The external evidences afforded by archaeologists to the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon are very numerous; they may be ascertained by a careful study of the sacred volume and a comparison with the discoveries of later times, in the ruins of ancient cities, towns, temples, roadways, etc., which have been brought to light and are treated upon in the writings of Stevens and Catherwood, Dr. Le Plongeon, and many other eminent antiquarians. While the Book of Mormon without investigation is discarded, its opponent is led to prove its divinity by his researches into archaeology. In connection with the coming forth of this word Isaiah said, "The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." All the old subterfuges published against the book have been exploded long since, and yet people are still repeating them. It was stated that Joseph Smith's ingenuity and Sidney Rigdon's learning devised the Book of Mormon from the Solomon Spaulding romance. The Book of Mormon was published to the world before Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon ever saw each other. Prof. Fairchild of the Oberlin College in Ohio, examined the Spaulding manuscript and compared it with the Book of Mormon; he then testified over his signature that there was no similarity between them. Some people have ridiculed the record because in point of literary merit it did not equal the Jewish record, the Holy Bible. If this were any just cause of rejection, why not discard several books in the Bible because their literature does not equal in merit the writings of the patriarch Job? But laying this aside, the Book of Mormon offers its own explanation of literary defect. "Condemn me not because of mine imperfection; neither my father, because of his imperfections; neither them who have written before him, but rather give thanks unto God that He hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. And now behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters, which are called among us the Reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also: and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language, therefore He hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof." (Mormon ix:31-34.) In the preface of the record is written: "And now if there be faults, they are the mistakes of men, wherefore condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ." "But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my