The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-08-24
THE MORMONS, OR LATTER DAY
SAINTS IN THE VALLEY OF THE


author is an officer of the L. S. Typographical
Engineers. who belonged IN an exploring ex-
TX a.lion sen, out by government TO the Ureui
Sal, Lake, underline command of Capt. How-
ard Stansbury. He appears to be we'll pleased
with the kindness and hospitality extended to
him by the Mormons, speaks most lavorably OF
their industrious and peaceful dispositions
among themselves, ard rather admires the fer.
veucy and steadiness OF their religion zeal
while he disapproves some of its instructions
On the whole, he may be accounted friendly
observer Of their faith and practice. He derives
his views from their public preschings and
their private conversations. He presents us,
IN the FIRST part of the book, with their represen
tatlons OF their history, and their doctrines in
the latter part of it, with his own version OF
the former, and his own comments upon the
latter. Even here, his pen shows the bias given
= it by his kind reception at the hands of the
Mormons. He adopts from them some shock
ing stories about the cruelty of the people OF
Missouri aud relates, at page no. on the au-
thority of their historians, how some Mormon
prisoners pere fed By Missourians on the
flesh Of their Siaughte, ed comrades-and
how others rere Shutup tdefenceiess in a log
house, to the number of twenty, and shot to
death IN cold blood, through the crerices.-
These incredible horrors are narrated by the
same people, who attest the miracles wrought
by Joe Smith both before and after his death
and he who believes, upon such testimony, the
atrocious deeds charged upon his fellow citi
xens of Missouri, can hardly be thought ILL.,
inclined towards the Latter Day Saints
Moreover, the qualified and apologize manner
in which he speaks of the doctrines which he
is compelled in candor to condemn, evinces no
purpose to set down aught in malice and we
are. therefore, independently of the presump-
ton in his favor from his official character, dis
posed TO rely on the fidelity of his account Of
their tenets. Nevertheless, we are convinced,
that the truth Of his statements aciU be i'm
pedched by the Mormons Meu selres, and pro-
badly by the rery tongues from mhich he re-
ceired them. His disclosures are not the first
upon these SUBJECTS and however true, they
will be denied like their predecessors, whenev-
er it is poll ic to do so. Indeed, he tells us in
SO many words, at page 67, that it is held
proper by them, $50 deny Notwithstanding its
truth any thing offensive to the Christian
world at large, especially when the affirmation
would do others no good, ami themselves
harm !" and further that tthe Initiated would
not hesitate to rebuke the impairment curiosi>
ty of the Morm0nish, Ia term we don't quite
UNDERSTOOD and to "meet the outsiders with a
flat "denial Of what to true believer, would
be readily admitted as correct" Lieutenant
Gunnison doubtless expects lat least he should
do sol to be denounced and discredited by the
faithful, as all 9th ers have been who preceded
him. We hope that the Mormon thunder will
not sour the milk of human kindness, with
which their good deeds have heretofore filled
his heart to overlooking.
Among their leading tenets though not all ac-
knowledged openly to the world, Lit. Gunnison
assures US that the following are protested and
taught IN their books and their pulpit preach
ing, or derived in conversation from their
principal men tpage 81 to 60-I4O ALL
l. They maintain that God himself is man. |
only man made perfect that he dwelt on |
earth, and was, in all respects, Just such a man |
as Adam that he laid down his body on earth
and took II up again in Heaven and that by
obedience and faith we too may become per.
lsct, and attain to the power of creating and
popping planets, and so govern them forever.
IN subordInalion to the Everlasting Gospel"
y had
&C., and SO on back to the
Head God, that called the Grand Council to-
gether when the worlds came rolling into exis-
Ience )" that, in his turn, she came to the |
earth and wooed and won the Virgin Mary to |
be the wife OF his bosom !" that they met and |
we're married on the plains of Palestine; and |
that Jesus Christ is the offspring of their
inion. In one word it is the mystery of the
incarnation degraded into gross fable O.
he Heather Mythology.
8. That the Head God derived his existence
rom what they call the Everlasting Cos
ell by which our author says they mean the
anne thing as the Laws of Nature /; that Gods,
lale and female, were thus produced, and 9TH
oouS sprung from tnetn IN succession Dut
hat The original deiiies themselves owed their
reation to the union and power of certain self
ristent principles or atoms Of inteiigence
md matter.
4. They teach, also, species of Purgatory
eliei, to which they apply the Baptism for
he dead-a doctrine of Transmigraton, the
oul ascending or descending in the scale of be-
ng,according to lis works-they claim the ca
'acity to acquire, and in some cases the ac-
ial possession, Of the Gift of Prophecy, the
lift of Tongues, the Gift of Healing Diseases.
nd various other miraculous powers, inclu.
ing that ofpromulgating Revelations received
irectIy from Heaven.
S. The last doctrine we shall notice is that
f Polygamy, or the system of spiritual
vifery." This feature in their policy and
,or Ills has been over and over again denied by
he Mormons, and their friends among the
ientiles. Lieut.. Gunnison tells us that its
-.tL 90 xorfo.fI,, mani fest in ann 0ue resid;a1