The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-12-29
From the Columbia Cdrolinian, Deer l7h.
THE LECTURE OF MR.. JOHN HYDE.


fist Church, last evening, full of curiosity to
| hear the lecture upon Brigham Young and
| Salt Lake City," by the ex- Mormon Elder,
Mr. John Hyde, Jr. After few PREDATORY
remarks, appealing TO his audience as sup
porters of religion ard republican govern
ment TO look upon the Mormon faith as one
of the severest and most contemplate forms
of government on the face of the earth, he
| commenced the history of his experience.
Nine years ago, he said, in happy and
| comfortable home in London, the Mormon
faith first reached me. But Mormonism in
| Europe and Mormonism in America are two
different systems. All its abhorrent pecu-
| liarties were vehemently denied. They
| seemed singular people, and were repre-
scented as being singularly pure and blessed.
listened to their statements. Their earn
est zeal and elf-deyotion excited my curl
osity and enlisted my sympathies. Their
novel dogmas and sophistry bewildered my
reason. and COMPOUNDED my objections.
was boy of fifteen. l judged it with a
boys udgment-embraced it with boys
ardor. Three months after my baptism,
was ordained a priest and began preaching
| the system as 1 believed it, in various por-
! tons of England and France. In 1853, I
| sailed from Liverpool for America, with
four hundred emigrants, our destination be-
ing the Salt Lake Valley. From New Or
leans we assembled the Mississippi to Keo-
lux, where he united with the rest of the
Mormon emigrants, $500 in number. Over
the broad plains of Nebraska, we slowly
wendell our way-the sun our pillar of fire
by day, and we followed his course to the
West. One golden evening in October,
weary and foot sore, we climbed rugged
acknowledgements dwindled into silver
threads, and looked like white snakes twist
ing among the deepening foliage. Around
US the snow clad hills-above us the Grim
son clouds-before US the Salt Lake VAL
lley-the city of promise-the land of life !!
I remember how l wept and shouted, how
wives hung upon their husbands, how faith
ers blessed their children, how grey heads
were bowed in prayer. With one voice, we
shouted Hosannah while the hills echoed
it up to Heaven, and the mountain breeze
waited it down toward our brethren, our
city, our home. But alas, for our error =
Alas for our infatuation
After giving graphic description of the
city, the lecturer now described the doc
trine of Mormonism, in which he said that
their faith tried to define, limit and describe
the means and manner of all existence,
which it pretends to draw from a garbled
use of the Scriptures. There are many
gods, they say; one is the omnipotent pres
ident over infnity. He is the result of an
accidental accumulation of atoms of intelli-
gent matter that have eternally existed ~.
Under this great head come the inferior
gods, who preside over each separate astral
system that circles with their solar system
| arnnnd the throne of the great Am Still
inferior to these are the gods of the various
solar systems, such they believe is the God
whom the Jews call Jehovah, whose domin-
ion is limited to the narrow boundaries of
our planets. And below these deities, they
think that each world has its particular god.
Of this world they say that Adam is the
god, and that Jesus Christ is the son. Still
inferior to this god, each dispensation has
its god also. Joseph Smith is the god of
this dispensation, and Brigham Young of
this portion of it. The attributes of deity,
say they, are infinite wisdom and absolute
power. Implicit confidence in and passive
| obedience to this authority is the only duty
of and salvation for mankind. The faith
| full MOslems reverenced Mohammed as
Gods cegerent.-faithful Mormons do
more they revere Brigham Young as God
himself. The lecturer now describes the
| appearance of Brigham Young when he
| first saw him. He seemed large power
full man, about fifty years of age; his light
brown hair hung loosely and long about his
head broad round brow, quick and COM
handing grey eyes, firm mouth and chin.
| His voice is clear and sonorous, his style of
speech quick and decided, singularly af-
fecting the hearer. No description can
convey an adequate conception of his terri
BILE power of virtuperative eloquence. I
remember when Judge Snow, one of the
most able men among the Mormons, was
subjected to the ordeal of Brigham's curse,
the end of which was his Punishment to
Australia, where he is now a Mormon Mis-
sionary.
| The mysteries of Mormon initiation are
| a mere childish farce. The Neophyte is
summoned into the Endowment House,
there the males are separated from the
females, and sent to different sets of rooms.
He is laid in a bath, washed and blessed
all over in detail, and then pronounced
clean from the blood of this generation. A
new name is whispered in his ear, and he is
told that his salvation depends upon his re-
collecting it. He is then ushered into an
other room, anointed and scented with oil.
and again blessed from head to foot. He
is then clothed in white linen garment,
with symbolic marks upon each breast and
| I ~ 10