Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-05-01
LECTURE ON MoRMoNIsM.


University of the Pacific at Santa Clara,
lectured Saturday evening at the Sixth-street
N. E. Church on "Mormonism." The Doc
tor spent several years in Utah. He Is one
OF the leading thinkers of the day, man
of high intellectual powers, accomplished
scholarship, and a speaker of eloquent and
convincing earnestness. L is to be regretted
that there was not in attendance an audience
larger than there was The reverend gentle.
man was listened to with profound attention.
4 brief synopsis of his lecture Is herewith
presented
The first impressions of the visitor In Salt
Lake City are favorable. He has been pass.
ing ever leagues of desert and sagetrusb. or OF
sterile mountain wastes. but Is now greeted
with cultivated fields and attractive homes
and evidences of industry and thrift. This
impression is deepened by the religious at
mosphere of the city and the quiet OF the Sab
bath or, il he visit the tabernacle, by the
courtesy of his reception, the quality OF the
music and the deyoutness OF the congrega'
ton.
The second impressions are less favorable.
One observes an unusual number of halt and
blind-of people little off-slightly daft
not quite right in mind. Indeed. the Nor
luon net appears to have gathered this class
out Of the nations. In addition, if he be
man OF any consequence, ne will presently
find himself the subject of urp'easaDt police
attentions. His house, his family, his othce,
bis person, his spoD5ence, will be under
surveillance.
Among the striking features of society
there is the unaninity of the people IN their
social movements. In their nominating con-
yentions all business appears to originate with
the Chairman, and ali the people vote one
way. The same is true in their religious
assemblages and at the polls. Brigham
Young used to tell them that they were the
freest people under the sun, but when some
ventured to vote counter to the plans of the
leaders, he scared like an enraged Ion. lhe
cause of this singular unaninlity lies in their
doctrine that no member of the church
should do the smallest thing without taking
counsel of the leaders.
A description was given of one Of the ser.
mons of Ofson Pratt, ca the evidences of the
divine origin of the system. Mr.. Pratt is
the most scholarly and logical leader among
them. He claimed that Mormonism had
thousand times more evidence in its favor
than Christianity. This broad statement
was supported by strong assertions but poor
logic; nevertheless the standing of the
speaker as an apostle. and his ability snd
zeal as a speaker, impressed the ignorant
people with whom hs dwelt.
a noticeable feature of Mormon history
was its hostility to our civil authorities. This
was first manifested in Kirkland, Ohio. and
afterward in Missouri and Illinois. The same
spirit has bsen apparent in Utah. This re-
suited from their theory of the * Kingdom
of God" They hold that their system of
theocracy is from Heaven. and that all civil
laws in cor t1ict with it are null and void.
Hence all members of the Mormon Church
are justified in evading oil civil laws, whether
State or national. Their doctrine of poiyg.
amy rests upon the theory that man passes
through three stages Of existence-a spisi9u =:
spirit is united TO q physical body st birth,
and future stage, in which this
sFltit aud body are to De refined shd reunited
after the resurrection. Ali of these spiritual
existences sre aDxiously awaiting an opportu
nifty to enter human bodies. a-I, :, 5rus Hass an.
ward to their tlT~.. ~. state. Hence the duty of
eV.-.y man to marry many wives and raise up
G numerous offspring. They attempt to sus-
tain the practical part of this theory by an
argument from nature and from revelations.
The speaker showed that the polygamous re-
lations Of the patriarchs were spoken Of in
the Bible lust as other instances of Weakness
or sin; and that the polygamy of David, for
iRatance, was no more commended than his
murder of UEiah. A further argument in
the same direction was addueed in the fact
that theee relations formerly were attended
by the same jealousies between wives and
among children witnessed in Utah to-day.
The domestic troubles of Abraham. Jacob
and David were given as illustrations. In
conclusion it was shown that polygamy in
Utah was of the most Gepraved nature and
tendency. The practice of marrying the
woman 10 one husband for time and sealing
her to another for eternity was confusion.
An instance was given in which the husband
had married mother. daughter and grand
daughter another in which he had married
SIX ne;ces, all sisters aud another Ill which
he had married half sister. OF course this
could result il nothing but evil to all parties
Il made petty tyrant and
beast Of tic husband it violated the purest
aud finest instincts of the woman and.
above all, in iJs total destruction of the fam
ily life, separating .he father from his child
ren during the most OF the forming period of
their lives aud compelling the mother to toll
for their support, ii robbed the child of
wholss )rne domestic training and opportunity
Of acquiring an education, and could result
in nothing bat the most deplorable mental
and moral depreciation of the rising genera
lion.