The New York herald., 1877-02-04
AN HOUR WITH A MORMON PRIEST.

w
VISIT TO THE COLONY OF LArrER DAY SAINTS IN
wILLIAMsBUgo-A PRIESTS VIEW OF rHn
FUTURE OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS COLONIES
TO be ESTABLISHED IN NEW YORK AID
OTHER CITIES.
On tho top floor OF largo tenement house at No
100 Grand street, Williamsburg, lives bent and heavy
bearded Engshman, with u brisht-eyed wife, . fsu
years his junior and couple OF laxen haired little
girls The apartments Are clean aud decent, although
these four persons occupy AS living room, dormitory
aud parlor space scarcely equal in cubcal capacity
respectable hall bedroom in New York This man,
Henry Worthington by namc Is the priest Of tho only
Mormon organization In tho vicinity OF this city.
On the top floor Of another tenement house OF 9
better class. ut NO. 02 Mescroe avenue, Greenpoint
lives one II. G. Bywatcr prcssman by trade with hA
wife and pair OF sunny haired little scraphs Of gira
This the presiding elder OF the Mormon congrs-
CATION mentioned in tho preceding paragraph.
MExaERsuP PROSPECTS ras WILLIAMSBURG
AoRMoxs.
Tho organization has, Mr. worthngton states from
ninety to ono hundred members. but Is nearly %
large II has been different tinos during the last
few years II has had auctua,ng and irregular OF.
istence OF moro than thirty years Mr. Worthington.
who acts as jantor, deacon And priest. combining
three functions In one, has resided this country
twcny nine years. In association with this and other
missions In this vicinity, most Of which have had Q
very ephcmeral existence. Tho main cause OF such
evanesccnco IN Mormon congregations In this uu.
promising climate Is not, as would naturally be 10.
ferrcd, TO DO sought In any extreme unpopularty Of
Mormon doctrines. but In the iact that recently
II has always been tho ambition OF every Mormon 70
join tho faithful ut Salt Lake City, anc that the
moment Mormon here has accumulated the fuuas
essential to cmigratson he turns hts eyos to the
gnill IN anal huxtA atnfn snlfu
the parent organization, where, II he has snsssed
u respectable property by transactions with the
Gentiles, he has prospect or rising tho world, and
where, the whole, the preJudces OF the unenIIght
encd are less likely TO occasion impertncnt inquired
To the number OF his wives There IL ioit of course
after these cinigrDtons, tOrlorn aud tmpocuni0ui
remnant, who maintain tho scmblancc Of an ecciesA
with a Wild enthusiasm that componsa,cs in some
measure Tor their lack Il intsilgence and pecuniary
Resources.
II having been rcported that measures In prog
ress TO establish congregation OF Latter bay SAINTS
III this city representative Of the HERALD vsiicd the
Mormon colony III Williamsburg and Greenpont yes
terday afternoon with Wow to whether the
report had uuy foundation IN iact and " to elicit
souo Information as concerns such radical alteration
Of Mormon policy AS would bc implied IN thus dscours-
glng the emigration Of wealthy saints. by founding
permanent local congregations larger cilies As
tho saints court publicity the ciew 10 their designs
and operations neither difficult to fnd
dhcult to follow, and our rcpressn-
tative stumbling up STAIRS as
No. 100 Grand street, where laundering IN ut the
wrong door hall dozen times aud meeting with all
the mishaps incident to exploring u catucomb MesL
Worthnyton was finally iound. Her husband wns out
but would be halt an hour and would have Oh.
lection 10 giving the required Information. Tho patient
Egyptoogst, who mas ever explored whole pyramid
to procure mummy, and has at last stumbled upon
the sought-for crypt only 10 find The mummy gone,
can Imagine the depression OF spirits that followed
these dismal tidngs The buiIding IL planned
actly as possible alter q Roman catacomh The lrst
Hight OF stairs points way, the second another the
third another and 50 on The halls are manufactured
with a view TO tho largest number Of angles
with tho smallest waste OF distance, furnished
at intervals besides with abrupt elevations and do
prcssiOns. Now you ascend two steps, thcn you
descend two steps Next you turn corner aud tail
fall steps the possibility Of bul.lns
your head against the door Of suit OF apartments,
ana entering on al oprs unannouncea. ths build;
tho angles and elevations and dcpressions have moral
purpose. FIRST, they serve to cultivate the beautiful
OF patience residents OF tho establish
Second. they conducc 10 sobrety; Tor the man who
would got intoxicated al the Imminent peril Of beng
picked up the noxt morning In the hall with his neck
broken turned over to the coroner must lose
to inc moral urpitadc OF his conduct that Mr.. Gibbs
OF the American Temperance Union, could save
him. And such men have no inclination 10 join .
Mormon colony.
In q very desperate state OF mind reporter now
called upon seven different Mormons, all Of whom
would bc about hall an hour Jaunt OF ten
minutes across drcary level OF Marshes the
temptation OF which IRON the car window ono momon-
ary expects TO see dead dogs Jump up and run away.
where our reporter sought the residence Of Presiding
Elder Bywater. who was out Mrs. Bywater said,
about hall an hour, or u; least IN the course Of
the evening Was not Mr. Bywatcr tho presiding
elder OF tho Williamsburg congreaationf He was.
Had Mrs. Bywatcr any Objects giving certain
formation concerning the number, ceremonies aud
organization of the SAINTS hcre1 Mrs. Bywaer had
obcc',on but the reporter had belor Mr. Bywater
Profoundly dspiritcd reporter rode musngly
across the Marshes and alghted ht Grand street,
| Williamsburg, from car which was OBVIOUSLY To-
tended Tor tho shippagc OF sardnes Hare, procuring
large ball Of twine at an adjacent grocery, be made
loop IN the FREQ end assocd the key Vt the 5trce door
and let the twne unravc as he rzvcsed passage acr
passage asccndcd descended and asccnded again and
turned angles In one direction and angles another
direction; until at last, without serious accident the
top floor al No. lG0 was attained
PRIEST pIvCLGEa
Mr.. Worthington was IN, and pleasantly volunteered
TO give any information IN his possession IL appears
thu. special emissary from Salt Lake City has ios
weeks boon quietly engaged ia trying to WORK up local
congregations IN New York Brooklyn Jersey Guy and
| Newark. This movement is concerted one aud pro-
poses the establishment OF permanent organizations OF
Latter Day Saints 10 NIL the leading cities OF the Atan-
tic states Mr. Worthngton preferred not 10 give tho
name OF this emssary but volunteered tho informa-
ton that he had succeeded beyond expectation, and
thut tho day not far distant when The Latter
Day SAINTS would constitute one OF tho most potential
religious iorccs IN the United States In the propaga
ton OF this movement tho practice Of poiygamy 70
70 DO discouraged rather than advised aud tho enete
and doctrines OF the Saints are TO be modelled
into a creed that readily be accepted by The ma
jorty. As to the progress Of the movement In New
York Mr.. orthingon states that considerable per.
ccntagc OF tho members OF the congregation, In Will
iamsburg residents of this city, while fcw 1--we
| IN Newark, u few IN Jersey Cty and one or two ~
Hobokon. The subject OF opening n place Of worship
In Now York has been frequently discussed Of late
but It's establ shment has been postponed. such az
organization the taps Tor the spring OF 1871,
however and viii be pressed with energy. Il should
be added that the services IN Williamsburg, which
take place every sunday, at three NJ IN the large
hail at No. 176 Grand street. have no peculiar ioatureo
that distinguish from religious services con.
Quoted by otncr denominations Prayer, readino
from the Mormon Scriptures singing = sermon, ..