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"Vol. VIEE.—-No. 39.
Philadelphia, Thursday, September 24, 1840.
Whole Number 462
THE CATHOLIC HERALD,
IS PUBLISHED EVERY THURSD4Y BY
M. TIAN, eon)
» No. 61 North Second Street, Philadeipia.
Terms.—Three Dollars per annum, payable half yearly
en advance, Five Dollars will be received for2 copies, or 1
eopy for two years,- All arrearages must be settled prior to
ordering a paper to be discontinued, All Communications,
except from Agents, or Subscribers enclosing remittances,
must be post paid, and ,addressed ‘To the Editor of the
Catholic Herald, Philadelphia, Pa,”
Poetry.
ie
FROM THE ReV. FATHER BARON GERAMB'S VISIT TO
ROME.
My curiosity led me to visit the curiosities of Avignon.
{ went first to the chapel of La Misericorde, where there is
an ivory crucifix of rare beauty, which Canova himself ad-
mired. A porter introduced me into the chapel, where he
left me, telling me that the sister, who had charge of the
erucifix, would come immediately. She was one of those
virgins who devote themselves to the care of the sick. Af-
ter having prostrated herself before: the tabernacle, she
made a sign to me to follow her to the sacristy, where she
showed me this chef d’cuvre, which struck mé with admi-
ration, and from which I could scarcely turn away my eyes.
This crucifix was designed and sculptured in this city in
1659, by Jean Guillermain. He gave it as a ransom for
his nephew, who had been condemned to death for a capital
crime. mo
Look on that cross where shame and agony,
Meek as a lamb, He underwent for thee. |
' Gaze on that brow, pierced by the: cruel thorn,
‘Those handa, those sacred feet by rude nails torn;
‘Those eyes now dim, that heart with sorrow riven,
And pale those fips that wooed ofr race to heaven.
Look through thy tears upon those streams that gush
From every wound, and through the ewell'd veins rush;
Each streaming wound, each pang the Sayiour feels,
‘The depth of buman agony reveals,
Yet turn again—behold that air divine,
Where mercy, love, and majesty combine,
Goodness ineffible, the peace of heaven,
And pity, fora sinful race forgiven,
~All blend in that sweet look be casis on thee:
Each trait reveals the hidden Deity.
Then own thy king—adore thy Saviour God ;
“To die for thee he left his bright abode—
The prince of darkness froin his kingdom huri'd,
O’erthrew the powers of hell and saved the world. ' S. <
. TUE MORMONS, :
The following account of ‘the new religious sect, called
the Mormons, andof their Gonpen Buse, is by a corres-
pondent of the Episcopal Recorder, and appears to be of a
character to be relied upon. - .
It was early in the autumn of 1827 that Martin Har-
ris called at my house in-Palmyta, one morning aboat
sun-rise. , His whole appearance indicated more than
usual excitement, and he had scarcely passed the thres-
hold of my dwelling, before -he inquired whether he
could see me zlone, remarking that he had a matter to
communicate that he wished to be strictly confidential,
Previous to this, I-had but very slight acquaintance
with Mr. Harris., [le had oceasionally attended divine
service in our church. I had heard him spoken of as
a farmer in comfortable circumstances, residing in the
* country a short distance from the village, and distin-
guished by certain peculiarities of character.. He had
heen, if I mistake not, at one period a member of the
Methodist Church, and’ subsequently had * identified
himself with the Universalists. Atthis time, however,
in his religious views he seemed to be floating upon
the sea of uncertainty: He had evidently quite an ex-
tensive knowledge of the Scriptures, and possessed a
manifest disputatious turn of mind. As I subsequently
jearned, Mr. [arris had always been afirm believer in
alreains, and yis}yns, and supernatural appearances, such
as apparitions and ghosts, and therefore was a fit sub-
ject for such men as Smith and_ his colleagues to ope-
rate upon, On the occasion just referred to, I jnvited
him to accompany me to my study, where, after having
closed the door, he began to draw a package out of his
pocket. with great and ‘manifest caution... Suddenly,
however, he stopped, and wished to know if there was
any possibility of our being interrupted or overheard?
When answered in the negative, he proceeded to. re-
mark, that he reposed great confidence in me asa minis-
ter of Jesus Christ, and that what he had now to com:
municate he wished me to regard as strictly confidential.
He said he verily believed that an important epoch had
arrived—that a great flood af light was about to burst
upon the world, and that the scene of divine manifesta-
tion was to be immediately around us. . In explanation
of what he meant, he then proceeded to remark that a
corpeN Biste had.recently been dug from the earth,
where it had been deposited for thousands of years, and
that this would be found to contain such disclosures as
would sejtle all religious controversies. and speedily
bring on the glorious millennium. That this mysterious
book, which no human eye of the present generation
had yet seen, was in the possession of Joseph Smith,
Jr.y ordinarily known in the neighbourhood under the
more familiar designation of Joe Smith : that there had
been a révelation made to him’ by which’ he had dis-
covered this sacred deposit, and two transparent stones,
through which, as a sortof spectacles, he could . read
the Bible, although the box or ark that contained it, had
not yet been opened; and that by looking through those
mysterious stones, he had transcribed from one of the
leaves of this book, the characters which Harris had so
carefully wrapped in the package which he was draw-
ing from his pocket. ‘The whole thing appeared to me
so ludicrous and puerile, that I could not refrain from
telling Mr. Harris, that I believed it a mere hoax got
up to practice upon his credulity, or an artifice to ex-
tort from him money ; for I had already, in the course
of the conversation, learned that he had advanced some
twenty-five dollars to Jog Smith as a'sort of premium
for sharing with -him in tlie. glories and profits of this
new revelation. For at this time, his mind seemed to
be quite as intent upon the pecuniary advantage that
would arise from the possession.of the plates of solid
gold of which this. book was composed, as upon the
spiritual light it would diffuse over the world. . My in-
timations to him, in reference to the possible imposi-
tion that was being practiced upon him, however, were
indignantly repelled, He then went on to relate the
particulars in regard to the discovery and possession of
this marvellous book. .
Before I proceed to Martin's narrative, however, I
would remark in passing, that Joe Smith, who has since
been the chief prophet of the Mormons, and was one
of. the most prominent ostensible actors ‘in the first
scenes of this drama, belonged to a very shiftless family
near Palmyra. ‘'hey lived a sort of vagrant life, and
were principally known as money-diggers. Joe from
a boy appeared dull and utterly destitute of genius ; bat
his father claimed for him a sort of second sighty a
power to look into the depths of the earth, and discover
where its precious treasures were hid. Consequently
long before the idea of a Gotpen Brste entered their
minds, in their excursions for money-digging, which I
believe usually occurred in the night, that they might
conceal from others the knowledge of the place where
they struck upon treasures, Joe used to be usually their
guide, putting into a hata peculiarstone he had, through
which he looked to decide where they should begin to
&
ig. . : :
According to Martin [arris, it was after one of these
night excursions, that Joe, while he lay upon his bed,
had a remarkable dream. - An angel of God seemed to
approach him, clad in celestial splendour. This divine
messenger assured him, that .he, Joseph Smith, was
chosen of the Lord to be a prophet of the Most High
God, and to bring to light hidden things, that would
proveof unspeakable benefit tothe world. . He then
disclosed to him the existence of this golden Bible, and
the place where it was deposited—but at the sametime
told him that he must follow implicitly the divine direc-
tions, or he would draw down upon him the wrath of
heaven. » This book, which was contained in a chest,
or ark, apd which consisted of metallic plates govered
with characters embossed in gold, he must not presume
to look into, under three years. Ile must first go on a
journey into Pennsylvania—and there among the moun-'
tains, he would meet with a very lovely woman, be-:
longing to a higbly respectable and pious family, whor
he was to take for his wife... As a proof that he was
sent on this mission by Jehovah, as soon as he saw this
designated person, be would be smitten with her beauty,
and though he was a stranger to her, and she was far
above him in the walks of life,. she would at onee be
willing to marry him, and go with him to the ends: of
the earth. . After their marriage he was to return to his
former home, ahd remain quietly there until the birth
of his first child. When this child had completed his
second year, he might then proceed to the hill beneath
which the mysterious chest was deposited, and draw it
thence, and publish the truths, it contained to the world,
Smith awoke from his dream, and according to Hatris,
started off towards Pennsylvania, not knowing to what
pointhe should go, But the Lord. directed him, and
gained him favour in the eyes of just such a person as
was described to him. He was married and had re-
turned. . His. first child had been born and was now
about six month§ old. But Joe had not been altogether
obedient to the heavenly vision... After, his marrriage
and return from Pennsylvania, he, became so awfully
impressed with the high destiny that awaited him, that |
he communicated the secret to his father and family.
The money-digging propensity of the old man operated
so powerfully, that he insisted upon it that they should
go and dig and see if the chest was. there—pot with
apy view to remove it till the appointed time, but
merely to satisfy themselves. Accordingly they went
forth in. the. stillness of night with their,spades and
mattocks to the spot where slumbered this sacred de-
posit. ‘They had proceeded but a little while in the
work of excavation; before the mysterious chest ap-
peared ; but lo! -irvcntly it moved and glided along
out of their sight. *Yiirected,. however, by the ¢lair-
voyance of Joe, they again penetrated to the spot where,
gaining a partial view of its
it stood and sueceer'eds
dimensions. , But cifi'e they were pressing forward to
gaze at it, the thunde:
and made the earth to tremble—a sheet of vivid light-
ning swept along over the side of the hill, and burnt
terribly around the spot where the excavation was goins
on, and ag with’ a rum¥ling noise the chest moved
of out of their sight. ‘They were all terrified, and fled
towards their home. Joe took his course silently along
On his way homeward, being alone, and
by himself.
in the woods, the angelof the Lord met him clad in
terror and wrath... He spoke in a voice of thunder, and
forked lightning shat through the trees and ran along
upon the ground. ‘The terror of the divine messenger’s
appearance instantly struck Smith to the earth, and he
felt his whole frame convulsed with agony, as though
he was stamped upcu by the iron hoofs of death him-
self. Inlanguage most terrific did the angel upbraid
him for his disobedience, and then disappeared. Smith
went home trembling and full of terror. Soon, how-
ever, his mind became more composed. Another divine
communication was, made to him,, authorizing him to
goalone by himself’ and bring the chest and deposit it
secretly under the hearth of his dwelling, but_by no
means to attempt to Jook into it.. 'The reason assigned
by the angel for this removal, was that some report in
relation to the place where this sacred book’ was de-
posited had gone fort’, and there was danger of its being
disturbed. According to. Harris, Smith. now serupu-
lously followed the uivine direetions. , He was already
in possession of the two transparent stones laid up with,
the Almighty shook the spot’
the GorveN Brae, by looking through which he was -
enabled to read the golden letters on the plates in the
box. . How he obtained these spectacles without Open-
ing the chest, Harris could not tell. But still he had
them; and by means of them he could read all the book
contained. . The book itself was not to be disclosed
until Smith’s child had attained a certain age. . ‘Then
it might be published. to the world. . In the. interim,
Smith was to prepare the way for the. conversion of
the world to a new system of faith, by transeribing the
characters from the plates and giving translations of the
same. ‘This was the substance of Martin Harris’ com-
munication to me npon our first interview. THe then
carefally unfolded a slip of paper, which contained