The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-07-25
R H. ELpR1poE.
Tramping Out Of Mormonism and Ignorance
"A Courageous Youth Bound
for an Education.

Yesterday afternoon a bright looking
young man, Hiram H. Eldridge by
name, entered sanctum and told
his sorrowful story-a tale of Mormon
injustice, and bold resolve. Born with.
in the folds of the Mormon church, he
he is now en- route, on foot and alone,
for the east,-tramping out of Nor.
monism in pursuit of an education,
that which he finds it impossible to
obtain at home. His Ease is one which
appeals to the sympathies of men who
understand the situation of affairs in
Utah, as his object in life is a worthy
one. This young man is now twenty
three years of age.
The Salt Lake Tribune states that
when two weeks old his mother died,
and, like Oliver Twist, he was left
upon the cold charity of the world.
He was adopted into a Mormon family
who reared him to manhood, and when
he reached his majority, his foster
father sent him adrift, never giving
his adopted son any schooling, and
when he turned him out to grass, he
did so without bestowing upon him one
penny. By his own exertions and the
aid of his adopted mother, however,
who was a helpless invalid, he obtained
a slight smattering of an English edu-
cation. By the time his schooling was
done, the scales began to fall from his
eyes regarding the Mormon fraud. In
fact his own situation dawned upon his
mind, and he resolved on climbing out
of ignorance and Mormonism. After
collecting what cash he could he found
himself in possession of S35. He made
a close estimate and found one quarters
tuition at the Deseret University would
cost S12, his necessary books So, leav-
ing thirty-five cents per week to pay
for board and lodging, during the
three months term. 1t was not a fat
tering prospect, but it was the best at
his command, and he accepted the stu
alton like a man. He never lost cour-
age, and managed, by a little outside
labor, to complete the academic year,
which closed in June last, when Brig
ham squelched the University.
Closing this institution upset Mr..
Eldridge's plans, but did not break
his purpose. He resolved to see the
mining districts of the Territory first,
and then endeavor to work his way
East to school by lecturing on Zion.
After doing the mining districts,
he returned to the city, spent a few
dimes for a copy of the second vol
ume of the journal of Discourses,"
containing many of the blood and
thunder sermons of Brigham Young,
which he proposes to utilize in illustrat-
ing his lectures on the fraud of Nor
monism. 1t is his intention to begin
labor in Missouri, and work his way
East to Oberlin, Ohio, where there is
a free school for waits like himself; or
to G~reencastle, Indiana, where there
a similar institution. He is no lazy
tramp, drifting about objectless, we
commend him to the kind considera.
ton of all good people along the route,
and to our contemporaries. 1t is true
he may be verdant, but he has only
just broken through the shell of the
internal system of degradation called
Mormonism, and hence his advantages
have been extremely limited.
Mr.. Eldridge will lecture on Nor
ons and the West" at the Presby-
terrain church tomorrow Thursday
evening.