Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-11-04


He entertained Vice President Colfax, durlpf
the latter's recent visit.
! have already said that there arc no publi,
schools, to speak accurately. There is some sor
Of system of sehool-keeplHg, in each ward, bu
the instruction Is meagre, and relates as much Il
Mormonism as 10 arts and sciences. In othel
words, the Mormons have been shrewd enough
TO see that while true education frees the minf
and renders it independent there Is an instruction
which may be made to serve the cause of super
sttion and error. Except these schools there
are absolutely no others open to the children o.
the people, save one. This Is school established
under charge Of the Episcopal church of St.Mark
superintended by the excellent rector, Rev. MIR.
Eoote, and taught bya young lady from New
YORK, Miss Davenport, who In the true spirit Of
Christian philanthropy, has devoted herself tC
the missionary work of sowing good seeds
among this rocky soil. The school contains over
hundred pupils most of whom are children ol
the Gentle population. Some of the parents,
however, are converted Mormons, and few
probably may be members of that church.
| witnessed some Of the exercises, and as looked
upon the bright faces, the Intelligent smiles, the
quick eyes, of the Children said to myself surely
the abomluable and brutal delusion that is round
about them can never fetter the minds of these
such subjection as has dragged down their sisters
Such educational efforts as these, upon the chill
dren, will be strong lever to overturn the
deluslon of the parents.
The gentleman who accompanied DR.. Taylor
and myself to the school was Mr.. Street, Post
master Of the city. He, and the other United
States officials, are all steadfast and plan-spoken
opponents OF Mormonism. Indeed the absence
OF any great degree of reserve on the part OF the
Gentes 10 their disapproval OF the system, struck
me as quite marked. Itprobably Is yet not Gu
tlrely safe to exercise the fullest measure of free
speech, under the rule Of Brigham, but most of
those with whom / conversed seemed entirely
ready to take whatever amount OF risk there was.
Our own party, too, became involved In several
very warm controversies at our hotel, with de-
Tenders of Mormonism, and some of the attacks
they made upon 1t were surely of the most
sweeping and unreserved character. The young
lrishman who deals In photograph and stereo-
scopic views, ut the Townsend louse, was
harassed and pestored, perhaps might say over
whelmed with furious discussion that lasted
several hours, on the second evening Of onr visit
His argument was bascd however, upon the
asserted Divine revelations to Joe Smith aud
Brigham. He believed, and fully accepted them
as conclusive; our party rejected them as sheer
nonsense. Upon premises like these of course
there could be no reasoning. 1t is said that all
conversation of Gentiles, in opposition to Nor
monism, is reported by thoroughly organized
spy system to Brigham. If this remains the
custom, as fully as in the past 1t undoubtedly has
been, have only to say that Brigham will realize
with overwhelming fullness the adage concerning
listeners who hear no good of themselves. II he
is told all our party said Of him and his system,
he will have too prodigious meal for easy
digestion.
The time has been when men were shot down
by assassins In the dark for being obnoxious to
Mormonism. They have been enticed from their
homes, after night,an murdered by the waysidc.
There was no punishment Of course. In the
first place the police could never arrest the crimi-
mails; the police are all Mormons In the second
place, ii any one was arrested, he could not be
convicted You draw your iuries from the
people, md the people of Utah arc Mormons.
In such cases,an pretence OF justice was farce.
Persons are missed from their usual places are
inquired for, but never f0und-what can be done
about IL? There seems to be no probability Of
an enforcement of law until the courts are
thoroughly re-organlzed by Congress- The
Judges, prosecuting officers and sheritis must be
appointed by non Mormon authority, and the
juries must be drawn from other communities,
where individuals will not acquit criminal
because he is q Mormon, nor convict ON innocent
man because he is Gentle.
A little story of one of these "missing" cases
was told me during our stay. A year ago, or
thereabout, young clerk In the employment of
the Pacific Railroad Co., at Echo, had been in
tho habit Of coming occasionally to Salt Lake
City. He met, casually, and became acquainted
with, daughter OF Brigham. A mutual interest
soon resulted, and this ripened-as is usual-into
mutual love. The young clerk came repeatedly
to- the City, and met tho young lady. When
other opportunities failed, he boldly sealed the
wall that encloses the Prophets residence and
grounds, with the aid or certainly the connivance
OF his lady love, and fingered beneath the cot
tonwood shades, for on into the midnight hours.
But such love adventures could huve no
smooth channel for their flow. The young
mans visits were discovered and he received from
one Of the Mormon authorities distinct "warn-
ing" to ut once cease them.
OF course he did not
The sequel Is q brief one. am told that for q
year the young clerk has been missing from his
place at Echo, where he left his duties unsettled
and uncloscd. lie was last seen at Salt Lake
City. His baggage was for long timo at one of
the hotels, there, where he had himself left it.
Where he Ia, perhaps the Mormons can tell, and
you and can guess. The Bishops preach per-
petually in the Tabernacle, counseling' the
young Mormon girls not to have anything to
do with" the young Gentiles. 1t is q fact, how
ever, that this advice seems to have little effect
Tho Mormon girls do especially incline theil
smiles toward Gentle admirers, in spite of all the
polygamous old Bishops. 1t is no wonder they
| do; 1t would be Increased shame upon human
nature and w0manhood II they did not. Yc
Mr.. Oficy, Of the U. s. Collectors ofilce-fron
Smyrna, in our own State-tod me OF a woman
with whom he boarded, who fanatically ant
ceaselcssly sought to convert him to Mormon
| ism, and whose two young daughters she de
| clared should be married to none but man wht
believed in the sacred obligations OF polygamy
| II. NJ. j.
WHAT THEY CHARGE THEIR VISITORS Do-PRE
TENDING RESPECT, AND THEN ABUSING THEM.
SAN Francisco, October %.
1t is undoubtedly true that the Mormons trea
strangers clvilly, but the same may be said,
presume, of Americans or other civilized folk
everywhere. During our stay in Salt Lake City
the people with whom we met, of both classes
were courteous, and perhaps kind, but all on
intercourse, as general thing, was purely of
business character, and therefore we expecte
such treatment. We liked MIR. Townsend, ou
host of the Townsend House, very well, but fo
oil his good roast potatoes and mountain trout
we paid him the price he asked, and of cours
expected that he should be cheerful and agrees
bic. II he had been offensive or abusive, W
should not have recommended-as we now do
our friends who visit Salt Lake City to tarry wit
him and his three Mrs. Townsends.
But what / set out to talk about was the MOI
mon charge that persons come to Salt Lake an
"enjoy their hospitality" ask a great man
questionsget clear inside the shell of their heart
suck out all their gushing condolences, and the
go home and misrepresent" them. How yo
could possibly misrepresent people whose mora
are like those of Utah, unless you declared thei
virtuous, enlightened and law-abiding eommi
nltv, do not clearly perceive, but certain It
that they complain as have stated. The Epeni'
Ne,cs Che organ OF the church, edited by Cannol
.. a great gun of Mormonsm,) assails Miss Dickii
son, Mr.. Bowles, aud Kennedy, the Scotch vocalis
I severely, on this ground.
The trouble Is that there has been some flaw,
of truth in it. Everybody who went to Salt Lal
wanted to have as pleasant visit as possible, al
to find out all they could about the condition
things; many scraped acquaintance with ii
] Mormons, and smoked pipes of peace arouu
their camp-fires; some opened their peck
whisky TASKS and took sociable pull, all aroun
and altogether, during their stay lraternixed,a al
hob-nobbed, and pow-wowed like the hapI
: | family. But when they went away, 1t was wi
!. convictions very much against Mormonism, al
\ If they expressed themselves TO the world at a
! of course they gave publicity TO these conviction
! Like tho newspaper tribe who interview
u people, they first politely pumped the Mormo
of all that could be pumped, and then went al
gave them particular fits about 1t.
Hence these tears.
In oil seriousness, however, no traveller nee
a to accept any favors, Mt all In Salt Lake cit
:, What he gets he pays for, and the Mormons O
glad of the bargain. He need not go and call I
Brigham, and pretend he come first payhis
N spects, unless he chooses TO put himself in su
y" humiliating position. He need not be compl
N SAINT or complimentary to the system, unless
IN chooses. He need not pretend to approve poly
nj amy, unless he chooses. He need not go poki
" around after Mormon hospitality, unless
y chooses. Consequently, II he goes Independent
4. and stays independently, he can come away, a
rs say-dccenlly-nrst what he saw and what