1900-01-14-New York Tribune-A History of Mormonism

New York Tribune, 14 January 1900, p. 3

A History of Mormonism.

VALUABLE GIFT TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY BY MISS HELEN M. GOULD.

In view of the Roberts case, the interest of timeliness is added to the value of the recent acquisition of books on Mormonism by the New-York Public Library. This important special collection, presented to the library by Miss Helen M. Gould, was begun by Charles L. Woodward and continued by William Berrian, a business man of New-York City. It comprises doctrinal works. "The Book of Mormon" in various editions, pro and anti-Mormon pamphlets, historical and descriptive works on Utah, speeches, reports and other matter on the political relations between Utah and the United States, and a remarkable collection of Mormon periodicals, such as "Tullidge's Quarterly Magazine," and newspapers. The latter include issues of the press in Kirtland, Warsaw, Nauvoo, Carthage, Voree, Salt Lake City and other places. Among these "The Tribune," "The Weekly Tribune," "The Deseret News," "The Pony Dispatch" and "The Herald," of Salt Lake City; "The Warsaw Bulletin," "The Warsaw Signal," "The Anti-Mormon Standard," "The Nauvoo Neighbor," "The New Citizen and Rustler," "The Hancock Eagle," "The Voree Herald" and many others are well represented, some by complete flies.

Among the rarities of the collection are a queer little life of Solomon Mack, the grandfather of Joseph Smith; "The Book of Commandments" (Zion, 1833), never completed; the rare book relating to the Mormon disturbances and giving the evidence produced at the trial of Joseph Smith, Jr., and others before Judge A. A. King, November 12, 1838 (Fayette, Mo., 1841), and the act passed by the Assembly in 1854, ordering that no laws, decisions or the like of any other State shall be adopted as precedent in the Territory of Utah. Some scrapbooks form another, noteworthy feature.

The whole is as complete a record as may be found of the Mormon question in its various phases.