Internal Evidences of the Book of Mormon: Showing the Absurdity of the "Spaulding Story"

INTERNAL EVIDENCES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

SHOWING THE ABSURDITY OF THE “SPAULDING STORY.”

BY G. R.

It is our purpose in this article to demonstrate from the Book of Mormon itself, the absurdity of the “Spaulding Story” and the utter impossibility of the Prophet Joseph Smith ever having used Mr. Spaulding’s reputed romance, “Manuscript Found,” as the groundwork for that divine record.

At different times since the publication of the Book of Mormon various writers have undertaken to explain the plot and contents of the “Manuscript Found,” and to show how remarkable is the resemblance between it and the Book of Mormon.

We are told by one reverend author that when the Book of Mormon was read to Solomon Spaulding’s widow, brother, and six other persons, well acquainted with Mr. Spaulding’s writings, they immediately recognized in the Book of Mormon the same historical matter and names as composed the romance, although this reading took place some years after they had read the latter work. The writer further states that they affirmed that with the exception of the religious matter, it is copied almost word for word from Spaulding’s manuscript.

Another writer affirms that the romance of Spaulding was similar in all its leading features to the historical portions of the Book of Mormon. While a third writer maintains that the historical part of the Book of Mormon was immediately recognized by all the older inhabitants of New Salam, Ohio, as the identical work of Mr. Spaulding, in which they had been so interested twenty years before.

Those who claim to have been acquainted with the writings of Mr. Spaulding, differ materially as to the incidents and plot of “The Manuscript Found.” According to their widely different statements, his romance was based upon one of two theories. The first on the idea of the landing of a Roman colony on the Atlantic seaboard shortly before the Christian era. The second (now the most generally known and accepted) on the supposition that the present American Indians are the descendants of the ten tribes of Israel, who were led away captive out of their own land into Media, where historically the world loses sight of them, but where Mr. Spaulding’s romance finds them and transports them to America. It is upon this idea of the transportation of this great and numerous people from the land of their captivity to the western world that this gentleman’s novel is generally said to have been founded.

We will examine this statement first, and strive to discover how nearly this agrees with the historical narrative of the Book of Mormon, which we are told was immediately recognized as being identical and copied almost word for word from the pages of the “Manuscript Found.”

In the first place, it is well to remark that the Book of Mormon makes but very few references to the ten tribes, and in those few, it directly, plainly and unequivocally states that the American Indians are not the descendants of the ten tribes, and further, that the ten tribes never wore in America, or any part of it, during any portion of their existence as a nation. On the other hand, the Book of Mormon as directly informs us from whom the aborigines, or natives, of this continent are descended. This being the case, how is it possible for the two works to be identical?

But admitting, for the sake of argument, that Joseph Smith might have changed the statement of the author of “The Manuscript Found” in this one particular, we will proceed to show that such a supposition is utterly impossible; for to have retained the unities of the work and the consistencies of the story (for the story of the Book of Mormon is consistent with itself), he must have altered not only the leading features but also the minor details of the whole historical narrative. Ho must have altered the place of departure, the circumstances of the journey, the rout taken by the emigrants, the time of the emigration and every other particular connected with such a great movement. We must recollect that the Book of Mormon gives the account of a small colony (perhaps of about thirty or forty souls) being led by the Lord from the city of Jerusalem through the wilderness south and east of that city, to the borders of the Red Sea, thence for some distance in the same direction near its coast, and then across the Arabian peninsula to the sea eastward. What insanity could have induced Mr. Spaulding to propose such a route for the ten tribes? for of all out-of-the-way methods of reaching the American continent from Media, this would be one of the most inaccessible, difficult, round-about and improbable, and would carry them along the two sides of an acute angle by the time they reached the shore where the ship was built. It would almost certainly have taken these unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land” (iii. Nephi, xv. 13-15).

“That they” (the Jews) “may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of” (iii Nephi, xvi. 4).

“The other tribes hath the Father separated from them” (iii. Nephi; xv. 20).

“But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them” (iii. Nephi, xvii. 4).

tribes close to, if not through, a portion of their own ancient homes, where it is reasonable to suppose nearly all would have desired to tarry, when we consider bow great was the love that ancient Israel held for that rich land given to them by divine power.

[To be continued.]