The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-10-20

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ike Hagar into the wilderness ans DOW II has
Tound an abiding place and has become mighty
nation. Doubtless all who reflected sspon the
Of lis departure for the Western
wilds thought that It's condition would be like
hat of the descendants OF Hsgar. that its hand
would be against every man and every mans
hand against it. But not so. The new people,
which in day has sprung into the vigof Of man
hood. while yet the memory Of the past Is vivio'
presents itself not with hostile but with freno'
ly cou ntenance, and courteously asks for a kind
ly recognition from the great sisterhood ana
cordial admission into it's home.
The history of the Mormons has been every
way wonderful. The influence which was OBJ
tanned and SO powerfully welded by their Lead
er was truly remarkable. All accounts, we be-
Iieve, aeree in represe ntirg him as coarse IL
Iiterate man, and yet he ruled his community
with despotic sway. Doubtless the possession
Of uncommon physical qualities helped him
very materially In acquiring and maintaining
his asee Gdency, for the great majority OF his
followers were of the claas to be Influenced by
the display of vigorous and athletic powers.
Then too the confidence with which he pressed
his claims, the audaci.y, brazen-faced slmost 10
sublimIty, with which he maintained bis pre-
tensions, weighed not little. One particle Of
the alloy Of modesty would have ruined him.
but in the composition OF Smith there was no
such alloy.
But admitting that his audaciiy and the pos
session of fine physical powers would account
for the influence Of the Mormon leader over the
ilIiteraie and degraded of his followers, how
shall we account for his influence over the re-
ned aud pure minded Were there any SUCH
some one may ask, among his follOwers1 Yes;
that there were come persons Of refined minds
and pure characters who Joined the Mofmons'
We can affirm ftom our personal knowledge
We have at present three before our mind, a
man and his two sisters, whose intellectual ca
pacities were certainly not below mediocrity,
who had been well educated and who, by Chris
tian characters Of uncommon excells nee, adorn
ed the churches to which they seS-rally be.
onged. One of these ladies was gifted with al
delicate and refined spirit and had as ferven'
and constant religious faith as any one whom
we have had the happiness of knowing. She
was member of the Episcopal church, yet shs
with her brother and sister became an earnest
Jealous, undoubting Mormon. Doubtless there
were others of similar character who becam,
followers of ssthe prophet"
Now, how can we account for the fact thai
persons Of such character should be drawn into
the Mormon ranks7 1t il easy enough to an.
swer this question as II is commonly answered
10 settle the whole matter summary, by saying
that they were deuded. But this Is cutting the
knot, instead Of untying it, for the question still
recurs, why were they so deludeo? As far al
we can Judge from conversation with members
of this singular commu nifty and from reflection
upon the eircumsta noes under which they be-
came members, We believe that the influence OBJ
tanned by Mormonism over them Is to be &C.
counted for as follows: These persons were
sincere, single-minded people, uustful, confid
ing even to the degree Of credulity. Many Of
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and they longed Tor light and strength. To
them, while in this condition, with their heart,
sending out feelers In every direction for objects
around which to entwine themselves and FIND
sure support, Mormonism offers itself. tcome:
with an air Of confidence, with promises Of i'm
mediate and enduring comfort and peace. Ii
comes with two great truths in its mouth
truths fearfuly perverted and misaprlieo, but
still truths, and truths Of great power, and
which the Christian church has too often suf-
fered to lie dormant and imperative. Mormon.
IsIa comes 10 these men and women who are
anxiously seeking for light and peace, and says,
God Is not far off but 10 near you, just as near
| you as He was to the disciples and apostles OF
DID," 1t ays,'moreover, that "Faith Is just as
powerful and efhcac and immediate in its
operations now as it was in the days Of ST. Paul
and ST. John" These are the two great truths
which Mormorism takes from the lips Of Chris.
tianity and presents without qualification or
reserve. True, 1t miserably perverts them by
attempting to use them az means for the accom-
oishment Of Ito own ends, and deerades them
by sssociaung them with ridiculous attempts at
miracles which il pretends to perform in attes-
tstion of their value. Still the truths remain
truths, and being presented with entire conf
oence and in strong unqualified language, they
impress themselves upon the minds of the per-
sons TO whom they are offered as new truthr, or
at least, as new revelations of old truths
"Ah," say thess persons, "hsre are the very
things that We aeed, an Immediately present
God and an all-Powerful fath-here we have
light and life, strength and peace" Thus these
truths are eagerly grasped, and as the miads
which receive them with so much confidence
and JOY are not accustomed to cautious ois-
elimination, they are not distinguished from
the system with which they ere accidentally
connected, but are confounded with IT, Thus
the system becomes identified with these heay-
emily truths, and Mormonism Is embraced an a
from God.
such we believe to be the mode In which
many sincere persons have become interested
in this strange religious system. Different mo-
lives have doubtless Influenced different minds,
for the motives which Mormonism presents are
~ many and as Heterogeneous as the elements
which enter into and make up the system. In
! different sense from that In which the express
hon is used by 81. Paul, ait becomes all things
10 all men,"