The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-01
TALMdGE AND THE M0RMONs.

To TIE EprTon OF TIE SuN-lSr: In yo


To THE EDITOR OF THE suN-Sa: In your
notice in to-day's Sun. OF the preaching Of the
Rev. Mr.. Talmnge. on Friday evening last in
his tabernacle in Brooklyn, you say:
Brother Talmagc wishes to drive out the Mormons and
Put end 10 their customs by Of United States
bnyonot Suppose before rcsortng 10 that sangunary
and expensive method Of getting rd OF the Latter Day
SAINTS should try 10 them TO better ways as
the early Christians did the pagans why does not Tai
mage himself To Salt Lake City and thunder at the
Mormons the orrors Of the law. and amusc them with
his Jokes aud his ancs Perhaps they and heard
this chrisuon preacher. the Mormons would nnd him
far ahead of their bishops and elders that they
would turn from them In disgust
Mr.. Talmage has right to think about the
Mormons what he pleascs. and there il no par
ticuar objection to his saying what he thinks
about them either. for the vaporing Of his wild
thoughts and the expression of his fcrocious
sentiments are not likely Mt any time to stir up
the Government to crusade against them but
when he Processes TO speak Of what he claims
to have seen in Salt Lake. in the Mormon tab
ernaclc and TO represent the hdcousncss OF
congregational audience there. and to hold
them up TO rdiculc and contempt want TO say
that Mr.. Talmago allows his natural love Of
buffooncry TO run away with his sense of
responsibility. md think it Is worth while
that somebody should protest against his mis-
rcprcst nations about the MOrmons.
To assure you that | am no Mormon. permit
forever from that faith. There IL nothing in
cvcr change my resolution 20 nhsolvc myself
from all allegiance TO IT, Whnt | therefore
write now may bc regarded liz from the pen OF
one who not only hntes the falsehood Of MIR.
Talmagc. hut who hates worse the evil effects Of
his loose %. tonsue on both his CHRISTIAN auditors
in the Salt Lake tabernacle will not compare, in
| appearance Of silks and feathers. with q Tai
mage meeting III brooklyn, hut dare challenge
Talmagc To- take fifteen thousand persons. tax
ing them from. every house AROUND his iabcr-
naclr as the Mormon lender can take fifteen
thousand persons from houses around his tab
rrnnclr and mako the comparison between the
two congregations, and II the Mormons. in
point OF honesty 81 purpose, purity OF life. and
fair. square dealing do not bear comparison
with the Tnlmage fifteen thousand. will agree
| 70 sit every Sunday under the affecting voice OF
Talmagc us long as am in the State of New
York.
The divine seems TO forget that the primitive
preachers OF Christianity went into the high
ways and preached to the passers-by, and CONF
pelcd-if they could-evcn the pubr cans and
sinners and the magdalens of their day to
listen TO the beautiful aud soul-illing. lofty som
tlmcnts of the Lowry Naznr"ne; and these simple
prcu hers were tho fishermen Of Galilcc. the.
| tent makers. the carpenters and the lahorers Of
| tho towns, and the farmers oil the villages OF
| Judcn who supnorted themselves bv their own
industries during tine week days. and preached
ON their day OF rest without hire. without any
remuneration beyond the approval 81 a good
| conscience toward God and all men. That Mr..
| Talmaee does moi do. Their hearors Were the
wayfarinc men. the riff ran. the oflscouring of
society. anu lutTf WIS Stil 10 DC more JOY IN
| heaven over one such sinner that rcpentcd than
over the adhesion 10 the iaith oi ninety and
Just persons like Mr.. Talmage, who needed no
repentance. Taiinage would havc spoken Of
| such congregation ~ primitive converts pre-
| cisely ~ he now speaks of III" M1rmons today.
| He would have hcid the primitive Christians up
| g. ridicule and contempt for the. appcaranc. r
! in dress. figure and feature, and II Is the folly
| of such u man that turns the souls OF the Nor
mons with disgust from anything or the maine
Of Christianity rs advocated 10y such men.
| Wrong the Mormons may be in their taith-in
uff. AIR t.
| t. aillrm-hut. wrong or right. they have given
! the most convincing evidence of their honesty
| in leaving their homes IN foreign countries
making sacrifices Of worldly interests, in order
| 10 gather 10 new country. and there live n life
q toll. 10 build ~ a system q religious worr,,
| nothing more. entities them to fair repres rnta-
ton. and when Mr.. Talmagc holds them up to
the disgusting way he did the other night.
| can assure him that there are thousands OF men
| in Utah that could put his uushcl in their peck
| without either pressing II down or running II
No honest visitor to Salt Lake City ever looked
| upon the congregations in the Mormon taber-
| narle considering the history OF that people.
and what they had done through honest toll.
| who did not stand and wonder Mt their success.
and wish them God speed even II they held
their faith at heavy discount. Five years ago
l heard this same Talmage relate his Travels
across the Continent and the picture he then
| drew OF the Mormons was so disgustingy false
that | have never listened 70 him since. ana If
save the world II the right thing. set myself
down as irrctrievahly damned, for Il he had
como from heaven direct could not believe a
| word lac might utter after that
one thing more: | never saw. anywhere. n
moro interesting and better looking race of
young people attending places of worship than
Il to be seen In Utah ana one fact j. worth no
ticns in con 'lusion-the young Mormons who
! have come a. the East 90 finish their education
have in every case stood high IN their classes.
and in point Of behavior are without reproach.
| 10 Mormon polyghiny have made no ailusion,
| but | can assure Mr. Talmuge that profess iunRl
! medical men in salt Lake City dare say Of the
| Mormon 1000 what he dare not even think Of
| about his 5000. AN EX-MoRMoN.
NEW loAk. Sept. go 1877.