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The Oberlin Spalding Manuscript
1910 LDS Edition (color-coded scans *)
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-- 1910 LDS reprint edition Contents --
* For explanation of Book of Mormon textual parallels color-coding see the comments section. For reciprocal Book of Mormon color-coded Spalding textual parallels see SRP paper #16. To facilitate loading of page icons, chapters 11-14, end matter and comments are on page two. |
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THE "MANUSCRIPT FOUND." MANUSCRIPT STORY, BY REV. SOLOMON SPAULDING. DECEASED. Printed from a Verbatim Copy, made (expressly for this edition) from the Original, now in the possession of President James H. Fairchild, of Oberlin College, Ohio. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED AT THE MILLENNIAL STAR OFFICE. 295 EDGE LANE, LIVERPOOL. 1910. |
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PUBLISHER'S PREFACE.
FOR the last fifty years the "Manuscript Found" has been the staple stock in trade of almost every objector to the genuineness of the Book of Mormon. When every other imaginable theory and hypothesis were overthrown, this reputed romance was the unfailing refuge to which they fled. It could not be found, so their baseless assertions could not be disproved by an appeal to itself. But unfortunately for all such who make lies their refuge, this long lost treasure has, at last, most unexpectedly to all parties, been brought to light, and is now given to the world with all its inanities, absurdities and inaccuracies. After carefully perusing both books, we believe we can truthfully assert that there is not one sentence, one incident, or one proper name common to both, and that the oft boasted similarity in matter and nomenclature is utterly false. No two books could be more unalike; in fact Mr. Spaulding's "Manuscript Story" no more resembles the Book of Mormon than "Gulliver's Travels" is like the Gospel of St. Matthew. The history of the discovery of the Manuscript can be told in a few words. D. P. Hurlbut, an apostate, the originator of the fabrication that the Book of Mormon originated in Mr. Spaulding's tale, wrote a bitter assault on the Latter-day Saints in 1836, entitled "Mormonism Unveiled," which was published in the name of, and by E. D. Howe, of Painesville, Ohio. During the time Hurlbut was gathering material for this work, he obtained from the family of the then deceased clergyman the original of the "Manuscript Story," but discovering that it would, if published, prove fatal to his assumptions, he suppressed it: and from that time it was entirely lost sight of until about two years ago, when a Mr. L. L. Rice, residing at Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, found it among a numerous collection of miscellaneous papers which he had received from Mr. Howe, the publisher of Hurlbut's "Mormonism Unveiled," when in 1839-40, he, with his partner, purchased from that gentleman the business, etc. of the Painesville Telegraph. In 1884 President James H. Fairchild, of Oberlin College, Ohio, was paying a visit to Mr. Rice, and he suggested that the latter look through his numerous papers, in the hope of finding amongst them some anti-slavery documents of value. In his search he discovered a packet marked in pencil on the outside, "Manuscript Story -- Conneaut Creek," which, to their surprise, on perusal, proved to be the veritable, long-lost romance of Dr. Spaulding, to which so much undeserved importance had been ignorantly or maliciously given. After retaining the manuscript some time Mr. Rice presented it to Oberlin College, but before doing so, made an exact copy, with all its peculiarities of style, errors of grammar and orthography, alterations, erasures, etc., which copy he placed in our hands with the distinct understanding that it should be printed and published exactly as he had copied it. We have endeavored to faithfully carry out our part of the agreement, and now present to the world this wishy-washy production, with all its peculairities of spelling and grammar, whose only conceivable value is that it utterly dispels and demolishes a long existing error, and compels those who will not acknowledge the divinity of the Book of Mormon to seek in other directions plausible excuses for rejecting its truths. Those portions of the work altered or erased by Mr. Spaulding have, in the following pages, been printed in italics and between brackets. |
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INTRODUCTION (pp. 001a-003a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 001-006) Introduction -- Spalding's Initial Exploration Within the Mound -- Discovery of the 28 Parchment Rolls -- The Fabius History Roll -- Spalding's opening comments -- Translator's entreaty -- Fabius and the Ocean Voyage -- Fabius Tells His Story. |
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CHAPTER I (pp. 003b-007a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 006-012) Fabius Tells His Story -- The Roman Ocean Voyage to Britain -- The Unexpected Trans-Atlantic voyage Divine Guidance to the New World -- The Romans Among the Deliwan Indians in the New World -- The Deliwan Reception for the Romans. |
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CHAPTER II (pp. 007b-010a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 013-020) Settlement of the Ship's Company -- Christianity in Ancient America -- Communitarian Order Established -- Inter-racial Marriage and Indian Conversion -- The Plan for a Church. |
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CHAPTER III (pp. 010b-015a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 020-029) Description of the Deliwan -- A Deliwan Religious Festival -- Indian Speaker's Address and Sacrifice -- A Deliwan Song and Translation -- Entertainment -- Droll Tom's Comments. |
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CHAPTER IV (pp. 015b-020a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 029-039) Fabius' Lament -- Romans' Expedition to the Northwest -- Astronomical/Geographical Reasoning -- Fabius' Plan for Exploration -- The journey to Owhahon -- Royal Audience and Mammoth Procurement -- The Romans Leave the Deliwan -- Fabius and Crito's Dialog -- The Romans Travel to the Mound-builders' Owhahon. |
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CHAPTER V (pp. 020b-024a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 040-050) The Civilized Ohians (Mound-builders) -- Their Physical Appearance and Dress -- Agriculture and Animal Husbandry -- Manufacture of Ironware and Pottery -- Ohian Architecture and Construction -- Trojanus and Lucian Dialog on Architecture. |
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CHAPTER VI (pp. 025a-027a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 050-055) Ohian Communications and Records -- Fabius' Comments on Learning and the History of Writing -- Description of Ohian Learning, Customs and Religion -- Characters Used for Writing -- Civil and Religious Records -- Scriptures and Teachers -- Ohian Oral History -- Poetry and Drama. |
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CHAPTER VII (pp. 027b-032a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 055-065) Spalding's Observations on Religion in Society -- The Ohian Religion -- Ohian Scriptural Extracts -- Theology and Anthropology -- Death and the Afterlife -- Commandments from Ohian Scripture -- Plural Marriage and its Regulation -- Conduct of Friends and Families -- Retribution for the Wicked -- Ohian Hospitality for Strangers -- Idleness and Sloth -- Bodily Cleanliness -- The State a Divine Institution -- Civil Defense -- Religious Observance and Worship -- An Account of Baska. |
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CHAPTER VIII (pp. 032c-042a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 065-071) An Account of Lobaska Among the Ancient Ohians -- The Appearance of Lobaska at Sciotan Tolanga -- Lobaska's Educational and Economic Reforms -- Lobaska's Religious Reformation in Sciota -- Reception of his Religious Fabrications. (Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 071-084) The War of the Blue Feather -- The Kentuck Complaint Against the Sciotans -- King Bombal of Kentuck's Ultimatum Letter to Sciota -- Lobaska's Stratagem in the Battle With the Kentucks -- Bombal Invades Sciota -- His Army Trapped by Lobaska's Stratagem -- Dialog between Bombal and Hadocam -- The Peace Conference at Tolanga -- Lobaska's Speech Against War -- Lobaska's Educational Reforms Among the Kentucks -- His Success in Kentuck Reforms. |
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CHAPTER IX (pp. 042b-047a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 085-092) Ohian Political Geography-- Lobaska Frames the Ohian Constitution -- Sciotan Empire Ruled by Lobaska's Son -- The Emperor's Rights and Duties -- Censors to Represent the People -- Lobaska's Fabricated Priesthood -- Rules Governing Money -- The Right of Petition -- New Governments Established in Sciota and Kentuck -- The Effects of Lobaska's Reforms -- Lobaska Disappears. |
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CHAPTER X (pp. 047b-055a)
(Oberlin Spalding Manuscript Storyline pp. 093-103) Ohian Military -- Ohian Social Life -- Courtship and Marriage Customs -- The 480 Year Golden Age of Peace -- Ohian Earthwork Fortifications -- The Almighty is Provoked to Chastise the Ohians. |
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