Handling, Turning the Pages and Reading an "Original" Copy of The Book of Mormon

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, 6065 Webster Hall, Hanover, NH

Rauner Special Collections Library

About 3 weeks ago, when Barb and I were asked to participate in an activity and service project at the Joseph Smith Memorial site (South Royalton, VT), we took the time on our way there to stop by the Rauner Special Collections Library, on the Dartmouth College campus. We specifically went there to see and handle an original copy of the Book of Mormon that is kept there.

There is a very interesting story about this treasure, and the relationship of the founder of Dartmouth Medical School and Joseph Smith, as found on a Rauner Special Collections Library Blog, as follow:

Most Popular Item

People always ask us what is the most requested item in our collections. When we answer, they are almost always surprised. That is because the most requested item in our collections is something that is hardly ever requested by Dartmouth students, faculty, or staff--90% of its use is from visitors. What is it? The first edition of Joseph Smith's The Book of Mormon; An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi (Palmyra, NY: Printed by E.B. Grandin for the author, 1830).

The book gets so much use that our Preservation team, Deborah Howe and Stephanie Wolff, constructed a special box for it. With the pull of two simple cords, the box transforms into a secure custom-fit cradle to facilitate use of the book. 

Joseph Smith was born in nearby South Royalton, Vermont. Thousands of people visit his birthplace each year from all over the world. Many then pay a visit to Rauner Library to view the Book of Mormon. Smith has an important tie to Dartmouth: Nathan Smith, founder of the Darmouth Medical school (and no relation to Joseph), treated his leg when he was a child and, so the story goes, saved his leg from amputation.

Access to Rauner Special Collections Library Documents

Home to Dartmouth’s rare books collection, manuscripts, and archives, the library is a treasure trove of historical gems.

Rauner gives unparalleled access to its collections, and is considered one of the most open and inviting special collections in the country. Students and visitors work directly with the collections for research and just to satisfy their curiosity. The library allows you to touch, flip through, and feel—yes, feel—items in its collection. You won’t be given any white gloves to wear when handling the artifacts, either. Why not? Gloves tend to tune down the dexterity of your hands and increase your chances of ripping the pages. Without the actual feel of the paper beneath your fingers, you’re less aware of the tension you’re putting on them.

Barb and I were thrilled to, just for the asking, have them bring you out this specially boxed “original” copy of the Book of Mormon, and then sit there at a table, for as long as we wanted and thumb through and read it.

It was a very moving experience to read the testimonies of the Three Witness and then the Eight Witness of the Book of Mormon. We just had to turn to Moroni 10 and read the promise associated with reading this holy writ. Always before, when we have seen “original” copies of the Book of Mormon, they were under one inch thick plates of glass … where they could not be touched. Here were so grateful to actually handle the book, turn the pages, and lay our finger on the words as we read them. Though we know it is not the document, no matter how rare it may be, that conveys the true value of the Book of Mormon … holding it, turning it pages one by one and reading its sacred content did in some way more firmly lace into my heart an even deeper conviction that this book is truly from God. And, due to its antiquity, only one step away from the original manuscript, written by the scribes, as was dictated by the Prophet Joseph Smith, through the power of God. I am so grateful for these spiritual treasures. It is our greatest desire that we, our family and our loved-ones, will allow and facilitate what is in this divine book's pages to change who we are and what we are, to truer disciples of Jesus Christ.

Below are posted some pictures of this rare experience that we will always cherish:

General Authorities Mission Tour; Displaced from Home; Exciting Baptisms, Advancements & News; New England in Full Fall Bloom; Ben & Jerry's; Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial & Camp Joseph (LOTS OF PICS)

Well, it has been quite a while since we posted ... so here goes trying to get 100 pounds of Idaho spuds into a 10 pound bag. 

Recently we had a Mission Tour by Elder Randall Bennett of the Seventy and his wife, as well as Elder DeFeo (Elder DeFeo, the first Italian member of the Seventy). Elder DeFeo was called to the Seventy in April Conference of this year.  He and his wife were living in Rome with their 11 year old daughter who of course spoke Italian.  They also have 2 grown sons. When this call came, they moved their family to Salt Lake City, where he would need to be for this calling.  He said his daughter is having kind of a hard time adjusting, especially since she does not speak English.  Their sons are still in Italy. (See photo of the 3 Zones of Missionaries who were at this Mission Tour Conference. Elder DeFeo is the man sitting, by himself, next to Elder Bennett and his wife. Don’t know who the old couple standing to the left is?) It is really amazing what so many members of the Church are willing to do in their service to the Lord. In Elder DeFeo’s teaching he said to never underestimate the role you play in the lives of people around you.  Pay attention to the Spirit, it will tell YOU, what you should do. Write down promptings you get so you don't forget them or rationalize them away as time passes, doubting that you really received them at all.

 

Missionaries at a 3 Zone Conference (in Portland, ME) with Elders Bennett & DeFeo of the Seventy

Elder Bennett’s teachings were specifically pointed to missionaries and doing missionary work, but there were other teachings that were very applicable to all of us. It was a wonderful day, filled with the Spirit. Wish we could bottle it and send it to each of you.

The following days of that week were filled with preparations for the upcoming baptism of the precious couple from Burundi, who we have discussed before (Saturday, September 24^th). Hopefully we will be able to post pictures later. Barb gave the talk on baptism; I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.  We also did the programs and worked on about every part of the baptism.  It was a wonderful occasion.  It was a unique and new experience for Barb. What an exciting opportunity to be a part of someone starting down the Gospel path. They were confirmed on Sunday in Sacrament meeting.

On Thursday, September 29th, we had our precious couple from Burundi over, and his sister for dinner and then we watched the General Women's Conference in French.  It was the first time that any of them had any idea of what a Conference from the Church was all about.  They loved it.  The counsel was so timely, so focused on our day.  They were very impressed with that. What a great evening.

I believe it was this day that we got a call from the Real Estate agent selling this house where we live, telling us that the owner was giving us notice that we had to vacate the property by November 1^st because the new owners were going to move into our level of the house. What a shock.  There is only a 2% vacancy rate in Portland and the surrounding area.  It would be our responsibility to find an appropriate place, plus money was a big issue.  Because of the shortage of apartments in the area, landlords are generally asking exorbitant rates for rent.  The Lord truly has blessed us and on Monday, of the next week, we looked at an apartment that met the criterion we had set. The building was built in 1895 (See attached photo … we are on the 1^st floor). Things have proceeded since then and we know that the Lord had a hand in this.  We are so grateful!

To be our new "home away from home" Nov. 1st - to the left of our silver car and in picture up above this picture

We have been incredibly busy helping the Africans with various problems and issues. We recently started working with a young man from Rwanda, who just arrived in Portland, seeking asylum.  He is 28. His parents were killed in the genocide a few years ago. He and his siblings were raised by their 17 year old sister.  After he graduated from high school he went to Ukraine to study Russian.  He earned a 2 year certificate.  While studying there he was contacted by missionaries while he was in the park one day.  He joined the Church and even filled a mission, in Ukraine. He is the only member in his family.  He still has siblings in Rwanda. He is very motivated to get some kind of training so he can begin working.  He does not have a work permit yet, but wants to be ready when that permit arrives (probably in about 1 year).  He speaks English quite well and is striving to improve in that area as well. 

 Barb has done more cooking in the 4 months we have been in Portland than probably the last 2 years combined.  The Lord has been so kind and mindful of us, and has blessed Barb to have the stamina to do this.  Also, an incredibly major blessing is that she has been able to climb all of the stairs necessary to do apartment inspections.  You would not believe the stairs here.  Sometimes to get to and inspect one apartment there might be 3 flights of stairs.  

Oh, BTW, a couple more interesting names for you … Latchstring Park, and Neversweat Road. Maine has some really interesting names for roads and places.

Over the past few weeks, as we have done apartment/car inspections, and other travel requirements, we have been AWED by the incredibly beautiful fall colors we have been able to enjoy (See several attached photos).  There are SO MANY trees.  It almost looks like a painting. There is an orange color here that truly looks neon.  The colors are so unbelievably vivid it just takes your breath away.  There are so many beauties to enjoy.  A man told Dan this last week that we are in for a hard winter.  He says the colors are early and there are so many acorns on the ground … he said, these are signs of a long, hard winter.  Hope he is wrong, but he probably is right.  

Beautiful Fall Colors in Maine (above pictures are representative of rolling hills filled with colorful splendor)

This last week has been such an amazing experience.  Last Sunday, another senior missionary couple serving in Machias, Maine, the LeCheminant's, drove to our apartment. We had dinner together and then we all got into our car and drove to Bedford, New Hampshire, to the mission home.  The Mission President and his wife were there to greet us along with the AP's and an elder that was returning home the next morning.  We had a great time talking and interacting.  On Monday morning, (Columbus Day), we all had breakfast together.  President Blair loves to make "scrams" (scrambled eggs) which he did. We all pitched in and helped and had a delicious breakfast.  Then the LeCheminant's (they are from Mesa, Arizona) Barb and I headed out to do some sightseeing on our way to the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial in Vermont.  We enjoyed talking and getting better acquainted.  The scenery was unbelievably beautiful ... pretty much at its peak for fall colors (see photos).  Oh, did I mention that the colors here are so incredible? J  

We stopped at the Vermont Country Store. It is a place that truly takes you back in time. They have a little of this and a little of that and candy from before our time as children (See photo). 

It was a great place to visit.  We also went up to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory (See photo).  I had a banana split and It was truly the best one I have ever had.  The weather was kind of cold ... kind of crazy to be eating ice cream. But, there was a very long line, so we weren't the only crazy people.  While we were there a man, who was a member of the church, came over to talk to us because of our missionary badges.  They were from New York, their children were out of school, so they were on a little trip. Other senior couples have said this rarely happened to them … but, we have had it happen a lot. It just goes ta show … “ya gotta be actin the part of who thou art”, all the time.

Monday night we were in for another treat.  The senior couples met at a Church house in Lebanon, New Hampshire for a dinner and a night of President and Sister Blair sharing experiences of the time they lived with President Hinckley. Sister Blair is President Hinckley's granddaughter. Her mother is the oldest Hinckley daughter, Kathy. They shared touching stories and very funny idiosyncrasies of “Grandpa Hinckley”.  After the Blair's were finished, the Senior couples started sharing embarrassing experiences in their lives.  We laughed so much, it was a very fun evening.  It is amazing the caliber of senior couples serving in our mission.

We spent Monday night in a hotel and on Tuesday morning we went up to Vermont to visit the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  First, we went into a Church house on the property and had breakfast.  They have a camp very nearby called Camp Joseph (See photos).  It is a camp used for girl's camp, boy scout camp and even families or individuals.  It is in a beautiful, peaceful setting with a lot of beautiful rolling grass hills, cabins, fire pits, amphitheater, lodge, beautiful surrounding trees, etc.  The new missionaries that just came into the field along with their trainer companions were there with us.  There were about 60 young missionaries. They were their for service, to help paint cabins and do all of the necessary things to get ready to close the camp for winter.  There is a senior missionary couple in charge of Camp Joseph and they were amazing.  He is 82 and she is 79.  This is their 13th mission (some of those were 6 months … but still???). Wow! they were really something (See photo).

Camp Joseph

Camp Joseph Bowery and Lodge

Camp Joseph Campfire Setting

Entrance to Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial

Entrance to Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial

Missionaries All Dressed Up To Go To Work

Eating Breakfast Prior to a Long Day of Service

Hanging Christmas Lights at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial Visitor's Center

Joseph Smith Birth Place Memorial Monument

Missionary Training Session The Day After The Service Project

Pres. & Sis. Blair With 2 Sister Missionaries

Sr. Couple who have served 13 Missions (She standing next to Pres. Blair, He sitting)

The young missionaries also strung Christmas lights and did many things to get the Joseph Smith Memorial ready for the holiday season.  Last year approximately 90,000 people went to the memorial during the Christmas season. There are fewer senior missionaries going out to serve and the memorial doesn't have the number of senior couples that it normally has.  The missionaries were able to get things pretty much taken care of in one full-day of service. They were awesome.  

After walking around Camp Joseph, we walked over to the Joseph Smith Memorial and Visitor's Center.  It is such a beautiful, tranquil place. There is such a special spirit there.  We were able to see the three new stories to "Meet the Mormons". One is called The Artist, another is called The Horseman and the third is called The Entertainers.  Right now they can only be seen at a visitor's center. They were all very diverse and very good. Then we went on a tour of the area around visitor’s center. The Church has purchased many acres of land around the monument area and they have acquired the home area of the Mack family and other home areas as well. We visited the home site foundations of the home in which Joseph Smith was born. The original porch entry stone is still there (see photo). We then visited the Lucy Mack Smiths Father's home-place foundation, and then the Lucy Mack’s Grandfather Mack's home foundation ... all in the same general vicinity (jist round the bend and down n the holler J). The church owns all that property. We were told that angels watch over this sacred land. Tuesday afternoon we drove back to Bedford, New Hampshire, and spent the night at the mission home, although we and the LeCheminant's had the place all to ourselves.

 

In front of the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial Monument

The Foundation of the Home Where Joseph Smith was Born

The Original Front Doorstep of the Home where Joseph Smith was Born

On Wednesday morning we drove back to our apartment in South Portland and the LeCheminant's went on to Machias. It was a very special few days and we are so grateful for the experience.

We have a lot going on this next week with several Africans, apartment and car inspections and trying to pack for our move in our spare moments. 

We have amazing news about the precious couple, recently baptized, from Africa.  While we were on our little retreat with the senior couples and President and Sister Blair, we had just been talking about this couple, and their inability to have children … and what a stigma that was for them in Africa. Suddenly, I received a text from the African husband we had been talking about, saying, “Peace of God be with you. We are at Maine Medical and we just have been announced that “my wife” is pregnante. Thank you so much your prayers.” President Blair broke out singing a “happy” song (he is quite the character. Things are never dull when he is around). They have been trying for a baby for over 6 years.  They had even been to the United States prior to all of their problems, to be tested and see if a reason could be determined. They both were fine, with no problems … still, no pregnancy, until now.  She is only 1 month along, so we are praying things go well.  Today, I was able to confer the Aaronic Priesthood upon him and ordain him to the office of a Priest.  We are so grateful for their progression. What an inspiring opportunity to see people grasp on to the Gospel. Tomorrow afternoon we are having them over to see the video "Between Heaven and Earth", teaching them about the temple and to help them understand the importance and need for them. There are so many things that are literally brand new to them.  Before coming to the United States, around March, they had never heard of Mormons or our Church.  They have questions about so many things.  The other day the wife asked about how we do funerals and celebrate Christmas.  There is much to learn, but it is important to go slowly.

We are also having a delightful time fellow-shipping and becoming friends with a couple who are longtime "Mainer's". He is a member, his wife is not. We have perhaps mentioned them before. He was a Methodist minister for over 20 years, here in Maine, but increasingly became concerned as he saw his church drifting away from Biblical teachings and accepting and accommodating secular and "popular" or "politically correct" beliefs. It was a 5 year process, but he was baptized the Saturday we arrived in Maine. He is quite amazing. They have had us over for dinner, and we have had them over for dinner and shown them the “Cokeville Miracle” movie. None of our previous get-togethers were to discuss our faith, because she has not been ready for that. However, the “Cokeville Miracle”, though not talking about our church, certainly demonstrates the power of prayer and the faith of members of our church. It had a profound effect on both of them ... most markedly the wife. They have invited us to come to dinner with them again and to discuss the movie, and what they call some significant, positive changes in her perspectives. We are very much looking forward to that. We like them both very much, and enjoy being with them.

We want you to know that we love the Lord.  We want to do what is right and make correct choices. Our testimonies continue to be strengthened and our conversion deepened as we serve and seek to be His hands here in the Portland, Maine area. It is amazing to learn over and over again that this is indeed where the Lord wanted us to be.  We are starting to see some encouraging developments in the ward that will be mutually beneficial to the Africans and the Ward.  

May the Lord bless each of us as we strive to follow His commandments and overcome the weaknesses we each have. We love each of you more than we can say in words.  We pray for your spiritual as well as your physical well-being.

Dan and Barb (a.k.a., Elder and Sister Aldridge)