The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-06-02
THE CRADLE Of M0RMONISM.

A correspondent Of the Concord
Monitor thus describes the place
where Mormonism had its birth:
Finding myself at the village of
Willoughby, in Lake county, Ohio,
only five miles distant from Kirt-
land, 1 took the stage for that his
torical little town, In half an hour
VIC surmounted slight eminence,
and the village of Kirkland stood
revealed as distinctly and entirely
as Jerusalem is seen from the Mount
of Olives. Indeed, / should not be
far astray if 1 called it the Jerusalem
of Mormonism.
The birthplace of Mormonism has
now reverted to the decent branch
of the church, whereas Jerusalem is
the property of Moslcms, Jews,
Latins, Greeks, Armcnians and
host Of religious fanatics. So Be
Gauges, the cradle in
which orthodox Buddhism was
rocked, has now reverted to that
royal race of idolaters, the Hindoos.
In the very centre Of the town
rose the conspicuous square walls of
the original "Temple,' with its six
gable windows jutting out on either
side of the vaulted roof, and it's
wooden cupola whitened and con-
siderably remodeled in view of the
ravages of time. One does not ap-
preciate the magnitude and severe
simplicity of the structure until it is
seen in distant view of the town.
Crossing the deep valley which
still intervenes between us and the
town, paused presently in front of
the old Kirkland Hotel. Alas, "Icha-
bod" should be written on the very
portal OF temple, town and hotel.
The hotel itself is only a name,
for the present Importance of Kirt-
land does not warrant the keeping
of hotel, and thelrooms are occu-
pied by private families. In re-
spouse to my knock at the south end
door, Mrs. Elder Kelley came to the
door, and invited me into the plain
family sitting-room.
my husband is at present in
New York, l believe, engaged in
evangelistic work. You know our
churches are not supplied with regu-
lar pastors, but our clergy-who are
self-supporting, by the way-preach
in circuits. He has been visiting
churches in the vicinity Of Philadel-
phia, Boston and Providence for the
last few weeks"
care the Mormons-your branch
of them-prospering?"
SIN the first place do not call us
Mormons-or Kelleyites-or Smi-
thites, or any name that implies a
human leader. Call us Latter-Day
Saints-or simply Christians. If
you wish to imply the religion which
we follow, refer to us as the Re-
organized Church of the Latter-Day
Saints. Our order is growing slowly,
l understand. We are strongest in
Iowa, perhaps, where our denomi-
national paper is published"
care meetings held in the Temple
regularly?'
"Not now. The building is SO
large that we cannot heat it suffi-
GENTLY. 1t is also in need Of repairs,
for the repairs that were made in the
interest of the reunion year ago
last spring were not sufficient to pre-
serve so old building. The walls
are still mighty, but the plastering is
weak. We held meetings for time
in the meetinghouses of some of the
orthodox denominations in town, for
you must know that the Mcthodists
and Baptists hereabouts do not con-
slider us so heretical, but that they
will lend us their churches some
times, and sometimes we lend them
our Temple. Last summer we held
revival meetings in several counties
in this State, but at present nothing
is DOING
From conversation with Elder
Kelley in the past, and with other
leaders of the Reorganized Church,
l could understand that the worst
thing about this Kirkland Mormon
ism is the fact that it must endure
the obloquy implied in that odious
word Mormonism-all the odium of
which belongs TO sect whom these
people rcpudiato. Polygamy is the
chief plank il the Utah religion
which is not found in the Reorgan-
lied Church creed; but that plank
separates the two bodies Il world
apart. Stripped of polygamy Nor
monism would scarcely belong in the
category of peculiar religions.
Before visiting the Temple we