Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-12-14
BEECHER ON MORMONIsM

DAEtnL1 Wv NUN M Wv ION.
During his recent extended lecture tour in
the far West Henry Ward Beecher visited
Salt Lake City, was entertained by leading
Mormons, and, az far as any stranger ever
has a chance to do, got an inside WOW Of
Mormonsm In his Thanksgiving sermon
Mr.. Beecher told his Plymouth church con
gregalion what he thought about tho Nor
mon problem aud tho way to solve it. His
ideas on the subject are not altogether of the
conventional type, but are none the less iu-
teresting for this reason. Following is a sum
mary Of his discourse
Aside from the spiritual question, my i'm
preston is that no more orderly city exists
on this continent than Salt Lake City. sug.
gested to an anti.Mormon that the way to
reach them was to have Christian families Of
refinement and spiritual force introduced
among them, whose example would be per
petual testimony to the Mormous. l received
a buffet, however, when l was told that the
average Gentle was not so high up morally,
as the Mormons themselves were, and that IN
industry, frugality, truth speaking, temper
ance and chastity the contrast was in favor
of the Mormon people. When you consider
what vast numbers of emigrants aud espe.
cialy miners drift down into such camps,
you can very well understand that the Gen
tile population can furnish no example that
is likely to win Mormons from their supersti.
tious beliefs and evil courses.
One of the methods of government that
exist in Mormondom is very peculiar, and ex-
lists, suppose, nowhere else. The Mormon
lives on farm that is irrigated by water,
which the church owns and controls The
church has only to stop the water from his
farm, and the sinful or Objectionable Nor
mon will starve OF repent No court, no trial,
no anything simply shut the gates. think
there never was so efficient government so
amply executed in the world. Laughter ]
They are increasing they are buying up the
land that is favorable to culture under irriga.
lion in all the adjoining states and territories,
and are constantly spreading. At the Nor
mon conference, held in Salt Lake City in
October of this year, the Apostle Cannon pre-
sented statistics of the church, showing the
membership in Utah to be l27, $50 the num-
Der of families, $4,000; new members admit
ted, 90, 900; the church organizaton-mR
this, how thoroughly they are governed, and
how many men there are who have an inter
est in the maintenance of this systematic
church organization embraces, fest, the pres
ident then twelve apostles, then fifty. eight
patrarchs 3SsJ sentinels, 3lj3 high priests
IL 900 choirs, 1900 bishops and 400 deacons
pretty well ofiicered. In Arizona there is
a membership of 22G2; in Idaho twice as
many. Eighty lone missionaries have been
appointed to go on missions to Europe and
the United States. Eighteen of this number
we're set apart for missions to the Southern
states, where the church is meeting consider
able success in increasing its membership.
| The Southern converts are being colonized
mainly in Colorado. That is the condition
of things as near as l could judge.
Now the question comes Is there any rem
edy2 think there are two. One is to let
them alone and the other is to put them to
the sword. Let us look at both of them. And
first, the Edmunds bill has been not only no
disadvantage to the Mormon church, but a
great advantage. 1t has driven in all the
wanderers and consolidated them. 1t has
made them feel again and again that they
were prosecuted people. They have felt this
always. They have said I'VE are kept out
side of the United States. The laws that are
made for us are perfectly different from the
laws of any other state or territory in the
Union" They harp upon this, and super
stition run to fanaticsm and intensified by
the sense of persecution is power which is
not easy to deal with Now, a commission
appointed with absolute authority, despotic-
a drum-head commission-with the army at
its back, settled down in Utah with the com
mand Of the people of this continent to
| eradicate polygamy at all hazards don't
| know but that could succeed This | know
that such measure as that is foreign to our
history, unknown to our laws not according
| to the genius OF our institutions nor of our
people. | think the poorest people on the
face Of the earth to play at despotism is the
great, intelligent American people; and to
send forth body Of men, armed TO the teeth,
to exterminate polygamy, not bound by the
laws of evidence, forming their own judg-
ment as to guilt or innocence, laying the hand
of power on whomsoever they think it neces-
sary to lay it, that would be an extraordinary
state of things
And yet don't think any legislation short
of that is going to accomplish anything. OF
course, all the wisdom of legislation is not in
my poor head-thank heaven. But think
one reason for the turpdlty Of our govern
| ment is that it doesn't know what to do. You
don't know what to do. You hate Mormons
| don't. | hate the institution. 1 love the
Mormons. l should be very glad to sec this
vast body of men brought into harmony with
all our institutions and methods. But il you
ask me by what legislation you are going &c
do it, don't know. l should be glad to hoai
from any one who does know The wist
men of Washington are not wise on this sub
| lbCl. 1uhL L uhNb run htdliualhbAn
Well what is the other remedy Let then
alone; receive them into the Union with
draw your soldiers let them have theil
church let them be open to all the inhu
ences that are affecting the public sentimen
of every other state in the Union send there
your intelligent teachers; establish schools
among them as you do among the heather
send in there those who can preach bette
gospel. Do you believe that, while we may
convert the people of Asia and Africa, ther'
is nothing in the gospel that can touch Utah
Take persecution of Of them. Go back ab
solutely to moral influences. Take away from
them the feeling that they are singled ou
from all the people on this continent and
held in, and denied their civil rights, and ar
abused on account of their religion. TAX
away all that substitute kindness and pa
tient teaching and preaching of the Gospe
with more piety and fervor than it is nov
preached to them, and wait for time 1t i
not likely that they are going to take posses
sion of all the United States. II there be an.
such thing as the superiority of intelligenc
over Ignorance; il there be any such thin
as the triumph of divine power or pure faitl
over an abject superstitious faith If there b
any truth in the claim that liberty emanci
pates men il 1t be true that the gospel O
Jesus Christ is adequate to all the emergen
cies of depravity and wiokedness, in hig
places and in low, it would seem to me tina
the way of the future is the way Of relgio
in all the days that have gone by. Applause.
1t is an odious thing to have such stink pc
right in the midst of the nation; we loath
the mere thought of polygamy, and yet
! don't see any other way TO eradicate it. S
, far as / can see at present there are but tw
causes-one is by the sword of the govern
/ memt and the other is by the word of th
Lord, and of the two it seems to me that
would little rather trust to the word {
the Lord than to the sword of Gideon. Al
plause. Set the New Testament against Il
p Old Testament II the New Testament cal
- not whip out Moses and the prophets, then
4 is not what it pretends to be. Applause
+ MINOR NOTEs.
a Mr. Carlisle, speaker of the House of Re-
9 resentatives, is very pale man, with brow