PA., FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1841. No 43.
JEFFERSON IAN REPUBLICAN.
terms Two dollars ner annum in advance Two dollars
and a quarter, half yearly, and it not paid before the end of
llie year TWO dollars aim a uau. x u?c v uv itxcn u uicir
pers by k carrier or stage drivers employed by the proprietor,
will be charged 37 1-2 cts. per year, extra.
No napcrs discontinued until all arrearages are paid, except
at me opuoh ui ic ui.
rr7Advertisements not exceeding one square (sixteen lines)
will be inserted three weeks for one dollar : twenty-five cents
for everv subsequent insertion : larcer ones in proportion. A
liberal discount will be made to yearly advertisers.
JETAU letters addressed to the Editor must be post paid.
JOB PRINTING.
fS&ving a general assortment of large elegant plain andorna
mental lype, we are prepared to execute every ins
cription of
Cards, Circulars, Bill Heads, Notes,
Blank Receipts,
JUSTICES, LEGAL AND OTHER
BLMKS,
PAMPHLETS, &?.
Printed with neatness and despatch, on reasonable terms.
POETRY.
Indian Names.
BY MRS. L. H. SIGOURNEY.
"How can the red men be forgotten, while" so
many of our States and territories, rivers and lakes,
are designated by their namesi"
Ye say they all have past away
That noble race and brave,
That their light canoes have vanish'd
From offthe crested wave,
That 'mid the forests where they roam'd
There rings no hunters shout;
But their name ia on your waters,
Ye may not wash it out.
Yes, where Ontario's billow
Like ocean's surge is curl'd,
Where strong Niagara's thunders wake
Tho echo of the world,
Where red Missouri bringeth
Rich tribute from the West,
And Rappahannock sweetly sleeps
On green Virginia's breast.
Ye say their cone-like cabins
That cluster'd o'er the vale,
Have disappear'd as wither'd leaves
Before the Autumn gale: . : " '
But their memory liveth on your hills,
Their baptism on your shore,
Your everlasting rivers speak
Their di alect of y ore-
Old Massachusetts wears it
Within her lordly crown,
And broad Ohio bears it
Amid his young renown.
Connecticut hath wreath'd it ?
Where her quiet foliage waves,
And bold Kentucky breath'd it hoarse,
Through all her ancient caves.
Wachusett hides their lingering voice
Within his rocky heart,
And Alleghany graves its tone
Throughout his lofty chart.
Munadnock on his forehead hoar
Doth seal the sacred trust,
Your mountains build their monument,
Though ye give the winds their dust.-
Ye deem those red browM brethren
The insects of an hour,
Forgotten and despia'd amid
The regions of their power.
Ye drive them from their father's lands,
Ye break of faith the seal.
But can ye from the court of Heavon
Exclude their last appeal!
Ye see their unresisting tribes
With toil-worn step and slow,
Onward through trackless deserts press,
caravan of wo.
Think ye the Eternal's ear is deaf
Ilia sleepless vision dim!
Think ye the souls blood may not cry
From that far land to him?
From the Episcopal Recorder
History of Morinonism.
GLEANINGS Br THE WAY.
Dear Brethren', According to the intima
tion given in the last No. of the Gleanings by
-yuE Way, I proceed to finish the sketch which
fias already occupied the two preceding num
bers in relation to the Mormons. Perhaps be
fore relating the few additional facts that I have
;ji my possession in reference to the rise and
progress of this singular delusion, our readers
-will ho gratified to have a brief outline of the
contents of that mysterious volume whose ori
gin and history we have already gven, and
which, as we have- seen, has excited no small
influence u imparling a degree of plausibility
to the claims set up by this sect, and in gaining
for them among the superstitious and the cred
ulous, hosts of converts. I tyave before me a
copy of the Book or JyJoRMqNj which hare re 1
through in order to furnish the following analy
sis. Since reading this volume of nearly six
hundred pages, I am more than ever convinced
that there were several hands employed in its
preparation. There are certainly striking marks
of genius and literary skill displayed in the
management of the main story while in some
of the details and hortarory parts thero are no
less unequivocal marks of bungling and botch
work.
As I have already slated this volume con
sists of fifteen separate books, which profess .to
have been written at different periods and by
different authors whose names they respective
ly bear: all these authors, however, belonged
to the same people, and were successively
raised up by Jehovah, and by him inspired to
carry on the progress of the narrative, and de
posit the record when made upon metallic plates
in the same ark of testimony which contained
the plates handed down by their predecessors.
The first book in the volume is called the
Book of Nephi: it contains seven distinct chap
ters, and opens with an account of Lehi, the
father of Nephi. Nephi, the writer of this first
book, appnars to be the grand hero of this epic.
Ills lather, Lehi, resided in Jerusalem was a
dovout man, and one that feared God. His
mother's name was Sarah and the names of
his three brothers were Laman, Lemuel, and
Sam. The narrative commences with the first
year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah.
During this year the prophets of the most high
God came and uttered such fearful predictions
in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem, the
Lehi became greatly alarmed for the city and
for his people. He was so impressed with the
messages which the Hebrew seers proclaimed,
that he was led to go and pray with great fer
vency before the Lord. While in this solemn
act of prayer, there came down a pillar of fire
and rested upon a rock before him, blazing forth
in awful majesty, and speaking to him out of
the flames. Awed and terrified bv his divine
manifestation, he went home and cast himself
upon his bed overwhelmed with anxious and
fearful forebodings. While he lay there thus
meditating upon what he had seen, he was sud
denly carried away in a vision, and saw the
heavens opened, and God sitting upon his throne,
"surrounded by numberless concourses of an
geli." "And it came to pass," I here use the
language of Nephi, (Page 6,) "that he saw one
descending oui of the midst of heavon. And
he beheld that his lustre was above that of the
sun at noon day; and he also saw twelve others
following him, and their brightness did exceed
that of the stars in the firmament; and ihey
came down and went forth upon the face of the
earth; and the first came and stood before my
father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him
that he should read. And it came to pass as
he read he was filled with the spirit of the Lord,
and he read, saying, Wo, wo unto Jerusalem!
for I have seen thine abominations; yea and
many things did my father read concerning Je
rusalem that it should be destroyed, and the
inhabitants thereof, many should perish by tho
sword, and many should be carried away cap
tive into Babylon." Lehi, after this vision, be
came liimself a prophet, and predicted the over
throw of the Holy City; on account of which
he was persecuted by the Jews. While they
w.ere plotting to destroy him, he had another
vision, by which he was instructed to' take his
family and depart into the wilderness. He im
mediately obeyed, leaving his house and land
and gold and silver and precious things behind.
In his journeyings he came near the shore of
the Red Sea, and at length pitched his tent in
a valley beside a river of water. His two eld
est soni were quite unbelieving, and thought it
absurd that their father should leave all his com
forts behind, and come dwell in a tent in the
wilderness. But Nephi who was the third son,
was piously disposed, and being led to 3cek
the face of the Lord in prayer, had a revelation
from God that he should be led to a land of
promise, and become a teacher and ruler over
his brethren.
After this; Lehi also had another vision, in
which he was commanded to send Nephi and
his brethren back to Jerusalem to obtain "the
record of the Jews, and also a genealogy of his
forefathers, engraven upon plates of brass." This
was a mission attended with great danger, and
replete with sundry advontnres of a marvellous
character. After the three brethren had reach
ed Jerusalem, they cast lots to decide which
should go to Laban, who seems to have been
the keeper of these sacred deposites and ask
for the records. The lot foil upon Laman. He
was received very roughly by Laban, and had
to flee from his presence for his life, without
attaining the object of his wishes. The two
elder brothers now determined to abandon the
object of their mission and go back to their fa
ther; but Nephi, full of faith wished still to per
severe, and therefore proposed that they should
go to their former residence and collect togeth
er the gold and silver and precious things be
longing to their father, and endeavor to make
an impression upon Laban's mind by tho offer
of all these, if he would give them "the plates
of brass." Laban was pleased with the exhib
ition of their treasures, and determined to slay
them, in order to possess their wealth They
fled however into the wilderness, and hid them
selves in the cavity of a rock The two elder
brothers now became utterly indignant with Ne
phi, and smote him with a rod, because he had
led them into such an adventure. An angel of
God, however, appeared, and rebuked them
enjoining it upon them to go up to Jerusalem
again, and not to give over the enterprise upon
which they had embarked assuring them that
the Lord would deliver Laban into their hands.
Notwithstanding this divine reproof, the two
elder brothers felt rather sorely towards Nephi,
and went up again towards Jerusalem quite re
luctantly. When they reached the walls of the
city, they positively refused to go any farther.
Nephi, however, offered to go again to the house
of Laban. He proposed that they should hide
without the walls and wait till his return. It
was night; and Nephi stoic carefully into the
city, directing his steps towards the house of
Laban. As he drew near his residence, how
ever, he found aman stretched out on the ground,
drunk with wine. Upon examination, he found
it was Laban himself. He was armed with a
sword, the hilt of which was "of pure gold, and
the workmanship exceeding fine." Nephi drew
the sword from its scabbard, and as he held it
up, he felt constrained by the Spirit to kill La
ban. He had to struggle some time with the
natural tenderness of his feelings, but his desire
to obey God prevailed, and he therefore "took
Laban by the hair of the head, and smote off
his head with his own sword." He then stript
off the garments of Laban, and put them on him
self, and girded himself with his armour, and
"went forth towards the treasury of Laban,"
and as he went, "he saw the servant of Laban
that had the keys of the treasury." This ser
vant mistook Nephi, who tried to imitate the
voice of Laban, for his master, and readily took
out "the engravings which were upon the plates
of brass" and carried them without tho walls.
When the servant discovered his mistake, he
was very much frightened -but at length was
prevailed upon to accompany these adventurers
into the wilderness; therefore having obtained
the object of their wishes, 'they returned to the
tent of their father.
Lehi now examined, at his loiaure, the re
cords engraven upon the plates of brass, and
found that they contained the five books of Mo
ses, "and also a record of the Jews from the
beginning even down to the commencement of
the reign of Zedekiah, and also many prophe
cies spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah." He
also found a genealogy of his fathers, from
which he learnt that he was a descendant of
Joseph.
Here 1 cannot but remark that it is astonish
ing that he had not found out before this to what
tribe he belonged; and it is not a little remark
able that as the sons of Joseph, Ephraim, and
Manassah, were appointed to represent two
tribes, in the place of Joseph and Levi, he had
not told us from which of these descendants he
sprang. We were all along at a loss to lenow
what sort of au officor Laban was, but here we
are told at this stage of the narrative: "Thus
my father Lehi did discover the genealogy of
his fathers. And Laban also was a descendant
of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers kept
tho records. This seems to us quite a non
Sequiluf.
But to proceod. Upon obtaining these plates
of brass, Lehi began to be "filled with the spir
it, and to prophecy concerning his seed; that
these plates of brass should go forth unto all
nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, which
were of his seed. Wherefore, he said that these
plates of brass should never perish; neither
should they be dimne.1 any more by time."
Soon after this- Nephi had a very wonderful
vision, which he told to his sons, by way of
warning the two elder, Laman and Lemuel, of
whom he had great fears as ihey were dis
posed to be unbelieving and rebellious. This
vision presented an allegories! representation.
Lehi declared that he saw a man dressed in a
white robo, who came and stood before him,
and then bade him follow him. He did so.
The white robed guide lod him through a long,
dark, and dreary waste. After travelling on for
many hours in darkness he began to pray unto
the Lord; and the Lord then led him into a
large spacious field in the midst of which he
saw "a tree whose fruit wa desirable to Tnako
one happy." He partook of this fruit, which
was intensely white, "exceeding all the white
ness he had over seen." As soon as he had
partaken of tho fruit, "his soul was filled with
exceeding great joy." This led him to wish
that his family should come and partake of the
ame. While looking around to see if he could
discovor his family, ho beheld a river of water,
which ran along near the tree of whose fruit
he had been partaking. At a short distanco he
beheld the head of this stream and near it was
his wife and two younger sons, and thoy stood
as if they knew not whither they should go: and
he called out unto them with a loud voice to ap
proach the tree and partake the fruit thereof,
and then his anxieties were awake for his two
older sons, whom at length ho discovered in
the distance, near tho hoad of the stream, but
ho could not induce them to come to him or ap
proach the treo And then ho beheld a rod of
iron extending along the bank of tho river; load
ing to the tree by which he stood: and also "a
straight and narrow path, which came along by
the rod of iron to the tree. And it also led by
the head of the fountain, unto a large and spa
cious field, as if it had been a world, and' he
saw numberless concourses of people; many
of whom were pressing forwards, that they
might obtain the path which led unto the tree
by which he stood." As soon as those who
were advancing entered this narrow path they
encountered "an exceeding great mist of dark
ness," so that many lost their way, while others
caught hold of the end of the rod of iron, and
pressed forward through the mist clinging to the
rod, and following it until they came into the
light amid which the tree stood, and partook of
its fruit. The persons who thus approached the
tree after they had partaken of the fruit, looked
around and some of them seemed ashamed.
"Lehi also cast his eyes round about, and be
held on the other side of the river of water, a
great and spacious building: and it stood as it
were in the air: and it was filled with people
both old and young, both male and female; and
their manner of dress was exceeding fine, and
they were in the attitude of mocking and point
ing their fingers towards those which had come
at, and were partaking of the fruit." This was
what caused some ivho had come to the tree to
be filled with shame, and to fall away. He
saw continual multitudes pressing forwards to
wards the tree, and others towards the great,
and spacious building. With all his persuasion
Lehi could not induce his two eldest sons to
come and partake of the fruit of the tree, there
fore he had great fears in relation to them.
After relating this vision, Lehi began to
nroDhecv in relation to the Saviour, and told
very distinctly what is related in the New Tcs
tament about him. Nephi; however, became
very anxious to see the tree of which his father
had told, and at length he was gratified. I he
same vision was repeated to him, and he oh
tained also from the spirit of the Lord the inter
protation thereof. The spirit commanded him
to look. He did so, and first he beheld Jerusa
lem then Nazareth and "in the city of Naz
areth, a virgin, exceeding fair and white." And
then he saw the heavens open, and an angel
came down, and stood before him and said "the
virgin which thou seest, is the mother of God,
after the manner of the flesh." She was car
ried away in the spirit, and after awhile she re
turned bearing a child in her arms, and the an
gel said to him, "Behold the Lamb of God, yea
even the eternal Father! Knowest thou the
meaning of the tree which thv father saw? And
I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of
God. Afterwards he looked and saw the son
of God going forth among the children of men.
He then saw in succession all the miracles of
Christ all the events of his life the scenes
that followed his crucifixion, and the whole his
tory of the Ghri8tian Church up to the present
time beyond ichich the deponent Nephi saycth
not.
The tree was the love of God in Christ the
rod of iron leading to it was the word of God
the mist and darkness, that blinded the eyes of
those groin? to the tree, were the temptations of
the deil the large and spacious building was
the pride and vain imagination of tho children
of men.
After this protracted vision, Nephi returned to
the tent of his father, and found his brethren dis
puting about the allegorical sense of the vision
of their fatherLehi. He of course was now pre
pared to enlighten them. They asked him
"what meaneth the rivet 6f water which our
father saw?" and he replied, "The water was
filthiness. So much was my father's mind
swallowed up in other things, that he beheld
not the filthiness of the water, and I said unto
them that it was an awful gulf which scperateth
the wicked from the tree of life, and also from
the saints of God a representation of hell."
I have neglected to' mention that previous to
Lehi's vision, Nephi and his brethern were
commissioned to go up to Jerusalem the second
time, to persuade Ishmael and his live daughters
to join his father in the wilderness. The fifth
chapter opens with a tender scene, in which
Nephi and his brethren are married to the
daughters of Ishmael. Immediately after Le
hi received a command to strike his tent and
journey on into the wilderness. And when he
arose the next morning and went forth to the
tent door, "to his great astonishment he beheld
upon the ground a round ball of curious work
manship, and it was of fine brass. And within
the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed
tho way whither we should go into the wilder
ness." They travelled on "for the space of
tour uays noany a south east uiroction. v a
rious trials occurred in their journey. The el
der brothers uniformly murmured, and Nephi
was uniformly submissive. When in extremi
ty the brass ball was their guide, pointing out
the way, and exhibiting inscribed on its sides
the various intelligence they needed visible at
propor times. Ishmael diod in the wildernoss.
where they sojourned for the space of eight
years. At length they pitched thoir tents by
the sea shore. Here Nephi was called to as
cend a high mountain. There tho Lord met
him, and commanded him to construct a ship
to carry hjs people across to the promised land.
He commenced the construction of thi shiD in
the face of much opposition, and of many diffi
culties, Dping quite ignorant ol the art of ship
building, and his brethren at the same time rid
iculing and opposing him. But the. Lord help
ed him, so that ultimately his brethren not only
desisted from their opposition, but united in as
sisting him to complete it; and then they em
barked with all their stock of seeds, animals,
and provisions. During the voyage Nephi's
elder brothers again began to be rebellious.
They bound him with cords, and treated him
with great cruelty. 'I hey, however, soon en
countered a terrible gale, and were driven back
from' their course. The brazen ball which had
miraculously guided them through the wilder
ness, and which was now a compass to steer
by, ceased to work, and they were in the most
awful peril. For a long time their fate seemed
suspended, and their destiny doubtful; but the
power of God at length softened the hearts f
Laman and Lemuel, who released Nephi from
his confinement, and then again every thing
went on smoothly and they soon reached the
land of promise, which of course was America,
where "they found beasts of every kind in tho
forest, both the cow, and the ox, and the ass,
and the horse, and the goat, and the wild goat,
and all manner of wild animals for the use of
men.
And 'all manner of ore, both of gold
and silver, and copper. Nephi by the command
of the Lord made metallic plates soon after hi9
arrival in America of this ore, on which he re
corded their pengrinations, adventures, and all
the prophecies which God gave him concerning
the future destines of his people and the human
race. These plates were to be kept for the in
struction of the people of the land, and for other
purposes known to the Lord.
The second book of Nephi consists of fifteen
chapters. It opens with an account of Lehi's
death who, previous to his decease, calls all his
children around him and their descendants, and
reminds them of God's goodness in having
brought them to the promised land, and gives
each a patriarchal blessing uttering sundry pre
dictions in reference to their future destinies.
After the death of Lehi, Laman and Lemuel
undertook to destroy Nephi, who thereupon fled
into the wilderness, taking along with hirn hi
own family, his brother Sam, and his younger
brothers, Jacob and Joseph, who were born af
ter his father went out from Jerusalem and their
families. He also took along with him the plates
of brass, and the ball that guided them in their
former wandering in the wilderness by the
Red Sea, and was their compass to steer by
across the country. Beingthus separated they
became the heads of separate tribes. Tho
Nephites soon grew into a numerous people,
and built a temple " like unto Solomon's."
They, like their father Nephite, for many
generations were good Christians, hundreds
of years before Christ was born, practising
baptism and other Christian usages. Ne
phi here accounts for the colour of the aborigi
nes. It was the curse of God upon the de
scendants of his elder brothers on account of
their disobedience. "Wherefore as they were
white, and exceeding fair and delightsome, that
they might not be enticing unto my people,
therefore the Lord God did cause a skin of
blackness to come upon them." A curse was
also pronounced upon intermarriages with them.
Nephi also declares that on account of the curso
of God upon them "they did become an idle
people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did
seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey."
In this book is also introduced "the words of
Jacob, the bi other of Nephi, which he spake
unto the people of Nephi." He predicts tho
coming of Christ, and the return of the Jews
from dispersion upon embracing tho gospel.
Nephi then takes up the subject, and tran
scribes several chapters from Isaiah by way of
corroboration. This is followed by a long ha
rangue, setting forth all the peculiar theology of
the New Testament. He then predicts the ap
pearance of a great prophet, and a marvellous
book which he shall bring to light. The book
of course is the golden Bible, and the prophet
Jo Smith. "Wherefore," continues he, "at that
day when the book shall be delivered unto tho
man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be
hid from tho eyes of the world, that the eyes of
none shall behold it, save it be that three witnesses
shall behold it, by the power of Gody besides- him
to whom the book shall be delivered: and they
shall testify to the truth of the book, and thq
things therein." This would seem to be direct
ly in the teeth of what actually happeiicd, for
as wo havo seen in a former number there
were eight other witnesses besides the three,
who declared th they saw these mvsterioiu
jMrtir.-.. l u emue mis utihculty a saving clan
is tnrown mto this chapter to this ufTeot. Aiul
there is none other that shall view it, save it be
a few according to the will of God, to bear tes
timony of his word unto the children of men.1'
The reason is also here assigned why the plaiea
are not spread before the learned it is to teach
them humility! An unlearned man is choson
to transcribe the hieroglyphics, or words of thq
hook, that tho learned may read them. Tho
learned, refuse to read the hieroglyphics, unless
they can see the plates whence they are taken.
This God will not permit. Ho fcas no need o;
4
V