Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-01-10
Mormon Missionaries.


four hundred missionaries were called
and sent out to gather converts from
all parts of the United States, from
Europe, from Africa, and from the is
lands of the sea. Win the Christian
eli urches of every name send us as many
as four additional missionaries to Utah
during the next six months?
The energy and perseverance of the
Mormon leaders might be proftably
initiated by the adherents of a purer
faith, and the same may be said of the
willingness shown by their followers to
undertake any work assigned them by
the church. Twice every year hundreds
of men are called from their stores,
their farms, or their workshops, to go
out into all the world and preach the
unclean doctrines of Mormonism to
every creature who will give ear to
them. Not one of the men thus called
thinks of replying: II have bought
piece of ground and must needs
go and see it, or, .'Ihave bought five
yoke of oxen and | go to prove them. /"
Many of them know that their bust
ness may suffer, or .hat their families
must be left unprovided for during their
absences, but they do not therefore say:
II pray thee have me excused" That
their success is not altogether out of
proportion to their willingness to go
whenever and wherever they are sent is
proved by the large number of Mormon
converts brought into Utah every year.
The fact that numbers of these converts
have been members of evangelical
churches, lends an additional, and GER
tainly an alarming, emphasis to this
statement.
1t is true that the readiness of these
men to obey the call of the church may
be partly explained by the circum-
stances that many of them better their
condition by going abroad. 1t is true
also that the average Mormon Elder is
not greatly distressed by the knowledge
that his wives and children must e"rn
their bread by their own labor during
his absence; but while the cheerful ODE
dience of the missionaries may thus be
accounted for in measure, their sue
cess in the various fields of labor as
signed them is still matter of wonder.
Many of the converts brought in by
them during the past ten years have
been gathered from the lowest stratum
of the population of Europe, but mingled
with these there are persons of aver.
age intelligence, and the Scandinavian
converts have at least the rudiments OF
acommon school education. The ma
jority can read and write, and in theil
own country they have been member.
of the Lutheran church. 1t is probabl,
that the inducements offered to this
class of converts are the same as those
/
held out by any immigration society
They are told that ir this country they
can acquire land, have good homes
and grow rich, and their faith in thes,
flattering promises is quite sufficient t.
bring them here. Once settled il
Utah, they readily accept of polygamy
and become the strongest supporter!
of the Mormon hierarchy. Their,
is, however, another class of con
verts whose presence here is more
difficult to account for. have known
women of intelligence, culture, and ma
tive refinement, who have forsaker
home, family, and friends, and some
times husband and children to .sgathe
with the Saints to ZION" One woman
of this class worked in my kitchen fo
a time. When she came to me tt
ask for servants place, 1 was filled
with establishment, for her appearance
language and manners indicated su
perior breeding and education. Littl
by little learned her history. She ha,
forsaken luxurious home, and deserte,
her three little children, that she Nigh
wait here in the valleys of the noun
tains, for the Lords second coming
Then she had become the polygamou
wife of Mormon farmer, and at hi
death had gone out to earn her brea,
( by the labor of her own hands. Sh
would never admit that she had don
wrong, or even that she had made
mistake.
The power of superstition over som
minds is indeed inexplicable. Anothe
woman, first wife, after three year
of suffering. at length made up he
mind that she could bear no more; ant
left the house in which her husband hat
installed two other women as his wive 8
yet to-day this woman says: "What if
after all, Mormonism should be true
If it is, then am fighting against God
| try to put this thought from me, blu
it comes back again and again. /
there not power enough in the pure gos
pei of the Son of God TO overcome ant
dispel the degrading belief that holds S,
many souls in bondage? There ar,
women all around me who are living
lives of unspeakable misery and degra
dation, either because they believe Goo
has ordered such lives for them, or be
cause they fear He has. 1t is true tina
many women enter into polygamy, o.
continue in it, from lower motives, Blu
it is also true that many would escape
from the debasing slavery in which they
are held if they could be sure that Goo
had not ordained polygamy. What cal
we do to give them this assurance?
| The Mormon missionaries sent on
since March, if thev succeed as well a
those sent out last year, will bring il
two thousand converts. Only thos,
who have witnessed or felt the blightins
effects of Mormonism, can understand
what life lies before these people ant
their children. Yet none of them ar,
willing to listen to any warnings Tn,
young women. especially, turn a dea
ear TO advice and remonstrance from
those who know what fate awaits them