Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-06-12
AN "OBSERVER" ON TOURISTS.
The Shoddy ssGiggling" Visitors Z"
the Mormon Tabernacle.

OALI LAKE SIT1, q uiiS -'
EDITOR DEMOCRAT: To any person
whose mind contains even moderate
spirit of fairness, the actions OF many
strangers and tourists while visiting the
Tabernacle to hear the Mormons preach
is disgusting. 1t is a notorious fact that
they keep up continual giggle and I'M
dertone conversation most OF the Tune
they are in the building, and thereby an
noying congregation of people whom
they take special delight IN calling
"polygamous barbarians." 1tappears as
if they had come here for the sole pur-
pose of showing these "polygamous bar
barians" that visitors from the hlgh.
est 90 civilization are merely lot OF
hair-brained dudes and dudines who have
come to punch up'' and annoy the AM
mals' on exhibition in the great Nor
mon menagerie"
Although casual observer-belng IN
no way associated with the Mormon
Church, or even in sympathy with Its
doctrines-I think that if strangers mad
an atom of self-respect they would try to
set good example, and by showing good
breeding give this people the benefit OF
their higher cultivation. But no, they
seem to take special delight in making
themselves appear ridiculous, and cause
the friends of good order and civility to
blush for them. A disregard for common
forms of politeness, mingled with natural
aversion of the Mormons, leads them to
perpetrate breaches against unstinted
fol fu hn of
Islanders.
The Mormons-no matter what their
faults may be-are noted for hospitality;
and the consideration they exercise in
reserving the best seats in their meeting
houses for strangers, at least entities them
to some mark of respect.
So, under those circumstances, it can
not be otherwise than humiliating to the
anti-Mormon element of Utah to see peo-
pie whom they have paraded before the
Mormons as examples of good order, and
as peers of the monogamic system, show
that they lack the most common attri-
butes of COMFORTING themselves as ladies
and gentlemen should.
If the question is not too pointed to
admit of an answer / would like to know
when the ladies and gentlemen of that
travelling shoddy aristocratic element are
going to show that they are more fitted
to be called ladies and gentlemen than
those "barbarians" they come to see? If
the parties of tourists who visited this
city recently, and made themselves gen.
orally obnoxious in religious meetings,
are from the higher class of people in the
East and West, fervently pray: "God
help the middle and lower classes"
In no other community would such
disgraceful conduct be tolerated Those
same people would not dare visit Eastern
churches and create so much confusion,
for fear they would be violently repri-
manded, or forcibly elected. They are
very we'll aware that they would be; and
why they are SO prone to make them
selves the objects of contempt of the
Gentle part of the community, and the
laughing-stoek of the Mormons, is query
none but themselves can answer.
The retrograde efforts of such people
tend more towards perpetuating Nor
monism than the abolition of Emission
schools in our midst would effect the
educational advancement and enlighten-
ment of children of Mormon parentage
for the mind of child will necessarily
become prejudiced against those who
make themselves butts for ridicule, and
the confidence and respect of that child
when once lost may never be regained.
The reason have cited the children in
this instance, is because through them
Utah is to be reclaimed from the blight
of polygamy.
l am sorry for the more considerate
strangers and tourists; sorry for the anti
Mormon residents of the Territory; sorry
for the Mormons themselves, that such
unwarranted breaches of good manners
have prevailed heretofore l sincerely
hope that the day is not far distant when
strangers to this community will realize
that that kind of mission work" will
never gain the encomium and esteem of
this peculiar people. OBSERVER.