The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-03-08

q, - ssparsksd, - long "a upoa sophistxy
end fanstlc1sm without endangerin6 men.
telity snd lifs; this = TIE great lesson Il
NormOnism.
Orson Beam did not come to his mothers
door until the lamps were lighted that night.
Al day he had been lying In the UNDER
growth acrcss the valley, striving and
doubling and supplicating, ashamed to face
his fellows, and ever moro and more feeling
him. When his mother saw him standing
In the door she called out his name, with
hands lifted and Q look Of unspeakable dis
may, 20 much had hunger, weakness and
emotion changed him.
What had he donei she implored. For
answer he foil down bofors her with his
heed in her lap and cried like child. He
had done the Prophets bidding, no sobbed,
and his heart was brokeni He had lost his
innocence! o, ne had lost his innocencei
God had turned away His facc from him,
and he was in darkness, in bitter, bitter
darlrnessi
The woman's lips frightened, then she be-
gan to moan over him. This crushed con-
dition Of her son was indeed inexplicable
and appalling. Suddenly he lesped up and
cried out in strong. feeling against the sys-
tenn under which they suffered.
I'VE are involved as in the mcshes Of o
net; We have no freedomr" he cried. "Oh,
mother, this 10 not religion, this Is villainyi
We are not made free and pure by the
Gospel, but enslaved and polluted! Yes,
enslaved and pollutedl God in Heaven, for
give rs our blindnessl' and he stretched
| fro In his agitation The woman sat and
stared st him like one struck dumb
II tried to kill fellow-manl'' he broke
out again. II was hidden to do 1t by one who
claims to be 90 pure that God speaks directly
through him to usi Oh, mother, think Of
the villainy of this! the deception practiced
upon us, and the injury done US! 1t has de-
stroyed me! 1t has taken away my inno-
sence! shall mover be clean again!''
1t was narrowing thing to witness his
mental suffering. The mother in her con-
sternation did not notice tho torn place in
his clothing at the shoulder, and he, for the
time being, had forgotten his hurt in the
fresh agony of his inner-wound when look
ing upon her face.
Mother" he went on, n,bessechingly, ''you
do not know how much of infamy there is
in this We, of tho lower Priesthood, have
been compelled to subscribe to such oaths
In the secret chamber of the Endowment
House as would make your gentle blood run
cold. have vowed, under penalty of death,
not to reveal them. But today, lying
yonder among the bushes culprit, instead
of q minister Of tho Gospel, the hideousness
Of 1t all rose up before me like o mountain
Of horrors. These men who are ut the front
are using us; from the incipiency OF our
cause have made us slaves and criminals
for their own unholy end I have done
serving them, mother Today they came
before me with every selfish purpose laid
bare; their greed and moral deformities as
clear to me as their physical parts would
be werc the walls of their bodies made Of
transparent Ice. The whole system, too,
from end to end, became illumined in my
anguish of heart; became revolving! am
done with It'll
"Look at me, mother! What has it done
for mot Strive as l would after purity of
heart and uprightness Of spirit, it has left
| me defiled and miserable, thing Of loath-
ing in the eyes Of Heavenl Can such sys-
tenn be Christian and the way Of salvationi
| Neverl 0, mother, lying out there I saw
| plainly what it was: An ancient barbarian,
put away by Christ but fastened again by
designing men upon tho present. 1t is the
Same, mother; the exclusiveness, the pre-
tension Of being the chosen and special
children Of God, all other peoples not in ac-
| cord with US being supposedly hated by
Him and our rightful prey, the practice Of
| plural marriage, female slavery, blood
atorement, tithing, government by prophets
and priests, the laying on Of hands, anoint-
Ing with oil, and a hundred other sias and
| phasmas Of old barbaric days. Gods chosen
people is the human race, mother, not little
| handful Of Mormons here among the mount
aims. He loves them all alike; they are all
His children, and His kingdom is the gen.
eral human heart. Oil this truth came to
| me out there like burst Of sunshine, and
NO little band Of the great family Of earth
suddenly seemed more blamable and more
| to be pitied than we of these valleys, large
ly ignorant as we are, vaunting our accept
ance with Heaven and crying out to each
other Of our holiness, declaring all the rest
Of the world Sodom and all other societies
dictated by Satan, while we ourselves have
turned back on the road of human progress
and enlightenment, which is the true build
ing Of Gods kingdom on earth, to sin and
barbarisml
"Christ taught that we should forgive our
enemies and do them good, and that moth
ing could justify US in doing evil. What
are we taught here! Oh, we have been fol-
lowing the commands Of base man, and
| not the fne monitions Of the Beautiful One
| Of oldi We have been deceived and de-
luded, mother, and must leave It now.
can not live under it longer!'
Tho mother, while he had gone treading
heavily to and fro, and crying out against
their religion in his wild bitterness Of heart,
had swayed forward with her forehead IN
her hands and with tears clipping silently
from her withered cheeks. She did not lift
her head when he ceased to speak, aud he
flung himself down upon his knee before
her, and with his arm about her shoulders
kissed her silvery hair.
| sAother, you have doubted the truth Of
this system for q long time2" he said. She
| nodded assent, still weeping
"You have not married again through
disbelief In polygamy, nor passed through
the Endowment House from fear Of its obi
| gationsa Youhave clung to Mormonism ON
3 B3I| | a,,IIs;!!!l| .