Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-06
The MormOns and Their Country.


Address By Professor Brewer.
 Professor Brewer, of the Sheffield Scien- tihc school, in his lecture on "The Mormons and Their Country" at North Sheffield hall
 Tuesday evening highly interested his audi
 ence, which was large and cultured. Nearly
 every Feat was occupied. The treatment of
 the subject was substantially as follows:
 Our country professedly tolerates all kinds
 of religious beliefs, yet few communities put
 this profession into practice, except as far as
 the law compels. There is little real respect
 for the opinions of others. We have become
 noted as people for the number of our re- ligious sects. This fact makes the question
 of Mormonism exceedingly difficult. If Joe
 Smith had been born in Austria or Spain
 there would have been no trouble in crush
 Ing out his new doctrine But in America
 there is no such unity of religious power as
 in old Catholic nations. The Mormoas
 number but one three hundred and
 fftieth of our population, yet many
 are afraid they will overrun and subvert the
 whole nation. This question must be dis
 cussed from the Christian standpoint, the
 standpoint of the American people. Chris
 tianity is eminently progressive. At first,
 when the CnQfCQ W3S W0Ak, 1CS WGhpOuS were
 mainly spiritual. As it grew more powerful
 it tried by other means to convert the
 heathen. Persecution followed persuasion.
 And it often happens now that the place
 where moral suasion should end and where
 force should begin is lily defined. Mormon
 ism is believed by majority of people to be an evil which must be reformed, that is that
 it differs from their belief and must be
 brought to coincide with it. Our American way is to make laws and then force the Mor- mons to conform to them. This cannot stand before the Christian method of per
 suasion. The fact that this religion origin ated in deceit has always given rise to feel
 which prevents fair view of the subject, a short description of the Mormon country may not be out of place. Utah is seventeen times as large as Connecticut, yet it is doubt full if it will ever have as large population as this State. It is drained by the Colorado river, but is to great extent dry and barren This was not always the case. At one time an immense fresh water lake covered it, hay ing for it's banks the terraces on the noun tam sides and finding an outflow through Snake river, which swelled by its waters forced that wonderful canon through the Cascade mountains. Unlike the hills of the East, the mountains of Utah are concave in their slopes, giving thus peculiar facility for irrigation. The lands are generally supposed to be especially suited for grazing Yet they are not at all fertile and probably ten acres would not support more cattle than one or two in Connecticut. There are many things here which remind one of Palestine. There is great salt lake into which flows large fresh water river, called also the Jordan. On this is fresh water lake resembling in many re- spects Galilee, ::whiIe in the west rise a chain of mountains. It is place fitted for the home of hardy, industrious people. The history of the Mormons previous to their settlement in Utah is an interesting subject for study. Their religion began with Joe Smith, who was born iu Vermont of family wealthy principally in children. His parents moved early to Palmyra, N. Y-, where they lived about dozen years in no very good reputation until Mormonism bloomed out l Joe is known to have been & wild, lying youth, iliiterate and untrusted. It Is said | that when about fifteen years old he became l interested in 8 religious revival and began studying the bible diligently. He did not, l however, allow this to interfere at all with | his life. He gained quite reputation as | fortune teller, claiming to have culiarly shaped stone which he had | found. He put this in his hat and saw strange sights in it. The newspapers in | search of the wonderful gave him fame, and | in 1927 stranger appeared and held secret l with him. When he had gone Joe 1 claimed to have seen the Lord, who had pro claimed new gospel to him. Soon after he | SC i'd that directed by an angel and hindered | by devils he had gone to a hillside and dug | until he found maIvelously engraved gold | in plates. These he was enabled to read by | means of pair of gigantic spectacles which | he found with them. These plates he trans- | lated with the aid of Sidney Rigden and pub llshed in 1880. Rigden, who was the first 1 Mormon minister, was 8 man of considerable | ability and was the literary basis of the new faith. On April 9th, 1880, the first Mormon was organized with six mem | bers, four of whom were Smiths. In less | than month miracles were worked, Joe | Smith was annointed priest and the religion was thoroughly established. Their mum to Ohio where Smith had many revelations, one of which directed him to found bank and to get his capital from his followers Smith was much influenced by the prophecies of a new faith named Jemima Wilkinson, who had much success among the lower classes. In 1892 Brigham Young joined the sect and immedi- ately took prominent place in it which he held until his death Many of the apostles 'ell into disrepute with their neighbors who were obliged to watch their harvests and other movable property pretty closely. Smiths bank broke about this time and its proprietor was obliged to flee. But very
  he church to move again, this time to Mis- Iouri They fared little better here, how 'ver, as the inhabitants, not Eki their ways, treated them to tars and feathers and other indgnities. After being charged with Ill kinds of crimes, they were finally driven rom the State by the militia and at last, fter many wanderings, settled in their pres- mt home. The Mormon bible was written y Presby yterian clergyman named Solomon 'paulding and was afterwards modified by tigden. Spaulding, 8 man of some ability, osing his health, wrote for amusement this ook, which is really an historical romance. l t pretends to be an account of the peopling f America by company of Jews, who six undred years before Christ travelled vest 7ard to the Pacific, which they crossed, land ng in Central America. Being cursed for they were reduced to the condition f the red Indians and became finally killed fl by wars. The last of them was ordered 9 write out history of his tribe on golden lates, which he did, and hid them in the | arth. Therc is abundant evidence that this ook was known before the rise of the Nor lons, and several theories have been given Q account for it's possession by them. Prob ply Rigden, who was in the employ of publisher, managed to obtain it nd afterwards gave it to Smith. It is book , dry and uninteresting. On Thurs ay evening Professor Brewer will speak on he problems arising from the Mormon ques- ion. f
 The Commentators,