The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-03-01
MoRMoNS AS THEY ARE.


 Joaquin Miller, Tn Philadelphia Press B;iis Tn congress are. and have been for twenty-five years, lowering over the Mormons like buzzards over an aban- Goned paekhorse on the plains. Con- sress al one time found sufficient excuse before the country 10 send cut an army there. 4 great deal of bitter feeling was ensendcred: a good many millions of .he peoples money spent few contractors go, rich. That Is what came 1 loft. The Mormons did no; scare very well
 h the iiyst place, they are, in some hing more or less than biblical sense. -a peculi4r people, They are chosen gathered Tn from the four parts oi the world. because Of their peculiar weak ness on this subject of religion. deny. dearly and unqualitiedly. th.; pelygamy has any special attraction ef itself to these people. Polygamy Is simply one of the ..ne,s by which they tie their faith ana profess 10 the teachings and preaehings oi ;he bible when God spake face to face x.,h man upon earth. They take the old bib!e, the New Testament. the Book of Mormon and try to follow all pretty closely Well, as the people there, the masses, all save the leaders. are very, vey ignorant, thick-headed and mentally almost helpless, you can easily see how entirely they axe in the hands of the bishops. elders and so on.
 You must keep in mind all the time the iic, that these ignorant and thick-headed pecple. drawn from the lowest ranks oi lie abroad or al home. are Tn the begin aing lust little bit daft. or weak. on the sablec, of religion, "peculiar. And shen they are told by the bishops. elders or missionaries that away out in the mid de of America, by the Dead Sea. with he river of Jordan flowing into it. there | $ great eiiy like Jerusalem. where the people hope to get to heaven by paying a,hes and living in all respects as people l .ivei in the days of Abraham and Isaac. David and Solomon, you can see very well tha, they are moved not by any
 .ox motive al all. but. indeed, by desire Q get to heaven by doing the will of the Master.
 Be convinced. these people, mean inc people, not the leaders are an hon. es. people, pious people. industrious, peaceable, sober and well-meauing. Ii yoa are convinced of this and you could 10: help being convinced of il If you had
 seen them one-,enih part as much as have, ,oiled with them, traded with them trusted, tested ihem-why. of course, the rsh. feeling in your heart toward this ignorant or misled mass of weAk-rninded people is the one pity. This-their posi-
 :4on-is really pitiful and appeals 10 the best that IS in us.
 Here we are upon rew ground and in
 another atmosphere. The Mormon elder
 IS also "pious." Bu, his pie,y is not such
 as challenges any very deep pity or ad-
 niration. It is a business piety. Shall
 tell you in one word what and who the
 Normen bishop. elder or leader is ] iuiteau
 The Mormon leader is well read. super
 acially, like Gui,eau. He IS religious,
 asanely religious, like GuiteaG. He IS amply Guiteau-,he many hundred iui,eaus gathered up from the entire
 iace of the earth He IS not a crank
 because he is a Mormon leader. Bu,
 ae IS Mormon leader because he Is 3 rank.
 The whole world, civilized and un-
 :irilized, too, has been made to empty
 aer religious cranks into the Mormon -hurch.
 These bishops and elders are JUS, as
 earnest ln their '' missions as Guiteau
 vas. Some Of them are more insane
 iaar he : some are less so. But there IS
 aos pretense of question in iny mind oi
 ;aeis sincerity. of the unfaltering belief oi
 svery one of them that they have found
 ne right road 10 heaven, for and of
 saich, God help us, many good men
 and women are still doubtful about.
 shall never forget the first Mormon
 ader ever saw. It was on the journey
 rom Council Bluffs to Sal, Lake more
 nan thirty years ago You will remem-
 ser that the Mo;mons, in their exodus
 aom the states to Salt Lake, then q pzrs
 Mexico. used wheelbarrows, handear,s
 aad all kinds of humble conveyances, as
 aey were very poor. Well, this old
 eader,- who was a giant in size, bent,
 angular, hollow-eyed and hideous to
 ook upon, was making his way to the
 ses Jerusalem, as he called the Mormon
 sfiement, on foot. He not only was on 'oos. but he had wheelbarrow. in inaita- son of the earlier Mormons. Not only
 hat, but he had on his wheelbaTow a azge black coffin. In this coffin he had bag of bread and many books. He
 anped every night close to our camp, laterfered with no one. rarely spoke or
 ,zne near enough 10 speak, but read