Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-11-16
Joe sm,,h 10 Jernsalen,. .

From the N, Y. World.
The Mormons do not appeal to the po-
etlcal sensibilities of most of u.s. But,
after all, that may be as much our fault
as theirs. Goethe declared manufac.
turing village to he the most poetical
sight he saw in Switzerland, and Goethe s
sensibilties were not duller, but only
keener than those of other men. If we
had not seen or heard by constant and
authentic report of the actual, concrete
and intensely prosaic Mormon, chewing
tobacco and defying Lindley Murray,
the history of Mormonism would seem
to us as strange and romantic as in real
ty it is. And no matter how familiar
we may be with the Mormon we must be
Impressed with the strangeness Of a Nor
mon mission to Jerusalem. That a
serious effort should be made, as
it appears that serious effort is making
for the planting in the most eastern
East OF the newest mushrooms of the
West is as amazing as, to the adventure
and the audAcity OF the men who have
made it, it ia an honorable thing. 1t is
to the birthplace Of the old religion,
which still holds the allegiance Of all
Europe, though il is no longer honored
in the country of its birth, that the evan
gelists Of Utah propose to introduce the
new. Moses and Joe Smith are an as
tonishing pair Of pendants. Whether
the progress of railways and the influx
of emigrants have admopished the Nor
mona under Young, as the outraged virtue
of Illinois notified very abruptly the Nor
mons under Smith, that they can have
no contin2.ng city, or whether the
mission is mission simply and not what
its members would call prospect
ing tour we cannot certainly know But
it would be unwise to predict the failure
Of it in sither case. The practice of DO
lygamy certainly would not repel the
modern Egyptian. And IL would be
difficult to disabuse the modern Egyp.
tian of the notion which he has unques.
tionably derived from the performances
Of the Hoodlum Butler, as the official
representative Of his country, that poly,
gamy is the prevailing practice Of Amer
lea. Aside from this, the average Nor
mon is at least as well adapted to affili-
ate with Egyptians as the average Meth
odisl or Baptist OF Presbyterian. The
writer Of the Book of Mormon, whatever
else lie was, was thoroughly imbued with
the sentiments aRd the diction Of the
Old Testament, and the readers
Of that book win be pilgrims 10
the same shrines as the newcomers Of
plymouth Church who did that famous
pilgrimage to Palestine three or four
years ago, and they will visit them, we
should say, with very nearly the same
preparation TO appreciate them. If they
conclude 10 set up their tWioe,snuhbed
Ebeneser in Egypt or in Palestine there
is little to prevent them. The crusading
spirit has gone as obsolete among Mo-
hammedans as among Christians, and
the shrewd and thrifty Mormons will be
at least as welcome as any class OF their
countrymen, though they may, more
than any other class Of their country
men, affict mankind With 9 sense Of gro
tesque iuoongruity between themselves
and their environment. and exempliiYsl
more fully than it has ever before beeTI
exempli6ed, the spirit of Thackerays
famous couplet
Esse her Stop her
..rs Any passengers for Joppa!