A Study of Book of Mormon Texts

238 IMPROVEMENT ERA It was also, in a slightly modified form, the name of the oldest son of Lehi, Laman.* In the latter form the name has become prominent in the his- tory of the Book of Mormon. There were two kings of that name, Laman I and II, father and son. There was a river named Laman and a city of the same name, and when the great schism took place, the descendants of Laman, Lemuel and Ishmael were called Lamanites, from the son of Lehi, who was the leading spirit in the events that culminated in the separation. The name in both forms has been preserved in the accounts of American antiquities, and this fact must be accepted as corroborative of the Book of Mormon. Nadaillac, after having described the elaborate grandeur and marvelous harmony of the buildings at Uxmal, takes us to the ruins at Kabah and Labna, near those of Uxmal. Labna is, no doubt, a word related to "Laban," as are the Biblical words "Lebanah," "Libnah," etc. Nadaillac says: "The buildings of Labna were no less remarkable than those of Uxmal; but unfortunately' they are in a state of extreme decay. The chief building was covered with stucco ornaments, which are breaking off and rapidly disappearing. One can still make out a row of skulls, some basreliefs representing human figures, and a globe of considerable diameter upheld by two men, one of whom is kneeling. All these figures retain some traces of color" (Prehistoric America, p. 340). One can obtain some idea of the former magnitude of this city of Labna, or Laban, from the statement of Stephens: "The summits of the neighboring hills are capped with gray, broken walls for miles around." The name Laman, which is the form in which "Laban" most frequently appears in the Book of Mormon, is still borne by a division of the Kechuaf linguistic stock of Indians, the Lamanos or Lamistas. Concerning the literary achievements of the Kechua stock, Dr. Brinton says: "Its literature was by no means despicable. In spite of the absence of a method of writing, there was a large body of songs, legends, and dramas preserved by oral communication and the guipus. A number of these have been published. Among them the drama Ollanta is the most noteworthy. It appears to be a genuine aboriginal production, committed to writing soon after the conquest, and bears the marks of an appreciation of literary form higher than we might have expected. The poems or Yaraveys usually turn on love for a theme, and often contain sentiments of force and delicacy" (The American Race, p. 215). John Fiske says of the Ollanta: "It is a love story, with the scene laid in the time of the great Inca Pachacutec; * "Laman, white, another form of Laban." George Reynolds. Sfory of the Book of Mormon, p. 29 8. fThe "Kechuas" of Dr. Brinton is the "Quichuas" of John Fiske, and the "Qguichuas" of Nadaillac.

A STUDY OF BOOK OF MORMON TEXTS 239 it would make a pleasant scene upon the stage, and is undeniably a pretty poem" (The Discovery of America, Vol. 2, p. 363). Dr. Brinton mentions an independent linguistic stock called Yameos, who, he says, are found along the lower course of the river Javary and also further up the Maranon where they are called Ltameos, Yameos, Lamas and Lamistas. Formerly they were a numer- ous and war-like nation (The American Race, p. 285). The Lama Indians are described as agricultural and industrious, and much given to trade and travel, but small and dirty in appearance. It may safely be inferred from the location of these aborigines along a river that seems to be named after Moroni, that their name is derived from "Laman." From these quotations it seems clear that the words Laban and Laman were known in America anciently from the northern parts of Yucatan to the region of the sources of the mighty Amazon river, by a people advanced in some arts and literature, as were the Lamanites of the Book of Mormon at one stage of their history. (To be continued) Great is God's Kindness When the fresh breath of the morningWhen the evening shadows creeping Comes a wafting o'er the Hills, Blend with shifting twilight ray, When the sunshine starts adorning Mother Earth is once more sleeping All the silvery gushing rills. From the toils that fill the day. When the birdies dart and flutter. When the wind through pine trees As they voice their glee in song — stealing Seems to me I'd not but utter Chant of weird and haunting sight, Words of love the whole day long. Then in prayer we oft' are kneeling Asking God's care through the night. When the sun, in rising splendor, Sifts it's golden shafts around, From the sun's first gleam of gladness Warmly falls it's glow so tender, Till the shades of night are drawn, That with joy all hearts abound. From the hours of settled darkness Till the coming of the dawn. When the noon-day zephyrs blowing Gently fan earth's teeming sod, I am filled with glad thanksgiving Seems to me these all are showing For the joys we know on earth, Mercies granted us from God. May we, through our righteous living. Prove we're worthy of our birth. Laie, Oahu. M. F. KlRKHAM.