YEARS AGO when Mormon missionaries went to a village Ontario, Canada, with the object of making converts, they held a meeting in which they belittled the Bible. Instead they told how the “book Mormon” had been dug up out the ground by Joseph Smith, who claimed it was a revelation from God much superior to the Bible. After the Mormon speaker finished, he asked if anyone had anything to say. As no white man arose to defend the Bible, John Sunday, a converted Indian, rose and gave this testimony “A great many winters ago, the Great Spirit gave his good Book the Bible, to white man over the great waters. He took it and read it, and it made his heart all over glad. By and by white man came over to this country, and brought good Boot with him. He gave it to poor Indian. He hear it, and understand it, and it make his heart very glad too. But’ when the Great Spirit gave his good Book to the white man, the Evil spirit try to make a book too, and he try to make it like the Great Spirit made His, but he could not and then he got so ashamed of it that he go in the woods, and dig; hole in the ground, and there he hide his book. After it lie there for many winters, Joe Smith go and dig it up. This is the book this preacher talk about. I hold fast to good old Bible which made my heart so happy. I have nothing to do with devil’s book.”
This quaint speech ended the Mormon’s career in that neighborhood.
ML-09/07/1969