Rubicon wrote: ↑October 27th, 2023, 8:39 am
I included the following in a handout of supplemental material for a stake/community fireside we did years ago ("Book of Mormon: Fact, or Fiction?"). It was a lengthy handout (large packet) with supplemental items not covered by the presentation (or only lightly covered), like DNA evidence. Sorry about the formatting ---- it didn't copy over well from a Word document. The Q&A stretched until late at night.
I find Spaulding's sexual innuendo in a story written in the Western Reserve in the early 1800s to be interesting.
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Case Study in Making up Names: The Spaulding Manuscript vs. the Book of Mormon
The names of places and people in the Book of Mormon compare very favorably to what critics used to rely upon as the explanation for its origins: Solomon Spaulding’s “Manuscript Story.” Spaulding wrote a manuscript of a novel dealing with Romans blown off course who landed in North America, and anti-Mormon E.D. Howe bought it from Spaulding’s widow in the hopes that it could be used to discredit the Book of Mormon. When he discovered that it would not serve this purpose, he kept it carefully hidden but continued to spread the rumor that the source of the Book of the Book of Mormon had been found. In 1881, an Ohio printer named L. L. Rice bought Howe’s items (which had been shipped to Hawaii), hoping to find historical material dealing with abolition and slavery. “Manuscript Story” was among his papers, signed on the back and certified by the anti-Mormon committee that had been dispatched to buy it. Rice gave it to James Fairchild, president of Oberlin College, and the Spaulding manuscript now resides there on display.
Of the Spaulding manuscript, Rice said: "Two things are true concerning this manuscript . . . First, it is a genuine writing of Solomon Spaulding, and second, it is not the original of the Book of Mormon . . . It is unlikely that anyone who wrote so elaborate a work as the Mormon Bible [Book of Mormon] would spend his time in getting up so shallow a story as this." President Fairchild noted: "Mr. Rice, myself and others compared it [the Spaulding manuscript] with the Book of Mormon, and could detect no resemblance between the two in general or in detail. There seems to be no name or incident common to the two . . . Some other explanation of the origin of the Book of Mormon must be found . . . I should as soon think the Book of Revelation was written by the author of Don Quixote, as that the writer of this manuscript was the author of the Book of Mormon."
For decades after this, anti-Mormons claimed that the Oberlin manuscript was not the Spaulding story Joseph Smith had used in writing the Book of Mormon, and that he had written a second, longer one with names like Moroni and Nephi. A Wisconsin attorney named Theodore Schroeder moved to Salt Lake City near the turn of the century for the specific purpose of combating Mormonism, and he published a sophisticated and effective series of articles in the American Historical Magazine arguing in favor of this “second lost Spaulding manuscript” theory. Elder B. H. Roberts of the LDS Church wrote a lengthy rebuttal, also published in the American Historical Magazine, that obliterated the Spaulding theories and essentially ended their popularity with critics of Mormonism (except for some few who persist in advocating them, being unwilling to admit any possibility that Joseph Smith was capable of playing any part in the production of the Book of Mormon. The “lost” manuscript theories rely on major roles of people like Sidney Rigdon and Parley P. Pratt before they met Joseph Smith).
It is interesting to compare the names and words found in the Spaulding Manuscript with the vocabulary of the Book of Mormon. None of the above ancient parallels and “bulls-eyes” in the Book of Mormon can be claimed for Spaulding’s story, and the nature of Spaulding’s anachronisms help to place the ones critics focus on in the Book of Mormon in perspective.
A sampling of Spaulding’s prose
“. . . Methinks I could pick out a healthy plum Lass from the copper coloured tribe that by washing and scrubbing her fore & aft & upon the labbord & stabbord sides she would become a wholesome bedfellow.”
“We retired two & two hand in hand — Ladies heads little awri — blushing like the morn & — But I forgot to mention that our society passed a resolution to build a church in the midst of our village.”
“Delawan to chakee poloo
Manegango farwah teloo
Chanepauh lawango chapah
Quinebogan hamboo gowah.”
“Gracious God! How deplorable our situation!”
“Adultery is punished by obliging the culprit to wear a pair of Elkhorns on his shoulders six days & to walk thro’ the city or vilage once each day, at which times the boys are at liberty to pelt him with rotten eggs.”
Words and phrases
Polar star terra firma fish boiled beans clam shell topse turvy
croaking like bullfrogs wigwams buxhum/bucksom common stock wampum
musquetoes toads frogs snails snow coloured Dogs wormwood gawl [sic]
Hope — that Celetial Goddes mamoons cotton (transported from the South)
elk/elkhorn squashes carrots lead porcupines oppossums pencil
laurels tomehauks
Proper names and place names (in order of occurrence, from left to right, top to bottom)
Conneaught Roman Latin America Missisippy Europians Fabius
Rome Constantine Brittain Britan Luian Trojans Jesus Christ Britain
Droll Tom Italy Deliwares September Crito Ieshuran Platonic
Owaho Deliwah Suscowah Owhahon Europe Atlantic
Lucian Asia Egypt Chaldea Ohons Baska Tolanga
Siota Lobaska Sciotans Bombal Kentucks Ohio Hadokam
Hadoram Gamba Ohson Ohians Lambon Labamack
Lambdon Kato Bambo Eri Mishigan Ontario Hamboon
Rambock Talanga Moonrod Elseon Lamesa Helicon
Hambock Lobasca Sambal Labanco Drafolick Hamack
Boakim Hamkol Lakoon Bithawan Gamasko Labano
Habelon Chiango Galanga Ulipoon Michegan Numapon
Glorangus Ramuck Genesco Colorangus Hamock Holiza
Sambol Gambo Labanko Hanock Hamul Taboon
Geheno Ramoff Sabamah Hamelick Rameck Thelford
Hamkien Kelsock Hamkoo Hamko Hakoon Haboon
Ramcoff Nunapon Hemock Lamack
, not attacking them or belittling their beliefs. I respect them , just think they are good representations of a whole. And I'm not saying I know exactly why they don't believe the Book of Mormon. But this is how I perceive it from what I've read about their reservations. 1,000 pardons if I miss represent 
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