New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-03
MORMONISM.
AN IMPARTIAL HISTORY OF A STRANGE
PEOPLE.


General Agent.
In one of Remains essays he writes An ori-
entail once said to NE, You Europeans VIII he'er
fully understand religions because You have never
behold the birth Of any. As for us, we dairy sec
some fresh one rising among u.s." Ana III at
tempting to explain how il is that tins lecunui%
persists in ASIA the philosopher suggests that the
solution Of the problem is to be found IN certain
faculties with which Asia is richly gifted, ana III
which we ourselves are almost wholly wanting
Asia possesses enthusiasm, faith, an easily III
famed ina gnaton, a boundless hope, audaciouS
deceit, and. in extreme cases. when the holy cause
is driven TO bay, that mpcrturbaole assurance
which maintains an idea in spite of reality. Our
races are infinitely more solid serious, straightfor
ward, than those of Asia; but, for these very rea-
sons. they draw back Mortified at what appears TO
them an imposture; they are not light enough 10
be so lifted up: they are deficient in that sort OF
double dealing which enables 10 be at the
same time fanatical and shrewd, cunning ana
credulous, impostor and dupe" Had NJ hen'n
bethought him of the rise and development Vi
Mormonism he would certainly have hesla'ed 10
accord to Asia monopoly either OF the mahulao.-
IRE of faiths or of the peculiar qualities winch
are necessary to the evolution and maintenance Vi
false religions.
The American people have had under their eyes
for half century, the growth oil one Oh the
strangest religions the world has known. lney
themselves have contributed to It's establishments
BIZ supplying it with the most vital stimulus tila'
can be applied to any young and strugghnS
Church They have forgotten the teachings OF all
history, and have sought TO extingulsh II by per-
secution The martyrdom of its founder gave u
a stability and seriousness it had not possessed
previously. The intolerance which drove IL INTO
the desert famed its zeal to fanauclsm, ana ny
forcing upon il that isolation which was its most
pressing need, secured for it the breathing-tme
reousjte for consolidation and extension. The
phlosophic lessons of this strange experiment have
been for the most part lost TO u.s. however, for the
reason that scarcely any competent observer has
approached the subject in an impartial and scaen-
tjic frame of mind The list Of books and papers
about Mormonism is wellnigh endless-Mr. Ban
croft amends to his " History of Utah" twenty
eight pages of authorities consulted-but these
writings may be divided into two classes, the one
bitterly hostile to Mormonsm, the other defend
ing it with an equal extravaganza Mr.. ii. H.
Bancroft is the first American author to treat the
question with absolute equity and Importantly
and as no other writer has even pretended TO the
possession Of equal opportunities for the coHehoh
of data the present work is fully entitled 10 DE
considered the only trustworthy history OF the
MormOns eXtant.
Mr.. Bancroft has literally given both sides OF
the question. He has allowed the Mormons TO
state their case in their own way, and ne mas
put side by side with this statement the reoutuhg
evidence of their adversaries. OF course he has
not confined himself to this arrangement. III
is the duty of the historian in such circumstances
to weigh the evidence on both sides; to apply
pror tests to it; to sift and compare and analyze
il: and finally to elucidate the contradictions by
lucid and judicial summings-up, whereby the
reader may be enabled to determine the incllna-
ton of the balance of probability. All this Mr..
Bancroft has done with care, judgment and fui-
ness: and the result is weighty and convincing
book and one which must henceforth be &C
cepted as the principal authority on the whoie
subject. There is one point which might nave
been covered more fully with advantage, though
we cannot say that it falls strictly within inc
scope Of such a work. 1t would, however, have
increased the value of the history had Mr Ban
croft devoted q preliminary chapter to the intel
lectual and spiritual condition OF the com
munities which furnished not only the foundef oil
Mormonism, but nearly all the earliest adherentS
of that sect For it is there, among the primitlVe
rurai inhabitants of what was, at the beginning
of this century almost the sewage of American
civilization, that the studies must be prosecuted
oughly Ineligible.
The period was one Of transition. The spirit OF
Purtanism still persisted, though latitudinarian-
ism had grown out of the dominance OF revom-
fionary ideas. Rationalsm yet was unknown
in the outlying settlements. Literal belief in the
Bible was the rule, and feature of the day was
tendency to take issue with the theory that the
age of miracles had passed-a disposition TO look
for and easily to accept, supernatural mani
festations advanced under the cover OF divine
influences The people among whom joseph
Smith appeared with his story of the golden DOCK
were utterly uncrtical, and In many respects
peculiarly susceptible 10 just such temptations
as he held out to them. They could sec nothing
intrinsicaly improbable in the alleged revelation.
That record OF the former inhabitants OF Inc
continent should have been buried and In due
time mysteriously revealed, did not appear to them
in any way absurd. II the majority OF Ills
neirhbors rejected the revelation OF Smith, IL was
simply because no prophet has honor In his own
country or among his own people. They Khe"
him, had known him all through his lfe ana as
in all similar cases refused 10 believe in him
But beyond the narrow circle of his immediate
acauaintances his story found credit and
one reason Of its ready acceptance Mr.. Bancroft
points out Joseph Smith did not seek to super
sede the Bible, On the contrary, he accepted II
from cover 10 cover What he proposed was new
and supplementary revelation, and this did not
shock or revolt minds already prepared TO re-
gard either a continuance a revival OF the whole
supernatural phenomena of early Christianity as
entirely in accord with reason. Miracles had
never ceased fer these people there any
ground for concluding that they would cease
There was precisely the same reason and need
for them now as eighteen centuries ago; and
since the Bible literally and entirely true II
seemed to them that complete religious loyalty
required them TO expect and to receive with
humble and not sceptica spirit whatever tokens
might be vouchsafed for the persistence Of revela
lion.