The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-25
A MORMON BAPTISM IN BERLIN.
How the Saints are Compelled to
Celebrate their Rites.
For he cHRrsrxAs HERALp.

AAeAc - Always SOMETHING All pASS7A''
about the ordinance of baptism as per
formed by the La.ter-dAy Saints in IL
primal beauty and simplicity. unham-
pered by the meaningless ceremonie!
aud empty forms which men have had
the presumption to surround it vito
and through which the ordinance itseli
slost and forgotten,
Owing to the peculiar circumstances
and surroundings, the peculiar baptism
to which refer was rendered doubly
solemn and impressive; bus before pro-
ceedlng further, il would be well per
haps 70 first explain the disadvantages
under which the Mormon" mission
aries in Germany labor.
1t is perhaps generally known that the
preaching OF MOrmonism Is prohibited
IN the greater portion OF the German
Empire, and in some parts even the pre-
sence Of a Utah Mormon IS scarcely
tolerated. Other portions Of the coun-
try are more liberal however ami espec-
tally was this the case in Berlin. We
had succeeded in that city in so far re
moving the prejudice Of the officials that
We hAu received written permissiOns
from tie chief of police for our local
I
announce the same in the Leading news
papers Of the city, but ~ the same time
It was understood that no missionary
from Utah had this right or even the
permission 10 be IN attendance.
! l was at this time (ISS3) the only mis-
sionary in Berlin and my movements
were strictly watched by the police. l
! could neither ,eaYe nor enter the city
| withourbelng Swallowed by detective,
/ for they seemed 70 labor under the I'M
| preston that the MormOnS were rank
Socialists aud that the sole aim and OBJ
Ject OF our proselyting was 10 drum up
new recruits Tor u tab, and encourage
immigration. even going so far as 10
advance money and hold out other in
ducements such as the promise of land
and the choice of home when they
should arrive in Zion.
The newspapers, too. spoke OF US with
much bitterness at times, publishing
such silly and absurd stories as that no
letter could leave or enter Utah wIthsut
first being read by Jopn Taylor. and
that when people grew so old and feeble
that they could work no more they were |
taken out into Salt Lake and drowned: |
and the most absurd thing about IL was |
that such stories were believed.
This state of things, however, did not |
gularly and preaching to the people,
though l knew that it was well known /
TO the police. They made no objection /
however, and took this as tacit IN
derstanding that they would not inter
fere with me in preaching the gospel.
The same intolerance was OF course
extended to.the performance OF the or
dnance of baptism only in a greater de-
gree, so much so in fact that it was al
ways attended 10 at night and in sec
ret.
At the time of which speak several
persons had offered themselves for bap-
tim and il was announced in meeting
that the ceremony would be at
tended to that evening. About
! O'Clock some twenty persons had
assembled at the foot OF the
bridge on the bank Of the river and
among them the candidates for baptism,
but the place was 70 public for our pur-
pose and the little company started for
! point about a mile mp the river. There
vas nothing 10 attract any particular I
in the little groups OF stragg- t,
ers, moving silently along under the
Faving branches OF the hine trees and
he sOlemnity OF the scene was aug
nented By the surrounding gloom, the
O' Z rusiiing OF the leaves overhe ad, and
he gentle murmur Of the river WASH
NJ against IT'S sloping banks and re-
iecling back the rays of the stree; r
amps n q thousand sprays OF light.
After . short time We arrived ~ our
destination. Before US lay the broad
BOSOM Of the Spree, its opposite shore
hidden by the darkness, amt behind u
he spires Of little church rose among 4;
eafy trees, y lille the marble monuments
II the churchy ard itoOd white snd ghost
-. 10 ] 1
.ound broke upon the solemn stiffness q
ave tGe murnlur OF the river tapping
Is grassy banks, and the mOurnfui
signing OF tine wind through the leafy
rees, with an occasional refrain OF Z
music or a snatch of a boat song from i
Jut over the swelling waters. u was q
IL time and place for holy thoughts aud {
scarcely AM eye in the little group
assembled under the broad linden was /
Try as the final words of q fervent
prayer TO God for His protection and !
blessing were uttered. d
Those 10 be baptlsed now stepped for
ward dressed in pure white and pr
seeded with me into the dark waters. ,
had We concluded the beautiful !
rite, when a boat shot int view with a
gay laughing crowd of young people ,
Who had been attracted thitner by the |
mysterious proceedings on the shore. I
Their gay laughter grated harshly on !
he ear at this this solemn moment, but !
syen they seemed impressed By the
luiet, beautiful scene and their gay {
ionqR died on their lips as the boat /
Glide quietly out again into the sur /
-Ounding darkness.
No need for silence and secrecy now, {
sad the joyous feelings of the little I
company found utterance in singing the I
Iongs OF Zion as they gaily retraced :
heir steps toward the great throbbing I
and were LOST in its hume {
-Ous thoroughfares. 7
Such was my first experience of bap- Z
ism in Berlin, and it was but the protO- I
ype Of many Others that followed, :
ilEays at night and in secrecy thought I
here Is little doubt in my mind :
hat the police were duly apprized OF /
hem, yet so undemonstratlngly and :
luietly were the ceremonies always I
that they could see no reason /
or interfering with them. Il
W. E.P. 7