Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-08-22

b. Y.-Not one penny. No Bishop, no FL
der no Deacon, or other church officer, receives
any compensation for his official services.
Bishop is often required to put his hand in his
own pocket and provide therefrom for the poor
of his charge but he never receives anything
for his services
IL 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 will not do the Church's work for nothing
is not wanted in her service even our Law
yers (ponting TO Gen Ferguson aud another
present, who are the regular lawyers OF the
Church) are paid nothing for their services l
am the only person in the Church who has not
a regular calling apart from the Church's ser
vice, an never received one farthing fiom her
treasury if 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 other clerks, but
no one is ever paid for any ser yice pertaining
to The ministry. We think a man who cannot
make his living aside from the Ministry of Christ
unsuitcd TO that office. | am called rich, and
consider myself worth S250,000; but no dollar
OF it was ever paid me by the Church or for any
/ service as minister of the Everlasting Gospel.
! l 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 Illinois
but nothing was ever made up to me by the
! Church, nor by any one. believe know how
to acquire property and how to take care Of it.
II. G.-Can you give me any rational eX.
planatiOn of tho aversion and hatred with which
your people are generally regarded by those
among whom they have lived aud with whom
they have been brought directly in contact
B. Y-No other explanation than is afforded
by the crucifixion 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 de-
cried ard traduced-that it is hardly ever deem
ed respectable TO belong to one-that the Bap-
lists, @ takers, Methodsts, Universasts, &c.i
have each in their turn been regarded in the
infancy VI their sect as the oifscouring of the
earth yet l cannot remember that either OF
them were ever geuerally represented and re-
garded by the older sects Of their early days as
thieves, rObbors, murderers
B Y.--lf you will consllt the contemporary
Jewish accounts of the life and acs of Jesus
Christ, you will find that he and his disciples
were accused Of every abominablo deed and
purpose-robbery and murder included Such a
work is still extant, and may be found by those
who seek it.
H. G.-what do you say of the so called
Danites, or Destroying Angels, belonging to
your Church
B WHAT Z o you say know of no such
band, no such persons organization. hear
/ of them only in the sIanuers of our enemies.
II. G.-With regard, then, to the same ques-
ton on which your doctrine and practices are
avowedy at war with those of the Christian
world-that of a plurality OF wiyes-is the
system Of your Church acceptable to the ma
jority Of its women
Is. 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. Glow general is poygamy among
you
B. Y.-Icould not say. Some of those pres
ent [heads of the Church, have each but one
wife others have more each determines what
! is his individual duty.
| H. G-Whatis the largest number Of wives
belonging to any one man
! b. VI have fifteen; know no one who
has more but some of those sealed to me are
old ladies' whom | regard rather as mothers
than wives, but whom have taken home TO
cherish and support
H. G.-Does not the Apostle Paul say that
! a bishop should be " the husband of one wife %
B. So we hold We do not regard any
but married man as fitted for the office Of
bishop But the Apostle does not forbid a
bishop having more wives than one.
H. G.-Does not Christ say that he who
puts away his wife, or marries one whom an
other puts away, commits adultery
B. Yes and hold that no man should
ever put away wife except for adutery-not
always even for that. Such is my individual
view of the matter do not say that wives
have never been put away in our Church, but
that do not approve of the practice.
H. Glow do you regard what is com
monty termed the Christian Sabbath
b Y-As a diviney appointed day of rest.
We enjoin all to rest from secular labor on that
day We would have no man ensaved to the
Sabbath, but we enjoin all 10 respect and enjoy
| it.
! Such is, as nearly as l can recollect, the sub
stance Of nearly two hours conversation, where
in much was said incidentally that would not
be worth reporting, even if could remember
and reproduce it, and wherein others bore a
paIt; bat, as President oung is the first min
lister Of the Mormon Church, and bore the prln-
cipal part in the conversation, l have reported
his answers alone to my questions and observa-
tons The others appeared uniformly to defer
to his views, and to acquiesce fully IN his re
sponses and explanations. He spoke readily
not always with grammatical accuracy, but with
no appearance of hesitation or reserve, anC
with no apparent desire to conceal anything
nor did he repel any of my questions as imper
tinent. He was very plainly dressed III thir
summer clothing, and with no air of sancti
mony or ianatci m. IN appearance, he is q
portly, frank, good-natured, rather thick-set
man of fifty five, seeming to enjoy life, and be
in no particular hurry to get to heaven. Hit
associates are plain men, evidently born anc
reared to a life of labor, and locking as little
like crafty hYpocrites or swindlers any body
OF men | ever met. The absence Of cant o.
shuttle from their manner was marked and gen
eral, yet, think may iairly say that theI
Mormonism has not impoverished them--tha
they were generally poor men when they EN-
braeed it, and are now in very comfortable cir
cumstanccs-as men averaging three ur lou
wives apiece certainly need to be-
# / hazard any criticisms on Mormol.
ism generally, l reserve them for sepa
rate letter. being determined to make this
fair and full expose of the doctrine and poll
ty, in the very words of its Prophet ia
as l con recall them. ] do not believe Presi
dent Young himself could present them il
terms calculated % render them lees obnoXiou
to the Gentle world than the above. But
7 have a right 10 add here, because | said it {
p the assembled chiefs at the close Of the aboy
colloquy, that the degradation (or, if you pleas
the restriction) OF Woman to the single ofiio
of child-bearing and its accessories, is an ineyi
b table consequence Of the system here para
mount. l have not observed q sign in IN
J., streets, an advertisement in the journals, of thi
Mormon metropolis, whereby a woman propc
n ses to do anything whatever. No Mormo
has ever cited to me his wile's or any woman
?. | ouinion on any subject no Mormon Woma
has been introduced or has spoken to me anC
49,. l. -. E.... ..I.L ~ .l.LL MnrL...L.. !