FANATICISM.
We noticed some time since, the progress of a new religious order in the western part of Ohio. It would seem that good materials are found in that district for such a work. The Painsville (Ohio) Gazette contains the following additional particulars:
The Golden Bible, or the Book of Mormon.
The believers in the sacred authenticity of this miserable production, are known by the name of "Mormonites" and their book is commonly called "the book of Mormon." It is asserted by them that their number in this vicinity is four hundred. In a conversation a few days since with a gentleman from Kirtland, well in-formed, and every way concerned to give us the truth, we are assured, that their numbers in the family in that town were two hundred souls. We doubt not then that their whole number in this county and Cuyahoga are at least four hun-dred.
They have recently received an additional revelation from the prolific prophet, Smith, which is generally understood to say that Kirt-land is within the precincts of the holy land; but by others is said to mean only, that in that town will be a great gathering of mighty mul-titudes, preparatory to their westward general migration. They are therefore admonished to sell no more of their possessions but rather pur-chase, lest there shall not be room for the faith-ful. The admonition however arrived too late, as they have but fifty acres left, and the land hol-ders refuse to sell to them.
They profess to receive sensible demonstra-ting of the presence of the Deity. A few days since, a young man gave information to some of his brethern that he was about to re-ceive a message from heaven. They repaired to the spot designated, and there, sis they so-lemnly assert, a letter descended from the skies and fell into the hands of the young man.—The purport was to strengthen his faith and in-form him that he would soon be called to the ministry. They declare their solemn belief that this letter was written in heaven by the finger of God. The style of writing was the round Italian, and the letters of gold. The favored youth immediately attempted to copy the com-munication, but as fast as he wrote, the letters of the original disappeared until it entirely van-ished. It is alleged that some of them have re-ceived white stones promised in the 2d chapter of the Revelations. Such of them as have “the spirit" will declare that they see a white stone moving about the upper part of the room, and will jump and spring for it, until one more for-tunate than the others catches it, but he alone can see it. Others however profess to hear it roll across the floor. These two stories, and oth-ers of a similar character, are told by them with solemn asseverations of their truth.
Among them is a man of color, a chief man, who is sometimes seized with strange vagaries and odd conceits. The other day he is said to have jumped twenty five feet down a wash bank into a tree top without injury. He sometimes fancies he can fly.
In Chardon, one man has torn away all the partitions of the lower part of a good two story dwelling house. Here a large number live to-gether. The food consisting of meat and vege-tables, it is said, are placed on the table in a large pan, which is the whole table furniture. From this every inmate takes a piece of meat and a potatoe in his hand & devours them as he walks about the room. As to matters of appar-rel, and indeed other things, where any one wants what he has not, he takes it any where in the family where he can find it unoccupied. All things are common.
Our readers will probably smile at the iniser-able delusion of these ignorant creatures, and we know, indeed, nothing better that can be done in that respect. Let it, however, teach us humility; let it check our disposition to con-demn a whole age in other countries, because it produced such visionaries. Ignorance is the same in all ages, though it may not show itself in exactly the same forms: the unballasted and unpiloted boat veers always from a direct course, but its aberrations are in conformity to the cur-rents in which it drifts.
