Suddenly there appeared before the young missionary's eyes, as if it were suspended in the air, a scroll. On the scroll appeared, in brilliant golden letters, these words: "In the days of Peleg the earth was divided." (Gen. x., 25). Instantly an explanation of the infidel's problem burst upon his mind.
He calmly and deliberately proceeded to explain that, prior to the days of Peleg, this whole earth was one vast continent, inhabited in its various portions, with different kinds of animals; that in the days of Peleg this vast continent was broken up into smaller divisions of land, islands, etc., and that, in this manner, the animals upon its surface accompanied the land in its divisions.
The infidel was confounded, the multitude astonished, and the young, illiterate missionary triumphant. Several remembered the passage of scripture, and none could gainsay the missionary's explanation. The latter, however, had no knowledge of any such a passage in the Bible, as he had read but very little of it, and, had the answer not come to him by revelation, he would have been confounded.
The scroll was so plainly visible to him that it seemed as though others could see it, but they did not.
AN EFFECTIVE PLEA.
ARRESTED ON A NOVEL CHARGE—ELDER PARRISH'S DEFENSE—ELDER PATTEN'S INDIGNATION—CONSTERNATION PRODUCED BY HIS SPEECH.
In the early history of the Church, Apostle David W. Patten and Elder Warren Parrish were traveling, in the State of Tennessee, preaching the gospel and organizing branches of the Church.
In one locality, where considerable interest had been manifested and the usual opposition met with, the latter culminated in the arrest of the two missionaries upon the charge of being prophets, which was preferred by some of the people, when they were actually carried before a committing magistrate to be tried on the accusation.
The court was called, a jury summoned, and a great crowd of people gathered to see the result of so remarkable a trial.