Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1877-09-14
Selected Nyistrllanp.
A NOTABLE INTERVIEW,


When Mr.. Greeley made his famous
overland trip to California in the sum
mer of 1859 he stopped at Salt Lake
City and called to see Brigham Young.
The account of this interview which he
sent to the Tribune is worthy of being re-
produced, inasmuch as it gives in con
densed form the doctrines of the Mormon
Church We quote from Mr.. Greeleys
letter
My friend, DR.. Bernhisel, M. c.,
took me this afternoon, by appointment,
to meet Brigham Young, President of
the Mormon Church, who had expressed
a willingness to receive me at P. M.
We were very cordially welcomed at the
door by the President, who led us into
tho secondstory parIor of the largest of
his houses Che has three J where | was
introduced to Heber G. Kimball, GEN
eral Wells, General Ferguson, Albert
Darlington, Elias Smith and several other
leading men of the church, with two full
grown sons of the President. After
some unimportant conversation on gen
eral topics | stated that / had come in
quest of fuller knowledge respecting the
doctrines and polity of the Mormon
Church, and would like to ask some
questions bearing directly on these, if
there were no objections. President
Young avowing his willingness to re-
spond to all pertinent inquiries, the con-
versation proceeded substantially as fol-
lows:
II. Gam to regard Mormonism
ESQ called) as new religion, or as sim
ply a new development of Christianity ?
b. WE hold that there can be no
true Christian church without a priest
hood directly commissioned by and in
immediate communication with the Son
of God and Saviour of mankind. Such
a church is that Of the Latter Day Saints,
called by their enemies Mormons We
know no other that eyenpretends to have
present and direct revelations of Gods
will.
II. G-Then | am to understand that
you regard all other churches protesting
to be Christian as the Church of Rome
regards all churches not in communion
with itself-as schismatic, horetical and
out of the way Of salvation =?
i. Yes, substantially.
II. G.--Apart from this, what respect
do your doctrines differ essentially from
those of our othordox Protestant churches
the Baptest or Methodist, for example
B. We hold the doctrines of
Christianity as revealed in the Old and
New Testaments, also in the Book of
Mormon, which teaches the same cardi-
nal truths, and those only
II. G.--Do you believe in the doc
trine of the Trinity
b. We do but not exactly as il
is held by other churches. We believe
in the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost, as equal, but not identical
as one person (being) We believe in
all the Bible teaches on this subject.
II. G.-Do you believe in personal
devil, distinct, conscious, spiritual
being, whose nature and acts are essen
TALLY malignant and evil 2
Is. we do.
Ii. G.--Do you hold the doctrine of
eternal punishment ?
b. We do; though perhaps not
exactly as other churches do. We believe
it as the Bible teaches it.
II. G.-I understand that you regard
baptism by immersion as essential.
i. we do.
II. G.-Do you practice infant bap-
tism
i Y.-No.
II. G.-Do you make removal to those
valleys obligatory on your converts ?
b. Y.--Thcy would consider them
selves greatly aggricved if they we're not
invited hither. We hold TO such
gathering together of Gods people as tho
Bible foretclls, and that this is the place,
and now is the time appointed for its
contamination.
II. G.-The predictions TO which you
refer have usually, | think, been under
stood to indicate Jerusalem Cor Judea)
as the place of such gathering
Il. Yes, for the Jews not for
others.
II. G.--What is the position of your
Church with respect to slavery?
i. We consider it Of Divine in
eiifafior, and ..,.f. - L. .t.,.l..Le1 ...r