The New York herald., 1877-02-05
AN AFTERNOON WITH THE SAINTS.
MORMON ELDERS BIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH
SMITH.

A MORMON ELDER BIOGRAPHY OF JOSEPH
SMITH.
Artist BRAIN never imagined more picturesque
group than that which assembled in the low, dim
crypt al No. l76 Grand street, Wliamburg, at thrcc
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. Why should hetero.
doxy have such advantage over orthodoxy IN pic
turesquencsss Tho desk and platform were occupied
by number of gentlemen among whom ono low.
slatured haggard-eyed appeared to be tho lead
ing spirit In front OF tho railing little TO the right,
stood long table, very similar in appearance to an
operating table In adissectlng room This was covered
with a whtc CLOTH which obviously had something
mysterious under IL; something very mysterious, Tor
its had the peculiar rreguarisy that suggests
the outline Of dead body. Perhaps II was the brood
ing dmness and silence OF the room, possibly The bent
figures Of iew silent women by, or, lastly,
the subdued and silent movements of the men within
the railing may have tended to strengthen the illusion;
put whatever The eau that contributed To
~ ducc it, the had not been ten minutes
OF that table before certain dread that he was posst-
bly about TO witness human sacrifice TOOK possession
OF his excited imagnation and hc commenced 10 CON
over and over certain hall reco passages of the
Book oil Mormon by way Of assuring his pcrturbod
nerves that that there was authority tor such
iniprcssion Presently the commenced with
the Singing OF a hymn by tho small knot OF bcnded
worsh.ppcrs the women joining their swecter volccs
TO The solemn lntonations that noated out from
beyond the rating and stirred the drapcry OF that
sable on their passage to tho body OF
tie room: Beading iron the scriptures aud
prayer followed, after which pale iaccd low
slatured man, with thin. whuc locks brushed
back from his temples, took possscss,yn
OF the desk, and deliver sermon OF considerable
length partly hortatOry IN IT'S tone and abounding IN
quotations IRON the wclrdcr and more imaginative ut
tcrances OF the apostles and the prophets he spoke
OF tho strange Joseph Smith the founder of
Mormonism; Of his :rias aud vcissudes, OF the per-
sccutions he suffered Of the lecbe band o per-
ms wi
zatan OF the SAINTS. o the over these track
less praries aud through forests TO the viii
dcrncss Of Utah. Pictures OF niois; OF violence NY
night; of men and women ll'ttipg away ID Tho dark,
with the flames OF burning hab,tations behind them
lIYntnr them their 10 the friendly forest; OF
toillug across ana deserts sustained and sup
ported by brood and Ianatic cnthus'.sin anu Of
final arrival to a promised land. Such scenes,
described IN the picturesque terms OF old
man, VINO remembered them with Tie vividness of
actual participant formed the materials OF
the cxordium Then came the contrast wIidcruoss
has been made 10 BLOSSOM Fields ~ Sran, tossed
into graceful blows by The wind haa succeeded TO tue
wry grasses and unnamed heritage OF Utah A city
the New Jerusalem of tue prophets urcans-slnrts up
in gen, ration and becomes the capital VI great and
peculiar state. '.Can these things come to pass FROM
such feeble beginnings, cried the orator, without
tho helping hanu oil GodY' In conclusion his voice
sunk u low, moaning solcmnty, and be commenced
to dwell the beauties OF the Mormon heaven aud
upon the nohngncss poor human liic the audience
listening with Bonded beads until deep voiced
''amcn" from the dusk ended the exhortation. Tho
sermon finished. Elder II. G. Bywaier dismissed the
congregation with the doxology, which all joined.
After the over Elder Bywatcr announced
that II there we're auy strangers present who wished "
PROFOUND any questions respecting the Morinons he
had minutes at his disposal. Al this opportune
moment, also, Mr. Worthington, priest, sexton aud
deacon in one, slowly withdrew tho white cloth from
the mysterious table and revealed only silver tank.
ard filed with water lew glasses, and a large cake
basket heaped with bread, cut With mathematical
cision into parallcopldeds, as II or sacramental dis
lribu,on. The priest picked up piece between his
fingers, put IT silently in his mouth and took SIP Of
water from the glass, while older Bywatcr was cx-
plain my to reporter some details OF the faith and
organization OF the that he reprdscnts lie wished
especially understood that they believed In tho
Bible and held all tho tenets OF the orthodox faith.
they had, also, book called the Book Of Mormon.
winch gave full accoant OF the origin Of the lndian
races OF this country OF their original purity OF
religion and OF their final lapse into pagan bar
barism. As TO polygamy, they all believed IL to DO
in accordance with revelation, but u was not
cxpcdicnt practice II In controvention
the laws OF tho land Those 10 whom the Of
Mormonism Is problem have only to study the brood.
ing and resolutc enthusiasm that actuaes such
Elder Bywaicr IN the propagation OF doctrines, min.
Cling the subimity OF prophetic passages from Daniel
and Rev th statements OF personal experience
OF an exciting ana mysterious nature The expert
neurolugisl, who should have studied by ono tn0
faces OF the group assembled that little hall on tho
second story over grocery store might have found
something OF the peculiar paiior or latent madness
each OF them. But no would have bccn at losn
TO determine the nature Of that Influence which haa
made Mormonism aggressive and untiring political
factor during the last twenty years Pale, Stern, with
that peculiar expression Of tho eye that indicates n
mind habituaiiy dominated by religious fanaticism.
each OF these strongly marked faces stamped
brooding and from possession by dominant and mag
mt ,c zpnl