The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-07-10
and is lighted throughout with electric


YOU some idea about that. They
have what is known in the church as
the Tithe system, 1.-THE, as you know,
meas tenth part, and is an old bib
lical term. Every member OF the
church is bound to pay ten per cent
OF his or her earnings into the church
every year. Say, for instance, if |
earn 1000 during the year, / am
compelled, under the rules. to pay in
5000 of it for the SUPPORT of the
church. and if I fail to do it, l am
turned out of the church, and recog-
nized as an apostate. This 1.-THE sys-
tenn, as you may see, must he very
burdensome to some whose incomes
are very limited. No one is exempt
from it. The poor servant girl must
pay her tithes AZ well as the rich
man. The church is sustained or
rather derives its support in this man.
ner. 1t affords al immense revenue,
and it really requires great deal of
money to keep such a church in a
flourishing condition.
Now you might ask where those
Mormons come from? The army is
being recruited by missionaries sent
out from here to all parts of the world.
At least one hundred and fifty mis-
sionaries are sent out every year, and
they go to localities where the people
have not had tne hest opportunities
for acquiring information or knOwl-
edge, and there they make their con-
verts, telling the people that if they
will come here. they will find 4 In i
flowing with mi k and honey, relic-
ION that will surely suit them, and ::
community noted for It's liberality and
disposition to aid all who join or ell
list in their cause. in obtaining foot
holi. Sometimes a train road of five
or six hundred will arrive in a day,
and thus it can he seen how the ranks
are being constantly added to.
They make no effort looking tc-
ward the spreading of information or
the increase of educational facilities.
thereby, in my judgment, hangs a
tale. 1t is the same thing with the
Catholics. They are greatly opposed
to the pubic school system, and in
fact all others except the parochial,
or those intoxicating their re-
ligious doctrines. 20 with the Nor
mons. They have no such thing
here as a public school and but little
attention is paid to education the
intention or purpose seeming to be to
keep the people in ignorance as much
as possible. A religion with poloy-
gamy and ignorance for foundation
stones must soon totter and fall in
this age of progress and enlighten-
meg. knowledge is shooting and
spreading everywhere like the pros.
porous branches of the green and
hourishing palm. Ignorance and SUI
perstition are the twin sisters over
which its shadows will pine away
like the shrub of flower shut out from
the sunlight. Catholicism no longer
is the power that it was few years
ago, and its greatest enemy is the
public school system.
! Mormonism is not what it was when
the seer and head Of the church
could send out bis dani'es to murder
those whose faith and fidelity he had
reason to doubt. A massacre now
like that of the Mountain Meadows
would bring down the wrath of the
government to such and extent that
Mormonism would be completely wip
ed out. For that terrible slaughter in
Mountain Meadows only one man has
ever been hanged although the United
States Marshal here informs me
that the whereabouts of most of those
who took part in the dreadful carnage
of blood are known, and that they
could be brought back and convicted
if the government would only expend
the necessary amount of money. L
is hardly probable that they will evel
be punished.
Since writing to you last, one very
great desire of mine has been satisfied
indeed / have had as much desir,
almost to see great Salt Lake as /.
student of Holy grit would have t.
see the Dead Sea. You remembe
in your geography about the peculiar
properties of the water of Salt Lake
Ii has puzzled and perplexed and
mystified the scientists of the world
Well, | have been in it. hathed il
it. / had always been under the impres
sion that Salt Lake City was OH thu
margin o. tho noted basin of water
but in this was mistaken. the lake i
about twenty miles from the city ant
IS reached by little railroad that ON
ly extends that far and was construc
ted for the esnecial ,rse and con venjenc,