Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-08-24
FAITH AND EXPERIENCE.

sumption is made because OF certain eA-
pressions of ours in the Ne,cs' article, and
because the arguments which it under
took to refute were the arguments used
by the DEMOCRAT.
The NelCS says:
1t was held that if there were any let upin
the present assault it would confirm the
faith of the "Mormons'' in God, thus IN
creasing what should be destroyed. They
had been In the habit, in past times, when
under cloud to attribute its clearing away
to the direct interposition of Divine Provl-
dsnce in their behalf.
This was what was said by the DEMO
Graf:
For the Government now to cease its vim
dication of the law would be for it to prove
to the people of Utah once more that God
had interfered to protect them from the
machinstions of Satan and those through
whom he works.
Such was our opinion last Tuesday,
and such it is to-day. That people be-
lieve that the hand of God is stretched
forth in their behalf and for their protec-
ton is no evidence that it is. We
will cite one instance in which the NelcS
undertook to prove, and did it completely
so far as Scriptural texts and texts from
the theological works of the Mormon
church could prove thing, that God was
highly displeased with all who did not
remember the Sabbath day and keep it
holy" This was the case: In Septem-
Der of 1873, if we remember rightly the
date, word was sent the Ncays
from Manti, Sanpete, that
party of seven young people
had been drowned in a small lake some
miles west of Manti while out boating on
Sunday. rhe Neaos, as did every one
else, took the case to be as stated, and
believed that the accident had occurred
on Sunday. The NeCS, to point moral
and to show that God was displeased
with these unfortunate young people,
wrote a very lengthy editorial, in which
it maintained that God had put forth his
power and caused these young people to
be drowned for disobeying one of His
commands; and the NeWs fully estab-
lished this fact by quoting various
passages from the Scriptures and the
sacred books of the Mormon church.
Could anything be more conclusive of the
fact that God was displeased as the NeUS
claimed, and proved, than its argument
and the authorities it cited? Certainly
nothing could be. But when all this had
been written and proven beyond any
thing but an irreligious cavil, it turned
out some days later that these seven
young people had been drowned on Fri
day instead of a Sunday, notwithstand-
ing the divinely established fact that
God had caused these young people to be
drowned to show His displeasure. Here,
then, was a clear case of faith and di-
rect interference by God because one of
His commandments had been broken;
and from this no conclusion can be drawn
except faith and reliance on God had
gone awry. 1t may be said that this
should not tend TO destroy faith because
man is liable to err, as this case plainly
shows Very true, and if this was clearly
a case OF superstition and error, may not
other cases OF faith be the same?
We said that for the Government TO
cease its vindication of the law would be
for it to prove to the people of Utah once
more that God had interiered to protect
them from the Vaccinations of Satan
and those through whom he works." and
so we think. If the Government were to
cease its vindication of the law it may
be that such cessation would be on ac-
count of a direct interference by God in
behalf of those who are breaking the
law; but we candidly confess we do not |
believe it would be. To show how events |
the most natural and ordinary are con- |
strued by the people of Utah to be divine |
interpretations we will relate a circum-
stance that occurred within fortnight
AS every one knows, the national flag !
was placed at half mast on the public |
buildings of the city and number of |
semi-public buildings, such as the Taber-
nacle, the Temple, the Ne,US Office, etc.,
on the Fourth of July last, and !
that this display created considerable
excitement in the city and great deal
of indignation throughout the country.
Ii is also well known that there were
many rumors as to what the Mormons
intended to do on the Twenty-fourth, and
among other things said TO be intended
was the placing OF the national flag at half
mast on that day. Itwas likewise common
talk that the Gentiles of the town, and
some from surrounding Territories, said
that no such thing would be allowed, and
that were the Mormons to attempt it,
there would be bloodshed. What truth
there was in all these rumors we are un-
able to say, but the rumors were sufficient
TO cause much anxiety in the town and to
cause committee of prominent MormonS
TO wait upon the Governor and also upon
General McCook, the supposed purpose
of which visits was to ascertain what in
structions had been received from Wash
ington in regard to the Twenty-fourth.
Such was the result of the half-mast
business OH the Fourth. Let us
now proceed to illustrate how the hand
of the Lord was made manifest in this
business. Some ten or twelve days ago
the writer was walking up Main street
with gentleman, when they were over
taken by prominent Mormon, who
walked along with them. This gentleman I
spoke of the half mast business, and
made these remarks concerning the I
Twenty-fourth "You see it came around {
all right about the Twenty-fourth, didn't i