The Portland daily press., 1876-11-28
MECHANICS, COURSE.
Lecture by A. II. Lewis, Esq.

| The third entertainment in the Mechanics
Course, lecture, was delivered last evening b,
A. f. Lewis, Esq, of Fryeburg. There was
good house and the lecture proved very inter
| esting one. The theme was "Mormonism from
| Yankee Standpoint"
Mr.. Lewis opened his lecture by referenc,
to the fact that Americans who wish to see the
| grand and magnificent in nature need no long
| er leave their own country and cross the ocean
While confessing to his own longing to scale
the Alps and roam through the Black Forest
to travel over vine clad France and enjoy thu
skies and scenery OF Italy, he thought ever,
American should first travel over his owr
| country, and learn more thoroughly by actua
observation of the grandeur of its imperial do
main and its vast and almost unlimited re
sources. The speaker remarked that his tonic
though somewhat delicate in some of its as.
poets, he should endeavor to treat fairly
plainly and candidly, regardless of old preiu.
dices either on his own part or that of his audi.
ence. He showed thorough acquaintance
with his subject, and while admitting the
faults, weaknesses and absurdities of the Nor
mon system, he presented it in more favora.
BILE light than it has usually been regarded by
those who have had to get their knowledge of
it secondhand
Mr.. Lewis spoke at length of the faith and
tenets of the Mormon Hierarchy In some in
stances it comedies, while in other phases it
clashes with existing theologies. With the
Mormons the expression has grown into prov
erb that their religion commences where all
other religions leave off. They accept the Old
Testament entire, with the Book of Mormo n
supplemented. The New Testament they en-
beish with the revelations of Joseph Smith
They have twIned the crescent of Asia around
the cross of Chrlstendom; they have mingled
Socrates and Moses with Matthew and Ma
homet; they have adopted Paine's Age of Rea-
son as postscript to Luthers Wittemberg
Declaration; they have combined the teaching
of the Bible with the maxims of the Koran
Their religion is theological ola podridd, a
strange salad of bgotry and infiaelity difficult
to comprehend and still more difficult to COM
bat.
The destinies of Utah have thus far been
shaped by person whose motives may have
been inexperienced, but whose ability has
scarcely been overrated, for Brigham Young is
PROFESSIONALLY one of the boldeSt, most saga
cious and capable of living men. He is an Or
ganlzer, harmenizer, maguetizer. His
power, self-nsttuted and sef-poised as it is, is
almost supreme with his followers. A hundred
and fifty thousand people are busy to-day real
lzing his OSCILLATIONS, articulating his plans
and giving earnest response to the spirit of his
projects aud purposes. To suppose him an i'm
poster, a trickster, yelled fend of Khorussan,
practicng the juggler's arts before the walls of
Heaven and laughing at the decisions of his
victims, Is the greatest of misjudgments. 1t is
conceded among those who are Invested of
prejudice that he is q conscientious, benevolent
man who perhaps mistakes the reflections of
his own obse.vant, powerful brain for revela-
tons from on high. 1t may be said that he has
engIafted feature of the etfete and corrupt
civilization of sin upon nineteenth. century
community; that he has religionized sensuality
and organized grossness.
The speaker gave his experience and obserya-
ton as worshIpper one Sabbath among " The
Saints in the mammoth Mormon Tabernacle.
huge structure capable of seating thirteen
thousand people. Orson Pratt, their leading
man in sermon and debate, was the speaker.
They are very polite and attentive to strangers.
giving them the highest seats in the synagogue
of The Saints" in order that they may hear
and thoroughly understand the Mormon Cos
pei.
They have choir of fifty singers and mag
nifcent organ, built by Mormon, the second
in size in America, costing $4,000. The OBJ
seIvance of the Sabbath in Salt Lake was
feature of the good order prevailing there, the
lecturer saying that he saw more of the calm
and quiet repose of our New England Sabbath
than he witnessed in any place beyond the
Mississippi
The Mormons bave connected themselves
with the Union Pacific Railroad with road of
their owo, at Ogden, distance thirty-seven
miles from Salt Lake. Passing over this road
we 60 through the thriving farming towns of
Kaysville, Pennington, Centreville and Boun-
tiful. From the cars we get good view of
Great Salt Lake, fifty miles wide by one humid
red long, tho briniest sheet of water known on
the continent-so salt that no fish or animal
can live in it. and that three quarts of it will
boil down to one quart of fine pure salt. The
speaker gave glowing description of the beau-s
tiful CITY. Its location, soil and general req
sources spoke we'll for the wisdom aud foresight
of Brigham Young. The surrounding sceners
is bold and impressive. The lofty range of the
Wahsatch forms the background, lifting its
rugged peaks far up among the Clouds
AS picture for the habitation of man, Salt
Lake is really beautiful place. 1t is regularly
laid out into squares of ten acres each, and
these into lots of one acre and quarter, only
further sub-divided in the business or more
thickly populated streets. These are eight
rods wide, running east and west, north and
south. On either side of the streets, on pebbly
bottoms, flow sparkling, purling riyulets of
cool water from the mountain canyons, which,
with the abundance of cotton wood and locust
shade trees and gardens, contribute greatly to
the attractions of the place and give it an in
describable air of GOODNESS, comfort and repose.
What in cur eastern cities is dry paved
gutter, is here the bed of a clear running
brook, which no inpurty is suffered TO pollute,
and from which all the water for household
purposes is obtained As we stroll along the
street young woman trips down the front
door-steps and dipping her pitcher in the gut
ter, returns with it to the house, and places it,
very likely, upon the dinner table; and this
water is pure and clear as crystal and nearly
as cool as when it left its icy bed in the neigh.
boring mountains O.
new Temple is in course of construction
which is expected to rival even that Of Solo
mons in glory and magnifcenca. Perhaps the
most wonderful reach of social and artificial
life in this far off city of the Rocky Noun
tains is the Salt Lake Theatre. The building
itself is rare triumph of art and enterprise,
1t was built while yet the town was almost
thousand miles from steamboat or railway at
cost of $3.50, 900. This is run in the interest of
the church, and as they are at no expense save
when stars are employed to take the leading
roles, undoubtedly Brigham makes good
thing" out OF it. lie is no ascetic; says the
young must have amusement If pure and
healthy diversions are not furnished, they will
seek those that are vicious and degrading.
How do the Mormon women like and bear
polygamy? is a question most people ask as to
the institution. The universal testimony of all
but their husbands is, that it is a grievous
sorrow and burden; only cheerfully submitted
and self-abnegaton rare to behold and possible
only to women. They are taught to believe
that through it they secure higher and more
glorious reward in the future life. But what
of the future of Mormonism? Looking at it
in the abstract, all good citizens say this scan
dial should be removed, that the laws should be
enforced and this moral nuisance abated. If
we approach the Mormon question on the con-
crete side, we perceive number of things that
well may give us pause. What to us is an
absurd, immoral eanachronism, is to these
people a part of their religion. They insist
that any interference with it will be to set on
foot religious persecution. Of course this
claim of theirs is illogical, but it is put forward
in perfect good faith, and it is not without
certain force. Then, too, they remind us that
Utah, when they went there, was not under the
jurisdiction of the United States, and that they
removed there for the express purpose Of
escaping from that jurisdiction; OF making
themselves home where they could practice
their religion in peace. Settling in a desert,
they have reclaimed it to civilization. By their
self-sacrifce, toll and thrift they have made
Utah the richest aud most prosperous of all
the territories. We concede the logic of the
aggressive policy; we admit the Mormons are
provokingly SASSY about their law-breaking;
we deplore the scandal as heartily as any friend
of good morals. But we can't helpathinking it
the better, wiser, cheaper, more statesmanlke
plan to let patience have her perfect work
The poygamous territory is already girdled by
a moral Gordon. 1t is no longer isolated !;
thanks to the Pacific railroad, the public
nil Of hriS bos dc