The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-09-27
To the Editor of THE HERALD.

,Sir:-Vietor Hugo makes his Bishop
of D--say: 1.-The great dangers are
within ourselves. Let US not trouble
about what threatens our head or
purse. and only think of what threat
ems our soul"
How shall the young men OF Utah be
asked to stand by the faith of their
fathers, if the fathers will not stand by
their own faith?
TIE system of plural marriage in
stituted through Joseph Smith is a
truth as divine as the atonement of
Christ, or it is the most accursed lie
ever promulgated by human lips. 1t gives
the promise to men and women, who
faithfully conform to its requirements
of eternal life and eternal increase. 1t
is, therefore, worth more than earthly
wealth, popularity, liberty, home and
life; or IL Is not worth. sigh from wO-
mans heart or tear from woman's
eyes. Any man who has entered into
the relation of celestial marriage with
out an absolute certainty of its truth.
low men. For, if the doctrine be lie,
he has prostituted trusting women anu
bastardiZed helpless children. But, if
truth. religion, manhood, conjugal love
and parental affection-all should teach
him to die rather than cast reproach
upon the divine cause, or upon the
honor of those innocent ones whose
earthly names are in his keeping. The
clause of the Edmunds law affecting to
give legitimacy to the children born in
plural marriage was either too much or
too little. If the relation in which they
were born was decreed of God, then no
weak human statute was necessary
to give them a rank in the earth /;
but if their fathers were not called by
divine command, and were not actuated
by sacred and everlasting motives, then
the birth of such children is so vile that
no law can wipe out their dishonor.
In my mind there is no question.
The religion of the Latter-day Saints is
worth all it costs. 1t should be main
tanned with a heroism akin to that
shown by the reyered Redeemer on
Calvary.
Far be it from my purpose to con-
denim the fearless, conscientious act of any
man in these trying times. But when
a person who assumes to be leader Is
inGhe same work, by different
motives at different times when he is in a
dark crisis, guided by some other lamp
than the one which he has set for the
feet of Others; there is neither imper-
Thence nor irreleyancy in the question,
"whIthe- are we driftingP" Suppose
that ~ yusands of men have enlisted in
ali army fer the defense of home and
country, and one of their number with
many others), because of his utterance
of high patriotic views and because of
his supposed superior ability and I'M
loyalty, has been ele-
waited to the rank of captain; suppose
that this officer declaims to
his soldiers constantly that their
cause is worth dying for, until through
long years of training they learn TO
rely on his wisdom and integrity; and
yet at the last moment, when they are
to the contest, this captain
so far renounces the vital point of the
war as to establish friendliness between
himself and the opposing force; every
private soldier in that captains COM
pany-no less than the commander-in-
a right ask for reasons
Shall it be a sufficient answer that the
captain has grown old and rich in the
and that he would risk
too much if he maintained his
part in the combat? Are wealth
and comfort any dearer to age
than life and liberty are to youth? How
shall the captain acguit himself with
fearless consistency if he say: "All
that have ever proclaimed about the
81 rious object Of this war is true; but
| choose to withdraw from the issue,
until such time as the contest can be
settled without sacrifice on my part.
So it is with the religious question in
this land. If l did not know that the
of the truth is implanted
in the breasts of young Latter-day
Saints beyond the assailing power of
weak examples, l would ask: What
hope is there for young Utah, exert in
an utter remuneration of their religion,
if men who have been favored and
trusted members of the church for
third of century surrender at the first
What a sublime spectacle could be
presented to the faithful and to all the
world by staunch old man standing
before the courts to prove his faith,
even with the last remnant of his phys
ical strength The more such m IN
sacrificed Of worldly goods and fame,
the greater might be his immortality.
Sucfl life would be rounded to a grand
completeness. The setting of the sun
would be worthy'of its midday splen-
dor.
Who can forget Francis A. Brown!
He too. is an old man. Toll has brok-