Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-04-22
LIFE n rnE TERRITORIES.

When their preachers picture life i,
the western Territories in the manne
following, il it to be wondered tina
Fasteners generally regard us a. SCI
fot the verisst savages. compared witt
whom the natives are mild-mauusred
most abused people? The SIN thus re-
ports recent sermon in New York:
In tho Tabernacle Baptist Church. in
Second avenue, Sunday morning. thu
Rev. Dwight Spencer spoke of the dearth
OF religious influences in the far West
particularly in Utah Territory. He had
returned from that country in order e
picture to the Baptis.s Of the East the
| condition Of the border land as seen
frsn the standpoint of clergyman and
Baptist. Mr. spencer il a tall. straight.
timely formed man of simple manners,
VINO usss plain language, spesks as dis
tlnctly as an actor. and exhibits an i'm
pressive earnestness and sincerity,
In the Wood River c0untsy,- said
ne, there Is not one day school. not one
Sunday school, not one church, and not
one minister. l preached in the village
/ OF Haley In . tent. The town is SIX
months old. The people sat on tho beds
TO hear me. There was a faro bank in
operation next door. The rafting of
dice and the shuffling of cards were
plainly heard. The songs of the ballad
singers and the music Of the bands vent
on as l preached. In the afternoon 7
preached in the next town, and close AT
hand two faro banks we're open, while
two or three persons were doing bust
ness a little further off.
fou would be surprised at the ele
gance OF these gambling Saloons said
the minister; they are fitted in black
walnut, are warmed and we'll lighted,
and are IN all respects the most COM
Portable and attractive places to the
young men OF those mining regions at
present. They invariably contain Il
liquor bar. Very often young man
brings $500 of his earnings into town
Of a Saturday evening and loses it all
before Sunday morning in these haunts
of vice. The devil holds sway SO
thoroughly in the country.I speak of
that there is no worse state Of affairs in
the heart of Central Africa. 1t seems to
me. sometimes, that the effect of educa-
ton and civilization these men have re-
ceived in the East enables them to
practise refinement of vice such as is
unknown in Africa.
Between Ogden, in tho northern
part of Utah, and Reno" the minister
continued, there are sixty-seven rail
road stations, and among them there is
not Il minister, a missionary, sor church
organization. Ali that is there, allied to
these. arc two feeble Sunday schools.
Altogether, in the part Of the country
refer to,--a tract eleven times larger
than New England and seven and half
times AZ large as the Middle States
3here Is but one minister to every 2,5O0
inhabitants, and but ono to every 1850
square miles. If you want to get cor
rect idea Of this religious dosOlation,
imagine 300 people scattered over the
surface of Connecticut, aud then put
one clergyman over them to minister to
their spiritual wants. This is the pic
ture presented in six Territories and one
State, Nevada.
g asked book vendor on one Of the
two trains of eight coaches that daily
traverse one section Of this country what
book he sold most. He said that the
greatest demand by far was for Inger-
soils lectures. asked him who were
his best customers, and he replied that
the cowboys were. These cowboys are
the cattle herders-ths most depraved
and wicked people that can be con-
ceivsd of. They eide into a town. get
drunk, and then ride up and down the
village shooting down men. women and
children indiscriminately, after which
they ride away to be seen or heard of no
more. 1t is a disgrace--a shame upon
the Christianity of Amsrica-that there
is no circulation of moral and elevating
literature to combat Ingersoli's infidel-
ity. The best books sold on those cars
are the trashiest novels. l would send
out works attractively printed, 80 that
they would he kept by these benighted
people; tracts with passages from our
best sermons, or would not care If they
contained tho writings of Josh Billings
or of Bob Burdett, of Burlington, Iowa.
The stories of John b. Cough would be
good. Such as these would have scat
tered by the thousands. aye, by the mil
lion, throughout that land. Moreover,
We Baptists ought to put one missionary
n day in the field during the next two
years. Even then We would not have
enough. Let US pray for the mon as
we'll rs the money; for the men of pur-
pose and Of heart to leave these pleas
ant Eastern homes and battle in the
Western wilderness.
Let us look at the cause in Utah."
he continued. Out of 1880 inhabit-
ants, 10000 are Mormons. John lay
lor is to the Mormon Church what the
Pope is to the Roman Catholic Church.
The Mormon Church is ons-man con-
corn. II Taylor wants q colony founded
in any place, he simply names the men
who are to go. If they are merchants
they sell their stores and business; il
they are farmers they part with their
farms. mover knew of an instance in
which he WAS disobeyed. The most
trilling order must be carried out or
tho consequences would BE- that the
ones would rest under the
ban of the Church. The M0rm0ns don't
the Government Of the
United States. If they obey its laws it
is only matter OF policy. The con-
slider themselves the saints Of the Garth,
and believe the world is theirs. If they
don't get it today they think they will
tomorrow, and they propose to wait and
to work.
The preacher thus showed the diff
GUILTY Of bringing together and organic
ing Christians in Utah. Tho Christians
ARE ttiuIQ, 0IAl lO0A AiA0 StIhk1kCLo uuucE
foreign rule. They know that the Nor
mon Church hrs many ways Of making
its displeasure felt. Worse yet, how
ever, is tho conduct of some Ut the
who are organized there. In
Ogden, Christian Church gives a ball
every fortnight, and anybody who can
raise fifty cents can take part in the
dances. Frequently these balls break
up in drunken rows. This SOFT Of thinA.
and the irreligious, gambling, whisksy-
officials and agents Of the
out there, serve ~ arRu-
mentS against Christianity by the Nor
mons. These disorderly people are
pointed out rs sample Gsntilss. The
most eloquent sermon the preacher ever
heard John Taylor deliver was on the
subject. Of "The Corrupting Influence
Of the Gentiles." II was sermon that
would almost have moved an Eastern
audience. aud, said the preacher, '.ths
worst OF it was that the basis of it was
partly true"
Finally, Mr.. Spencer read letter he
had received from Mrs. Mcpherson,
in one of these mining villages in Utah.
asking 10 have q missionary sent ont
there. She said that in seven years there