The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-27
TIE BROOKLYN M0RM0NS.
IgACTIVE BRANCH or THE CHURCH
LATTER DAY SAINTS.
The Members Relieving but not Prnctisipg
PoIyaamv Brother BtwBter's Earnest
RrnnptIiam-A Eornldn bic SchIsm.


Of the Church Of the Latter Day Saints" have Of
late been numerously gaining members. The
new converts have been induced to Join by the
efforts q Brother B,water. assisted by Elder
Cumming, a missionary from salt Lake city,
and other laborers for the c use OF Brigham
Young. The head OF the williamsbureh branch
Is Brother Bywater, and he does not yet assume
10 the title OF elder. but performs nearly all the
duties Of that once. lie preactes nearly every
Sabbath. md administers the sacrament Of COM
munon to the faithful. Until the BROOKLYN
Motmons are able to build a tabernacle they
will wors hip in hired putlc halls. At present
they occupy Americas Hall, l76 Grand street.
where they hold meetings II o'clock eye,y sun
day afternoon. The services are usu lly at
tended by from Hfty to sevcnty-nve Mormon
mon and women, and the seats allotted TO out
siders are always well filled. The seats occupied
by the faithful are arranged 30 a. to Keep The
saints separate from visitors. At one side OF
The room there Is a piano. used In acco mpani-
ment 10 the singing. and on the opposite side
four seats are arranged In the form Of hollow
square One Of these Il shorter than the others,
and thus an entrance Is Afforded to the enclosure,
In which IL table, around which sit the choir.
A large. porly man. somewhat past middle life,
heads the singing. His voice Is heavy as, Hnd
when he opens his mouth the room seems nlled
win Earring hOlIOW VIBRATION, ana IL "a easy 10
Imagine that the windows rattle. The Mormon
tunes are HOMOGENEOUS. There IL nothing OF the
hvelinees and fctvOr OF revival music In them.
The words, too, are ~ "A quiet order and contain
few extrhv, giant expressions OF pety / he Nor
mons sing Of peace and contentment In what
they, term the consciousness Of the watchf i
care Of God, but they rarely get eIcifed IN their
meetings. The choir In the MiliamsDureh
CHURCH COMPRISES, In addition to the leader,
several young men and women whose snVing
would not compare unfavorably with that Of
most church chOirs.
foot high, on which Is a preachers desk. The
platform " large enough to accommodate not
only The preacher, but dozen otnen. Onv
the leading and venerable men are allowed To
occupy this elevated place. Women and young
men never sit there.
Tue MORMON PREACHER.
Brother Dywater IL nity-fvo or sixty years Of
the top Of his head. lie l. andhle. and seems
kindly disposed toward all the world lie savs
the MurmOns are not the tad people they are
represented to be. hey aim to do al the good
they can, are charitable Hs far az they are At ie
and teach creed Of meesness and good he
bayior which would do crrdi to any churcn
While differing from the G,ntiles in their views
on me subject OF polysany, the Mormons Of
Wililamsbutgh do not practise pulygamy. No
member OF the congregation has more than one
wife, although thcy think they have right to
their non-practise Of this doctrine Ia Difference
20 the customs here. Brother Bvwater admits
that what would be sanctioned In Salt Lake
could not be done here, where the Mormons are
few and the Gentes numerous. lie believes
a Romans
DO. Another Willamsbureh Mormon tod the
INQUIRER that, 50 f-r as he knew, there were no
Rev. Beechers among the Mormons. No elder
70 the church OF the Liter Day Saints was ever
known TO exchange the affections of wife from
her husband. While poll gamy is encouraged
and urged as a DUTY by Brgnam Young, The
hormons hold tn odultery Is one OF the
greatest crimes TINT can ne perpetrated. Tue
wife of each Wilamsbutgn Mormon Is
sealed TO bin bv solemn and IMPRESSIVE
ceremony, In addition TO the ordinary mar
mage and the bond OF weuluck Is suppose
n Ia
but through all eternity. when woman Is
sealed to man once, she Is sealed to Lin f1r
peciallY inculcate ten pei. nee, and ali members
arc required to take pledge to ABSTAIN iron
over-indulgence In Intoxicating HOURS. Tho
tenn erance idea is extcnued to food, and the
brethren are y irticularly enjoincd against be
coming gluttons. The wearing expensive
clotling IL prohibited, and extravarance in dress
u recorded a. grevOus sin, Brother Bywatcr
Tor nearly thirty years has been u member tne
Mormon church, and Is IGN m Young, In con-
slider ton II his good service, has constituted
him President OF the New York Conference Of
Latter Day Saints, which has jlrisdic ION over
the two trancues IN Kings aud Queens counties,
n Y, and four IN Pennsylvania. These SIX
branches send delegates to an annual confer
ence, the sessions of which are presided over by
Brother Bywater. The next conference Will he
held in American Hall. Niiliamsburgh, In the
spring. and then report wi be read showing
prosperous condition of the church In tue New
YORK Conference. The WilamsburRh branch
has III ore members than any one Of the Others,
with the exception Of one Of the Pennsylvania
congregations.
THE MORMON SCHEME OF SALVATION.
The New York Conference has Just received
from Elder Lorenzo Snow OF Salt Lake, one OF
tbe twelve apostles OF the church. a ~ anlfesto
tor promuRation. This Is not exactly new
old doctrines. IL Is entitled, The Only Way
70 be Saved" Elder snow declares that there
are certain pri nciples established Of God,
which, being Understood and observed, will cut
men III possession Of spiritual knOwled- e, gift..
am BLESSINGS. The mani este goes on 10 state
nat pllsm Is an important principle TO De
attended To In obt lining remission Of sins
The destruction ~ the antediluvlan world by
water, Elder snow claims, was typical of re-
ceNlng remission OF sins through Baptism. he
ea'whrl Alter G. ming out II the river JORDAN,
fec-Nrd the Holy Ghost. These exa lplrs ars
he'd % show clearly that water has been hp-
pointed as q medium through which heavenly
bic sinss are oh aned Tho Mormons claim That
Were Is oniy one method OF administering the
ceI"nunN OF baptism and that Is bv immersion
epnnklDg Is OF no avail. elder snow quotes ex
uacts from the writings OF 81. Paul 10 snow that
" the saints were buried with Chris, by baptism"
sDd claims thai person cannot De buried by
cper Withuut being ehtifely overwhelmed or
covered " "ater lhe MoTmons believe IN a
personal God and personal urvil. aud that
1od needs devil the same hunter needs
suuR. lhey hold tnat spirit am matter are
eternal, indestTuctiole, and the uniting OF the
amf.es In spirt and matter PRODUCED u God.
Ihs, they claim, placed ali power In Him. there
oy lie becime the Almighty. Brother Bywater,
W I'VE sermons To the WllliamsDurgn congrega-
lion, inculcates the idea that among the snlri,-
sal powers there was once a revolution. wnen
balan' who had been an angel OF light, turned
against God, and the devils repulsivaness Il
Naches that the voice II the inspiration Is not
yet dohe away with; that the spirit OF prophecy
Nhlch actuated and insured the ancient pro-
phets j. now possessed by brigham Young aud
the Elders Of the Mormon Church.
Mother bywater Ii not well educated. He has
what learning might be OBTAINED Ia few years
attendance at a country common school his
sermons nave olunders showing that he IA i0no-
rant o. the rules OF grammar. lie has also an
lhpedlment OF speech, when mars nis delivery,
yet ne speaks Win an eAruestness and ylgor
Wblth rrN his hearers vii MIN to fair Vx.
Mut' ana occasionally convert them to his way
o. thinking. While speaking hs has habit OF
boklhg ABOUT his conRrrg. tiUn aud Catching the
eyes VI lndividu hearers IN manner wiich
imptesseA them with the belief thai
ne 10 speaking 10 each one personally lie
earns ms livelihood by hard work m a secular
pursuit, Tor he Ia poor In this WORLDS goous and
81 the service he renders the church by prea-n.
Ing and missionary work Is uone without s.l ~
liz saJs his reverb will be In the rie ~ come
AccEssIoNs FROM EUROPE.
Resides laboring to extend Motmonism In this
VlcMIy, the Nillidmsburgh 8 ints have Tor one
OF their objerts the welcoming OF entrants
from Europe who land Ia this city on their way
70 ;. IL Lake and other Mormon communities In
the west Just now the number OF emisr. nts
sinNinl Is quite ldr-e. The new corners must be
here. N 'N' 'N'''
II II not gtUfr lIv urdcretond that n solta,,