The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-06
BEECHER.
Text Of His Thanksgiving
Discourse on the
MOrmons.
Sane Suggestions from an Unpreju
diced Nan.

4
BeecEer's Thanksgiving sermon, re
latiDg to the MOrmons. Extracts
only have heretofore been published
west of New York:
In sketching his trip Mr.. BeecheI
said, in abiding to Utah, that he
would reserve to The last what he
had to say upon the subject of Nor.
mOnism When he at length
reached that point there was q gen
eral settling in the pews, and it was
evident that his views were awaited
with much interest.
My lecture" he said, "was adyer-
t1sed to take pace IN the theatre
that belongs 70 the church IN Salt
Lake City. President Taylor, the
successor of Brigham Young; the
twelve apostles, and so many of their
wives as could be spared Qaughter)
were present at the lecture. Pres
ldent Taylor called the next day, ia
great courtesy, with bis carriage to
take my companion and myself for
an inspection Of the city, and very
tine city 1t is, with many admirable
residences. l learned some Things
from him, and l had also the hap
plnesS OF seeing some intelligent
Gentlles, and learned some things
from them. / had likewise the
privilege Of acqualntanceship with
some eX MormOnS, men of culture
and brains, of deep Ieligi us sus-
ceptlbillty, and | learned from them
how they went into it and why they
came out of it. / have no time to |
go very largely into this matter as a |
psychological mystery. But it is |
not strange to me at all, Mormonism. /
Its ignoble origin must not lead you
to despise it. It is one of the great
forces of modern society. / regard
it as having one Odions featule-I
well, twO-maybe three.
But 1t is a good healthy body on
which these cancers are feeding. No
matter what the past was, no matter
who started it, no matter on what
false ground, the question is, There
stands the phenomenon of the nine
teenth century. What is its power?
W herein does it consist? What is il
doing? 1t is spiritual despotism-I;
absolute. 1t is founded on a literal
acceptance Of the Old Testament.
Ion see how a man who believes
n verbal inspiration can throw 8
stones at the MOrmons. Are they [
oolygamlsts? So is the Old Testa- [
nent saint. What sort of fellow S
vas Solomon? In all his glory he !
was not arrayed like one of these. I
Mormonism in its religious phiIoso-
ply is simply the attempt to rein
reduce into modern economy the q
Institutions and the beliefs of the
Mosaic period cf tue Old Testament. [
-hey have no gorgeous ceremonial. q
here are very few things that :
ppeal TO their imagination. And ,
ct 1t is one Of the most cohesive u
Odies of men that exist. Il
PROPERTY OF THE MORMONS. n
In the first place, it brings its fol- a
'wers very largely from athe emf O.
rant regions OF the globe These n
eople come there very ignorant. n
hey are poor. The org anization a
once distributes these men, giving G.
very one Of them piece OF ground D
ii the agriculture there is lrrigat- Il
lg agriculture. The Church owns c,
l the machinery through which a.
lie water has to fOw, and it is part CT
the duty of bishops to look after 81
le temporal condition of their peo- OF
e, and If any man will go and look az
to that absolute desert region and tt
e the fields of grain, the vines and pr
nit trees, the little farmhOuses, ca
deemed or erected by the industry 81
these poor, ignOranlI Mormons, he al
Ill be amazed indeed. And it is DR.
1t without some reason that they pc
int to it and say, rs this an evie ey
nee that the providence of God is m
ainst us?" TheIe can be no ques- th
IN that the great majority of Nor tn
onS who 60 to Utah rise at once, tn
d by their industry and frugality Sta
come at once better men and ac-
ire property, What if the Church TIC
hes every mans products and phi
axes itself millionaire Church WI
tn funds enough to carry on its pc
visionary work around the globe IN
lie people are SO much better off, on
e climate is so delightful, the earth kh
80 hounteous, that they pay their mt
hes willingly. land superabundance tic
II crowns the year as the fruit of De
cir industry. m'
AS general thing the Mormons on
lieye LII Mor.nOnlsm. If our peo- II
2 here believed half so much in 20
as the people of Utah L
in Mormonism, we would see the on
obe revolutionized. Then you are of
take into account also the use So
at is made by their teachers of gu
aveD and he'll. Every mothers pr
q Of them believes in he'll Qaugh-
y and in heaven. and the premise
the threat in regard to the future
the keynote or polygam5. 1t is Lt
It in the nature of woman TO de- tn
Re to have a multitude Of com> ch
MON wives around her, but ior in
e safety of her soul, for the hope liz
spiritual salvation, she may cur. tn
il her marital rights in this world, Sc
q it is the promise Of life ever an
sting on what they consider the al
rect testimony of God which leads th
EN- to submit to this unwarrant- pc
lie condition. Not half the pop m
alton are polygamists, but they A
believe In pOlygamy as a divine pc