Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-07-26

THE MOuaIONS.
IL ID stated a. a remarkable fact that out
Of some eight or nine thousand dissenters
from the established churh in Denmark,
some two thousand are Mormons. II is
from Europe that the Mormon proselytes
are principally gathered, and we see il
noted that some thousands Of women in the
old world have been this year added to the
Mormon faith, about FIVE hundred OF whom
have recently arrived in New York on
their way to Utah. II, however, ouT own
country does MOI furnish the mass Of the
disciples Of this religion, so-called, it has
the honor Of having produced its inventor,
aud Of permitting the development Of
society which is not very credilable 10 our
civilization. Whilst in the East polygamy
has been almost universal, il ia exclusively
al oriental institution and among Chris
tan naiions has never been tolerated. Even
while il prevailed among the barbarous ma
tions Of antiquity. Tacilus makes mention
Of a notable exception in a race with which
our uwn ia closely identi6ed-ihe Germans
who, almost alone among the barbarianp,
are content with single Wife, The prac-
rSs was unknown IN republican, Rome or
among the Greeks OF modern times. In .he
sixteenth century Bernardus Ochinus pub
lished Dialogues in Favor Of Polygamy,"
10 which Bezs replied; aud in two Other
works, an the same century, one Of which
WAS published in London, the same doc
trine is indicated. The Mormonq, how
ever, are the only organisation in Christen-
dom which has reduced this principle to
practice, and il may be safely said that this
ia the only country in which such an ex-
pertinent could be made with any prospect
Of SUCCESS. Religious liberation is here an
established fact, though there are limits to
this principle. For example, there are
some races Of men who practice human
sacrifices an a part Of religious worship. II
any Of them should emigrate hither. il is
clear they would not be permitted freedom
10 "worship God" in that way. Nor would
any other sect be permitted practices which
involve crimes against morality. In all
the States polygamy il punished by inn
Prisonment in the penitentiary, and its
claim 10 liberation because Mormonism as
sumes il to be part Of religion would
surely not be admitted II practiced within
State limits.
The growth Of this new sect Is not very
creditakle 20 the boasted enlightenment Of
CDR own age and country A more igno7
rant and vulgar impostor than lie inventor,
Joe smith, il not TO be found anywhere.
II WAS testified 90 under oath, in 1888, by
upwards Of sixty Of those represented to be
most respectable citizens OF Wayne county,
New York, where Smith lived, that the |
smith family was Of immoral false and |
fraudulent character, and that he was the |
worst Of them The "B0ok of Mormon |
which Smith claimed as a revelation, was /
written by one Solomon Spaiding, an au- 1
thor Of some very worthless novels, who /
wrote a romance 10 account for the peopling l
Of America hy deriving the Indians FROM
the Hebrews lie died sOOn after placing |
his manuscript in a printing Office with /
which Sidney lagdon, Afterwards 4 Nor, i
mon, WAS connected, and it Is believed thai i
Il WAS through Regions agency that a copy 1
% &c afterwards got into Smiths handA
Smith at FIRST confined himself 10 teaching
the doctrine that the millennium was close
st hand, that the Indians were % be speed-
lily converted, and that America was To be
the final gathering place Of the saints-a |
prediction which does not seem at present
ia any very rapid process Of lalGilment
The Mormon church was first regularly
organized al Manchester, N. Y, in APRIL
1880. IN January, 1881, Kirkland. Ohio. !
WAS selected a. their new Jerusalem, bui |
they soon became odious with the people.
About this time, Brigham Young, the pres
sut chief, Was converted, and his talent aud
shrewdne-s soon rendered him prominent
Ia the organization. Having been forced
10 leave Ohio, they settled in Missouri,
where, driven from town 10 town, they
finally, in 1871, laid the foundation Of new
Mormon temple in NnWuo, IN. In 1913, |
Joe. Smith'a wife, having some iealousies
OF her husbands fidelity, that eminent
saint u b stated, protested TO recsive n rev
citation authorizing polygamy. This wa
the hrzt that was heard Of this doctrine
among the Mormons, and il caused 40 much
scandal that in 1916, the heads Of the
church deemed d prudent t0 put forth a
formal denial Of the charge in The follow
ing Words "lnasnuch ~ this church Of
Christ has been reproached with the crimes
Of iornicstion and Polygamy, We declare
that We believe that one man should have
hat one wife, ara one woman bat one hus
band, except in case Of death, when either
h. nj liberty 30 marry again IL was not !
a a. Al ~ 1 Il L
trine on the authority Of the revelation Of
lS43, but in the meantime Smiths allegul
efforts 10 corrupt the female population lcsl
10 riots, in one Of which he was killed, anal
The iaLsbiiants we've driven out In May,
lS4s, the Mormon settlement was COM
menced in Utah, and an emigration hnil
Was established, by which- large numbers
Of converts have been brought from abroad. !
chiefly from Great Britain, and especially |
Wales, a considerable number from Sweden |
and Norway, and a smaller number frou,
Switzerland and France. IL be
comes al interesting subject Of inquiry,
whether that side Of the continent winch h
nearest 10 Asia il 10 become the seal Of ASH
afic institutions and Utah % be fbe ad-
vance guard in an aggressive movement Of
oriental customs upon the States this side
he Rocky Mountains. In the meantime
L musJ be dieicult qaestioa for Uongress
10 handle, "a apart from pOlygamy, there :
ran be no ground under our system OF :
for the interference with the
Mormon Fsore than sny other religion. Il {
z also 60 be- considered that the great mass
4 the Mormon disciples, especially the I
limgse- ainded and ignorahf emigr@Rts
rOn abroad, are honest though delOded
Dsopls, and EbateEeT may be iheir bottoms
boat poly gany, DO not practice Il them
elves. IL would seem hard that such ~
hess ehould be made 10 suffer for the
Of the leaders. Whilst il f
Tould be within the province OF Congress g