Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-04-13
THE NEW MORMON MOVEMENT.

An interesting and picturesque incident IN
the social and religious history oil the day is the
effort of the Eastern Mormons who have not
embraced polygamy to revivify their dying
church. The Mormon sect was founded by
Joseph Smith, whom we are not proud to
claim as u Nermonter, over fifty years ago,
about 1880. In that year Smith and the few
followers he then had took up their residence
in Kirkland, Ohio, from which point they
made missionary inroads into the ncishbor-
ing villages. The propagandists' pathway
was not altogether one Of roses, and ON one
occasion Smith had the somewhat awkward
mishap of being talred and foatheied and
ridden out of town on rall-the
town OF Hiram being entitled TO
the credit for this onilholosicil treat
mcnt of the Mormon apostle. In spite
Of such unpleasant incidents the sect
grew aud 1ourishld, however, to the great
disgust of the deccn, people in the height or
hood of its headquarters. Pcrs cutipn fo!-
lowed, and the new church was driven from
Ohio to Missouri and thence into Illinois,
where NnuvOo was founded and Incorporated
as II cty,und magnificent temple was begun.
There Smith received u hew ''revelalun''
sanctcuing ''pluml marriages" by II process
Of scaling and when II paper exposed some
of his questionable operations its Office was
destroyed Smith was arrested and tic
jail was broken open and he was taken ont
aud shot. Other complications followed.
lIosi lily to the Mormous Increased, and
presently broke over the lines of law. Maui
VOC which had flourshed beyond any of It's
ncghborng towns and hal the promise of
wealth and beauty, was sacked by mob,
and scores of lives were lost, and vast
amount of property was destroyed. Brig
ham Young, then young and intrepid leader
of the sect, gathered 10000 for march
across the wilderness TO California. That
State, however, was coded 10 the United
States before the Mormons reached il, but
Young succeeded in getting permission to
settle in Utah under United States protcc-
ton and there, in what appeared to he II
desert of sage, the little band of pilgrims set
up their altar and went to work.
This migration took place in 1850. OF
the 1G, 900 Mormons who left Nauvoo only
1000 survived when the site of Salt
Lake City was reached tic rest
having died on the route. Now,
Utah has $4,000 Mormons and $4,000
people who are not Mormons, while there
are at least $4,000 in Montana, Idaho and
other adjacent Territories The property of
Utah was valued in 1880 at S25, 100000 1t
yields now 1000, 600 bushels of grain and
its output of precious metals is estimated at
50, 500, coo. 1t has 400 schools, supported at
an annual cost of over 5000, 900, besides pri-
vatc schools, with scores of flourishing towns,
and newspapers, and railroads and all the
other mechanism of civilized society.
Such is an outline sketch of the history of
the main body of the Mormons. But ever
since Smiths death there has been Il branch
of the church which has not accepted the
leadership of Brigham Young and his sue
cessCr, nor admitted the authenticity of the
later revelations. This branch is led by
Joseph Smith, son of the original Joseph, and
the principal point of difference between it
and the main body is its rejection of the sys
ten of polygamous marriages. The "Smith"
MoTmons have been holding reunion at
Kirlland Ohio, the home Of the sect. in celc-
bration of the tifty-third anniversary of the
organization of the church; and the reports
show it TO be in decidedly rising condition.
The old temple which is sud to have cost
fifty thousand dollars, besides much
gratuitoas labor. and which has stood
empty for fifty years, gradually going
to ruin, has been restored at a cost of ten
thousand dollars or more And as our
tclclraphic dispatches have told us, the
church has eight thousand members in Eu-
rope and two thousand in England and
Wales. The members If the Kirkland
church are said TO lie sc!ate, earnest and de
vout men. and the meetings, which have
reference to The missions aud other work of
the church, are described as impressive in
their evidence Of sincerity and devotional
spirit.