The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-10-08
STRIKE, BUT HEAR.
What a Congregational Minister
Has to Say Of the Mormons.

The following article published in
the Christian UnioH, of September
la, having oecasioDed considerable
comment We have been requested to
republish it. The writer, Mr.. Leon
ard, is the district superintendent for
Utah, Idaho and Montana. oe the
Home Missionary Association OF the
Congregational churches OF the
United States. Their work in this
territory has been principally ednoa-
tionsl. Last year they supported ten
free schools, with an average attend
anCe OF over seven hundred pupils,
and this year several more free
schools have been added. Tue editor
OF the Christian Advocate thus refers
10 the letter:
The article In this weeks C1ristiGn
Union on Mormonism and the Nor
mons. by the Rev D. g. Leonard, is
by one OF the representatives of the
Home Missionary Society and resi-
dent of Salt Lake City. He certainly
does moi write, and the eiore, With
any prepossesslons in favor either of
the religion OF iis dioiplee; and shis
testimony coming from such source
il entitled to greater weight when it
presents an aspect OF Mormon char
acter which is not often presented In
a Christian newspaper or to Christian
readers. It is possible that Mr..
Leonard somewhat extenuates vices
and exsggerstes virtues; if 30, the
reader Can easily find in almost any
daily or weekly journal more than
enough in eXtenuation OF virtues and
exaggeration OF the vices TO counter
balance our correspondence pleasing
picture. The truth ia that the devil
is rarely as black, or the angel sc
white as he is painted. The Nor
mons. like Protestants and Roman
Catholics, ere of various grades OF
morality, apd it is as unjust to Judge
all Mormons by the crimes of the
''aveDger," as it would be to Judge all
Irishmen by the "moonshiners, or
oil Yankees by the morals ofthe Con-
nectIcut divorce courts.
In other words. continue the as
ault upon Mormonism until ii is
either reformed o. else broken in
pieces, but neither exaEgeTat9 the
defects OF the system or OF the people
that aihere to il, nor be blind 10
whatever excelencies they may pos
cess. The proVerb bids us give mis-
due even to him whose name is
synonym for all that Is evil and mi
quitus, and We are bound TO be fair
to our foes. Nor iu the fight against
3 great transgression and sposiasy
can We afford to WELD the weapons OF
mere bigotry and prejudice. No
doubt Mormonism is bad enough TO
deserve all the denuuoiation it has
received. and can scarcely be thought
OF without deep Indignation and
loashipg, but not all the bad things
alleged against it are true, not all
things true concerning it are bad.
We cannot account for the amazing
Ispread aud present vitality and force
of the gospel of Joseph Smith until
We examine the much truth ne min.
gled with his error, and the features
of his church which are we'll worthy
of commentator.
Fret, as to the system itself; it con-
tains vastly more than an article on
polygamy and a dogma concerning
the origin of the Book of Mormon.
The revelation" of 1868. and the
story of finding the golden plates,
though 80 much talked about, are but
minor points in the strange history
of this church, and might be ex-
plugged with slight damage to the
theological or ecclesiaetical structure.
loi the two fundamental and most
characteristic principles insisted on
by the prophet" enc certainly can.
lnot be regarded by the candid be.
| lever in the New Testament, 90 say
the least, without deep respect. He
taught, and his followers hold with
all emphasis and zeal, that all the
| gifts Of the spirit possessed by the
| Apostolic Church may be enjoyed by
ths disciples of Christ to-day. The
heavens are not closed. The divine
voice ia aot hHshed. The sauna faith
will still produce the same mArvels.
| Revelations may be had and the sick
msy be healed. And though we do
we'll to call him misguided, and Shy
tthis vain Imagination deceived, and
lao the truth has bsen abused and
EprofaRed, after all, may not this
bleaching be q deserved rsbuks to the
tahbeiaif of the Christian IorId2
Tnsn it should BIZ remembered that a
large portion of taa Mormon creed 10
Biblical, and differs bat littls. if any,
troRa ears. They follow Moss snd
the prophets. the Gospels and
the Episties. at least sc they M
derstand them. Prayer 10 offered to
the came Father and S viOnr. Half
their hymn-boak is filled with hymns
long in honored use ia our places Of
worship. The church essays not to
nproot bat to manage arhusements,
r to furnish entertainment for all
classes which shall be legitimate and
kept within bounds. And there is
a certain business energy and ssgaclsy
lin their handling of religious and
other affairs that "Gentiies" might
well initiate. By system the attempt
ia mazda IN aaitIe all differences