The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-07
CHRISTIANIZING MORMONS.
How the Evil of Polygamy and Of Nor
monism Is To Be Tenderly Treated.
Polygamy Deprecated, but the Religion Of
the Saints Entitled to Proper Con-
sideration by Americans.

Sermon Preached by Myron w. Reed. May 81, in Dem
rance God winked at. bat now eommandeth all men
everywhere to repent
You will End it wise to shut your eyes to some
of the faults and infrmities Of little children, to
seem not to see them. We let them alone; the
children viii outgrow them; they are childish
things. We wisely permit many things to chill
dren that we forbid to men. There is child
hood OF the race In which there is yet no COM
mon Law. It has not had time to grow Things
are formative. Some of the faults and in6rm-
tiles of this cid time, when things were in the
raw, God vinked at-that is seemed not to see
in sense, permitted them. I suppose the
po.ygamy of the patriarchs falls into this class.
That permission at one stage of growth means
command for ali stages of growth is absurd. as
all who have the training of children from in
fancy to manhood know take it that by COM
mon consent Of the foremost nations of the earth
polygamy ia barred, ruled out Even in the old
days it did not work we'll The brethren that
sell Joseph into Egypt are only half-brothers
The blonde Isaac and the dark Ishmael do not
get on we'll together. nor their children. The
dark men Of the desert take toll of their light
haired cousins to this day. 1t appears, then,
that polygamy. early and late, is not good
thing. A child ought to have the advantage Of
Many children in Utah have only the training
that their mother can give them. Their mother
is, we will say, q woman of the lowest order.
probably ignorant and possibly stupid. 1t would
seem that the training Of sucn a mother
would not fit a boy to be a profitable citizen
Of q republic. But am told by those who have
visited Mormon Sunday schools that the children
seem in no way to differ from children elsewhere;
that they are quick and bright But that does
not settle the question. So I have seen the
children of slaves quick and bright-in anything
white children. But when the severe studies
came, that calf for reasoning powers-as, for
instance, geometry-there was sudden falling
off. Up to the age of sixteen they held their
own. but beyond that they fell behind as com
pared with the children of freemen. POlygamy
among Mormons is hardly old enough yet for
us to know exactly what the crop is All
other things being equal, it is not possible
that child neglected by its father and trained
up by an ignorant mother can be all that he
might have been. For one reason and another
the feeling is pretty general in this country that
polygamy must cease
In the original Mormon Church polygamy had
no part. 1t was not a recognized doctrine of the
church until 1852 1t seems to nave beer an ex
post facto doctrine, stuck on co Justify the prac
tce of some MormOns. The Book of Mormon
expressly for bids poygamy. Not all and not
nearly all MOrmons are polygamists There is a
Church Of Latter Day Saints in Chicago. Their
pastor is son Of the prophet Joseph Smith.
He is violently opposed to polygamy. / under
stand there is a church Of this kind in Indiana,
and in Arizona. in the San Pedro valley,
there is colony of Salt Lake Mormons
In which poygamy is not tolerated Rev. Mr..
Smith. pastor Of the Church in Chicago says
there are not more thar 1000 polygamsts among
the Mormons. According 20 the authorities his
figure is much too low. But this fact emerges,s
that Mormonism does not of necessity mean
polygamy. and therefore, war against polyg-
amy in the Territories of the Unitei States must
not be allowed to mean war against Mofmons.
There are plenty of greedy and eovetous gen.
tiles in Utah who like nothing better than a COM
PEELED exodus of the people who have made that
salt desert a garden, who would leave behind
them property valued at more than 800, DOC, 600.
Within few years have frequently the
headline, 'sThe Mormon Must Co. and | think
know the kind of robber who suggests that
headline. He does not care anything about po-
lygamy. He has speculation in his eye.
AS far as the Mormon Church is concerned,
with the exception of doctrine, it has as good
a right to be protected as any church. the
lands and mines of Utah belong to the people of
Utah. who have made the land and discovered
the mines. In an especial sense that land is
made By heroic industry they have made
country where there was no country Whatever
is done in this matter of The Mormons, justice
must be done. Polygamy is the only thing we
have anything to do with. and here, If / mistake
not, is knottier question than that Of slavery.
We American people have a curious way of toll
Grating an evil thing until it gets well rooted
and firmly established, and then getting sud
denly Indignant and violent. and expecting too
much from an act OF Congress. A
man feels sleepy and dull for a month or
so; he is tired without working and one
day he takes to his bed and calls in a DOCTOR and
he feels his pulse and looks at his tongue and
suggests typhoid fever. 1t is just like that man
to ask the doctor to make him we'll in day, so
that he can attend to his business; but the doc
tor cooliy writes prescription suggests nurse
and the invalid is in for it for few weeks. In
this case an act of Congress would not hasten q
cure The Legislature Of New York has taken
hold of the Canada thistle question and has
done something, but not suddenly. There will
be some thistes. By the shortest process it
required forty years to change the slaves of
Egypt into the freemen Of Canaan. They had
the habit the manner of slaves. So, when
Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation of
emancipation he began good work, but it is
not yet ended.
we have in republic TO depend for the most
part for real gains reasons. on persuasions.
That is light" A school house is one of the
chief things as against barbarism. Says Judge
Tourgee Ignorance and neglect are the main
springs of misrule.' Compulsory education is
within the power Of the government Even the
champion Of individnalsm, j. s. MILL says so in
his great essay on Liberty" look upon Utah
as missionary ground. The government can
protect schools and churches there. With these
two forces we have reformed the Fiji islands,
made away with cannibalism. and with slavery,
and with polygamy. The methods of light are
little sew-frst a gray sky, and then dawn,
and then morning. But the methods of light
are sure Bread noon comes with time, and
there has been no violence
Slavery went out violently, but it cost horri-
bly,. 1t is possible that this question Of polyga-
my may be disposed of in an intelligent, and pa
tient. and just manner. We who are not Nor
mons ought to be patient with those who are
They have. in their time, been acquainted with
grief" In l847 both political parties prosecuted
Mormons without any reason. They were no
more pelygamists at that time than their neigh
bors There We're scandals among them, as