Authorship of the Book of Mormon, Vol. 30: Psychologic Tests of W. F. Prince Critically Reviewed (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Authorship of the Book of Mormon, Vol. 30: Psychologic Tests of W. F. Prince Critically Reviewed

The above title is given by Walter F.Prince to an essay published in the American Journal of Psychology for July, 1917, vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 373-389.The first paragraph suggests some assurance that his essay is going to be the application of rigorous psychological tests to determine the authorship of the Book of Mormon. I judge that Mr. Prince conceives himself to be using the methods of the analytic psychologists. His conclusion is that "prolonged analysis and comparison make it incredible that Spaulding had any connection with the book, doubtful that Rigdon was implicated, certain that Joseph Smith's hand is perceptible in every part, Si and probable that he was the sole author, the edifice of whose- imagination echoed to reminiscences which he was far from recognizing." Also that "all the assignable data point to him [Joseph Smith] and him alone as the author." This conclusion he says, "is maintained by a few scholars [himself and I. Woodbridge Riley. Any one else?] mostly within the last 15 years."

I am of a contrary opinion, even after reading Mr. Riley as well as Mr. Prince's "rigorous psychologic tests." I believe that the main features of the literary plot for the Book of Mormon and many of the names of its characters and places were supplied by the Rev. Solomon Spaulding. That this was revised, mostly by Rev. Sidney Rigdon. It was again rewritten or revised between Sept.22, 1827, and June 11, 1829. This last revision was a collaboration, I believe, of Sidney- Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdry, and perhaps Emma Smith, Hyrum Smith and Joseph Smith. In this work I believe the Smiths were the least potent factors. The historical evidences by which I justify these conclusions have been published and will not be repeated. In short I conceive Joseph Smith to have been an ignorant conscious fraud, at first a mere tool used by more cunning schemers.

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