Some critics of the Prophet Joseph Smith have used his "Appeal to the Green Mountain Boys" as evidence of his over-inflated view of his intellectual abilities, such as this article by a former Mormon who also quotes Faw Brodie to the effect that “these proud displays … so embarrassed later historians of his church that they were quietly deleted from the official histories.”
However, Samuel Brown has done a great job in recent years, showing that many articles that claim authorship of Joseph Smith were ghostwritten by William Wines Phelps. As Brown argues in his article "The Translator and the Ghostwriter: Joseph Smith and William Phelps, Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 26 - 62, Winter 2008:
One can download the article here.
However, Samuel Brown has done a great job in recent years, showing that many articles that claim authorship of Joseph Smith were ghostwritten by William Wines Phelps. As Brown argues in his article "The Translator and the Ghostwriter: Joseph Smith and William Phelps, Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 26 - 62, Winter 2008:
The ghostwriting assignments continued to proliferate. On November 21, Smith “gave WW. Phelps instructions to write an appeal to the citizens of Vermont,” a project that would ultimately be published and distributed as General Joseph Smith’s Appeal to the Green Mountain Boys. Phelps completed the statement by December 3, when he read it to assembled Church leaders, who “dedicate[d it] by prayer.” A repeat performance the next day attracted an overf low audience and a report in the Nauvoo Neighbor. Phelps was apparently the only individual to read the Appeal in public, possibly because only he could pronounce the polyglot perorations he included:
Were I a Chaldean I would exclaim: Keed’nauh ta-meroon le-hoam elauhayauh dey-shemayauh veh aur’kau lau gnaubadoo, yabadoo ma-ar’gnau oomeen tehoat shemayauh allah. (Thus shall ye say unto them: The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.) An Egyptian, Su-e-eh-ni; (What other persons are those?) A Grecian, Diabolos bassileuei; (The Devil reigns.) A Frenchman, Messieurs sans Dieu; (Gentlemen without God.) A Turk, Ain shems; (The fountain of light.) A German, sie sind unferstandig; (What consummate ignorance!) A Syrian, Zaubok; (Sacrifice!) A Spaniard, Il sabio muda conscio, il nescio no. (A wiseman reflects, a fool does not.) A Samaritan: Saunau! (O stranger!) An Italian: Oh tempa! oh diffidanza! (O the times! O the diffidence!) A Hebrew: Ahtauh ail rauey. (Thou God seest me.) A Dane: Hvad tidende! (What tidings!) A Saxon. Hwaet riht; (What right!) A Swede: Hvad skilia: (What skill!) A Polander: Nav-yen-shoo bah pon na Jesu Christus; (Blessed be the name of Jesus Christ.) A western Indian: She-mo-kah she-mo-keh teh ough-ne-gah. (The white man, O the white man, he very uncertain.) A Roman: Procul, Oprocul este profani! (Be off, be off ye profane!) But as I am I will only add; when the wicked rule the people mourn.
One can download the article here.
