The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-04-06
CHAPTER VI
SOME DECLARATIONS.

The school-house in Mooseneck was low
structure, so low tall man might lay his
hand upon the caves. In this regard its
composition was strikingly Mormonesque
Hewn pine composed the walls and a med
ley Of shingles and clapboards the roof
When it rained, thing infreQuent in this
region, if administering Mormonism with
an occasional pinch of earthly information
in it CHANGED to be in progress, they simply
adjourned. 1t mattered little anyway, con-
sidering the intellectual pap offered
these unfortunate stockings.
The place was very dirty one, indeed
quite IN the Mormon way. The floor was
of Natures own furnishing. packed solid by
countless foot-strokes and, when un-
sprinkled. rising often in little smoky
puffs to further aggravate the mental fog
which seemed always webbing about the
poor heads congregated there Its area was
the one redeeming feature, i. being rather
wide and deep upon the ground. necessity
obvious enough when the fiocks of children
in the settlement were taken into ac-
count. Indeed in Mormondom chill
dren are ubiquitous; they literally
swarm upon and burden the eye-sight.
Their production is a cardinal feature of the
Mormon system; they vote ultimately, of
leaders have made woman's salvation
depend IN large part upon the number
of bodies she furnishes the spirits
that wait to pass through this exist
ence to the next. The imposition is in
expressible. That night after the Prophets
coming however, the old school-house had
a holiday look. The seats had been re-
moved, the walls decked with greenery, and
the dirt floor swept and sprinkled. By nine
O'Clock the populace was there, hard
favored, animal-looking crowd, yet with
here and there good form and gentle face.
The ball was opened with prayer, one of the
Salt Lake Elders offering the invocation,
and that night ere the disgusting pastime
had ceased a young man was killed upon
the floor, and half the dancers were reeling
with drunkenness. Quite all CO them were
members Of the Mormon Church. but none
were Christians; sincere Mormons there are
in plenty. but never Christian Mormons. the
beliefs of the latter and the holly refine
ents Of the former can not lie down to-
gether in the same heart.
Mormonism Is not a religion: those fine,
spiritual laws that mankind, after centu-
ries of sitting, have found pure gold at the
bottom of experiences are lacking. A shut
fling and repulsive assumption of worship
is put forward by the priesthood on all pub
lie occasions, no matter how secular and un-
holy. Worship is vulgarized, and life Is
largely brutalized. In all the back regions,
where the contact and restraining pressure
of the great world is scarcely felt, this
feature turns most toward one. There it is
frightful. At the best it is q home-destroy-
ing system, lust-engendering, love-annul-
ling, heart-polluting one, but there it is
,,,l 81, ia
q plant that feels upward for the sunshine
and strikes its sensitive spire against the
under side of q reeSlng stone, is doubled
back upon itself and turns helplessly about
in the darkness and the filth. Youth is
muddied through all its feelings by precept
and example, and becomes . home-hating.
iquorloving, lustful, profane and ignorant
phaze. Over it and about it forever broods
. thick and heating atmosphere, impure,
animal, numbing to the brain, Quickening to
passion, through which their way seems
hopeless.
At the heart Mormonism is criminal
m n. L: r. m