THE "ATLAS" ARTICLE.
Every day discloses more and more of the weakness, the folly, the prejudice, and the wickedness of this generation. Though for more than six years this church has been abused and insulted by slander and falsehood, it is not yet sufficient—men who hypocritically shudder at the thought of evil, are the most forward in blasting our character before an uninformed community; and those too, who professedly stand up to warn mankind to flee the wrath to come. In consequence of our having admitted the article signed J. M. into our columns, we have thought proper to make a more lengthy extract from the article in the "Ohio Atlas," printed at Elyria, in this state.
We are not exactly prepared to call names, though we may hereafter be, but, on reflection, if our memory serves, about the date of this scandalous, unhallowed piece, (March 16,) a gentleman from Elyria was introduced into our Hebrew school, by the title of Rev. Mr.— and the circumstances alluded to bearing date with the article, and it being the only one of the kind during the term of the Hebrew class, it is thought by many that our conjectures are well founded, and we only regret that we are not positive, but to the extract. The writer says:
"You would naturally suppose that the Mormons were the most ignorant, degraded, and stupid set of beings on the face of the earth. This is true of some of them: but there are not wanting men of sagacity and information, and some men of strong powers of mind. From what I saw, I should suppose that they were generally real believers in the doctrine of their prophet. They are quite polite and affable to strangers, and ready to unfold the whole system, so far as they know it, until you press them with an argument, and then their wrath rises, or they assume an heir of awful superiority, and dogmatically pronounce you blind and ignorant, and in the way to destruction: whereas, "they know the certainty of all these things whereof they affirm."—They are now studying Hebrew with great zeal, under the instruction of Mr. Seixas.—They profess to believe the common bible firmly, but they have "received additional revelations," which contain "the fulness of the Gospel." They all have Revelations, in proportion to their faith. I was introduced to the Immortal Prophet, Jo Smith, and his renowned coadjutor, Sidney Rigdon,, and a host of the inferior satellites: and could scarcely suppress a laugh, during the formality of making acquaintance of shaking hands with the exalted dignitaries, high priests, &c. of Mormonism. I have no doubt that Jo Smith's character is an equal compound of the impostor and fanatic, and that Rigdon has but a small piece of the latter, with an extraordinary portion of the former; while the mass of the disciples are men of perverted intellect, and disordered piety, with no sound principles of religion, with minds unbalanced and unfurnished, but active and devout; inclined to the mystical and dreary, and ready to believe any extraordinary announcement as a Revelation from God.—None of them appear to be within reach of argument on the subject of religion. They profess to have the gift of tongues; and one individual, after becoming very much excited in conversation, offered to give me a specimen, and began to close his throat for the purpose, but I shuddered at the proposal to exhibit such blasphemy and mockery of a miraculous gift, and he desisted."
A few words only by way of comment, and this we do more to show from whence a great, and the greatest share of the slanders against this church originate—from those who are treated with affability and politeness, as the writer admits. On the subject of argument, we have only to say, that if the writer will disclose his name, and produce a gentlemen of standing, reputation, ability and talents, one who at least, possesses a good moral character, he can be accommodated with men who will converse or reason upon the subject of the religion we profess, and leave for candid unprejudiced persons to judge, whether or not, when we "are pressed," we have not the whole scope of the word of God, common sense and all truth, to sustain us in our faith touching the gospel. Why we say, that if he will produce another person, possessing those virtues of which we named, is, because they are so foreign from his own heart.