The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-09-01

to the payment. Each member acts in
the premises according to his pleasure,
under the dictates Of. his own con-
science. -
H. G.-What is done with the pro-
ceeds of this tithing?
B. Y.-Part of it is devoted to build
ing temples and other places Of wor-
ship; part to helping the poor and
needy converts on their way to this
country; and the largest portion to
the support Of the poor among the
Saints,
H. G.-Is none of it paid to Bishops
and other dignitaries of the church,
B. Y.-Not penny. No Bishop, no
Elder, no Deacon, or other Church of
fcer, receives any compensation for his
official services. A Bishop is often re-
quired to put his hand In his own pock-
ct and provide therefrom for the poor of
his charge; but he never receives any
thing for his services. -
II. Glow, then, do your ministers
live? =
B. Y.-By the labor of their own
hands, like the first apostles. Every
Bishop, every Elder, may be daily seen
at work in the field or the shop, like
his neighbors every minister of the
Church has his proper calling by which
he earns the bread Of his family; he
who cannot or willnot do the Church's
work for nothing is not wanted in her
service; even our lawyers (pointing to
Gen. Ferguson and another present,
who are regular lawyers Of the church,
are paid nothing for their services; 1
am the only person in the Church who
has not regular calling apart from
the Church's service; and / never re-
ceived one farthing from her treasury;
if l obtain anything from the
tithing-house, | am charged with and
pay for it, just as any one else would (;
the clerks in the tithing store are paid
like any other clerks, but no one is ever
paid for any service pertaining to the
ministry. We think man who cannot
make his living aside from the ministry
of Christ unsuited to the office. / am
called rich, and consider myself worth
$25O,000; but no dollar of it was eyer
paid me by the Church or for any SER
vice as a minister of the Everlasting
Gospel. | lost nearly all / had when
we were broken up in Missouri and
driven from that State / was nearly
stripped again when Joseph Smith was
murdered and we were driven from IL
linois; but nothing was ever made up
to me by the Church, nor by any one.
L believe know how to acquire proper
ty and how to take care of it.
H. G.-Can you give me any ration
al explanation of the aversion and
hatred with which your people are gen.
orally regarded by those among whom
they have lived and with whom they
have been brought directly in contact?
b. No other explanation than is
offorded by the crucifxtion of Christ
and the kindred treatment of Gods
ministers, prophets and saints in all
ages.
II. G.-I know that a new sect is
always decried and traduced-thatitis it is
hardly ever deemed respectable to be-
long to one-that the Baptists, Qua-
kers, Methodists, Universalists, Unita-
rians, &C., have each in their turn been
regarded, in the infancy of their sect
as the off-scouring of the earth; yet
4 cannot remember that either of them
were ever generally represented and
regarded by the older sects of their
early days as thieves, robbers, MUIR
derers. -
B. Y.-If you will consult the CO.
temporary Jewish accounts of the life
and acts of Jesus Christ, you willfind that
he and his disciples were accused of
every abomnible deed and purpose
robbery and murder included. Such q
work is still extant, and may be found
by those who seek it.
ii. G.-What do you say of the So
called Danites, or Destroying Angles,
belonging to your Church ? m
b. Y.-What do you say? / know
of no snch band, no such persons or
organization. / hear of them only in
the slanders of our enemies.
III. G.-With regard to the grave
question on which your doctrines and
practices are avowedly at war with
those of the Christian world-that of
plurality of wives-is the system Of
your Church acceptable to the majori-
ty of its women?
B. Y.-They could not be more
averse to it than [ was when it was
first revealed to us as the Divine will.
| think they generally accept it, as do
as the will of God.
H. G.-How general is polygamy
among you?
B. VI could not say, Some of
those present (heads Of the Churoh)
have each but one wife; others have
more; each determines what is his indi-
vidual duty.
III. G.-What is the largest number
of wives belonging to any one man?
b. VI have fifteen; know one
who has more but some of those
sealed to me are old ladies whom l re-
gard rather as mothers than wives, but
whom have taken home to cherish
and support.
HI. G.-Does not the Apostle Paul
say that bishop should be G the hus-
band of one wife 90 =,
B. Y.-So we hold. We do not re-
gard any but a married man as fitted
for the offica f,f b;sbon Ruf tha Apoe-